Until when can you (for a fee) change a UK advanced purchase train ticket?
As detailed on the National Rail Enquiries page for Advanced Purchase tickets:
Advance fares are valid only on the date and train shown on the ticket and are non-refundable. You can change the time or date of travel before departure of the first reserved train.
Any difference in fare and an administration fee will be payable.
Based on that, I would've expected to be able to pay the standard admin fee of a tenner (£10) up to the time of the train's departure, plus any additional cost for a different Advanced Purchase ticket (eg original ticket £30, new one I'd want to change to £25, pay £5 more including the admin fee)
This morning, I had an Advance Purchase ticket booked, which I wanted to postpone to either the afternoon, or a few weeks time. However, when I went onto the website I'd bought the ticket from (which is also the website of the people operating the train), it wouldn't let me make any changes to it - the dropdown box for the AP ticket lacked the details that a subsequent Anytime ticket did have
As the whole reason for me needing to postpone it was that I was unexpectedly busy, heading to the station before the train wasn't an option. I don't therefore know if it was a website issue, or I'd misunderstood the change option on the ticket.
So, for an Advanced Purchase ticket, under what conditions can you change to a different AP ticket, how, and until when?
Best Answer
According to National rail Advance ticket terms and conditions, you should be able to change Advance tickets until departure (emphasis mine):
Changing the time or date of travel
Changes to time or date of travel must be arranged before departure of the first reserved train printed on the ticket, after which the ticket has no value and a new one must be purchased. You will need to present the ticket(s) and reservation(s) when you request a change.
If the online system does not permit a change, that may be due to software limitations. Under such circumstances, I would contact the TOC where you bought the ticket by phone or online chat to request to change the ticket.
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Can you change the time of a pre booked train ticket?
This isn't strictly the case \u2013 you can usually transfer the ticket to another date and time. You can change an advance ticket if: You stick to the same route. You make the changes before the departure time of travel on any reservation on the ticket.Can I change my train ticket time UK?
Advance ticketsYou can change to another train by buying a ticket for the new date or time you want to travel on (you can't change the to or from station) and follow the instructions on this Refund form and we'll refund the original ticket for you.What does advance ticket mean?
Advance tickets, otherwise known as advance fares, are single one-way train tickets that offer excellent value for money but must be booked in advance. Advance tickets usually go on sale up to 12 weeks ahead of travel, but they are also sold in limited numbers.How many days in advance season ticket can be renewed?
Season ticket can be renewed 10 days in advance of the date of expiry. In such cases, it will be made valid only after the date of expiry and not from the date of renewal, Indian Railways said.How To Buy Cheap Train Tickets - MY TOP SIX TIPS!
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