| Product: |
thetrainline.com |
| Date: |
20/06/09 (67 review reads) |
| Rating: |
 |
Advantages: Easy to use site, smooth transactions
Disadvantages: Not the cheapest on the net, much better prices elsewhere
The current advertising campaign for the trainline centres massively on how you can gain reduced fares on the site. This is certainly true, but by no means are these the cheapest prices on the net.
I used to use this site regularly, and enjoyed great savings booking in advance train tickets as opposed to buying them on the day at the station. However, I was shocked when I started browsing other rail ticket sites, to find that the same tickets can be gained a lot cheaper on other sites like national express. I felt let down by the trainline as I had given them a lot of my business in the faith I put in them to have the cheapest options for rail travel.
However, the site itself is a good one. It is very easy to use, it is quick once you input your journey details, and provides a simple interface of options to choose from once you have submitted your query. Signing up as a member to this site is required, and once you have done this, booking future journeys is very quick and painless.
Having said all this, I think what most people go for in terms of booking train tickets online is the biggest saving, and the trainline fundamentally lets me down for this, so I cannot rate it highly despite the quality of the website itself.
Summary: thetrainline is a good website, but it is fundamentally let down by too high prices
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Last comments:
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- 21/06/09 Hi everyone,
Just a heads up that all rail retailing websites (third parties and train operators) offer the same prices for tickets as they all access the same inventory database.
So if I go onto Virgin Trains and Cross Country I will find exactly the same prices if I'm comparing the same services/journey. Also, retailers are not allowed to mark up prices on rail tickets and ticket prices are set bu the train operator companies, not the retailers. The only real difference is how each retailer displays their ticket matrix which can sometimes be confusing, especially National Express' new site in my opinion. Although National Express are running 10% discounts on their cheapest advance tickets so look out for these as they are only available on their site.
Have a look at thetrainline.com's new website www.thetrainline.com/buyt ickets as they now show the single tickets and return tickets together on one page and they have put the cheapest tickets at the top of the matrix and have highlighted them too.
Big savings can be made if you buy as far in advance as possible, although on some routes you can still get a cheaper ticket if you book the day before you travel. But also be aware that cheaper advance tickets are not available on all routes, especially on commuter routes.
Have you tried out the Best Fare Finder gadget on thetrainline.com? You just enter your dates of travel and it goes away and finds you the cheapest tickets that meets your requirements. It's definitely the leading tool out there to get you the best ticket prices and won a few awards. http://www.thetrainline.c om/farefinder/
Hope that helps. |
 |
- 21/06/09 Hi everyone,
Just a heads up that all rail retailing websites (third parties and train operators) offer the same prices for tickets as they all access the same inventory database.
So if I go onto Virgin Trains and Cross Country I will find exactly the same prices if I'm comparing the same services/journey. Also, retailers are not allowed to mark up prices on rail tickets and ticket prices are set bu the train operator companies, not the retailers. The only real difference is how each retailer displays their ticket matrix which can sometimes be confusing, especially National Express' new site in my opinion. Although National Express are running 10% discounts on their cheapest advance tickets so look out for these as they are only available on their site.
Have a look at thetrainline.com's new website www.thetrainline.com/buyt ickets as they now show the single tickets and return tickets together on one page and they have put the cheapest tickets at the top of the matrix and have highlighted them too.
Big savings can be made if you buy as far in advance as possible, although on some routes you can still get a cheaper ticket if you book the day before you travel. But also be aware that cheaper advance tickets are not available on all routes, especially on commuter routes.
Have you tried out the Best Fare Finder gadget on thetrainline.com? You just enter your dates of travel and it goes away and finds you the cheapest tickets that meets your requirements. It's definitely the leading tool out there to get you the best ticket prices and won a few awards. http://www.thetrainline.c om/farefinder/
Hope that helps. |
 |
- 20/06/09 Hi, personally, I now use national express, I've found that it generally is a good £20 cheaper than thetrainline. |
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