Little known First Great Western discounts

Thu 10 Jul 2014, 19:48

Hi Mark,

The time from when the Oxford Evening Out is valid does not vary between week days or weekends. Valid on all trains from Charlbury from the 18:37 onwards. According to the FGW website, this ticket can either be bought on the day or in advance from a station ticket office, online, by telephone (08457 000 125), or on the train (valid ticket/permit to travel is required unless boarded at a station without ticket-issuing facilities).

Sun 6 Jul 2014, 15:30

Miles / all,

Is the oxford evening out ticket available from the machine and for the 18.03 on a Saturday , as unable to find it anywhere.

Thanks

Tue 1 Jul 2014, 12:42

The Family TravelCard to London on off-peak trains is great, too. It costs £31.70 for an adult, and £1 per child (up to 4 children), and includes underground passes. Only, you can't get the FGW or National Rail websites to give you this option online. I had to buy it from TheTrainline.com, which assesses a booking fee. Sometimes, thetrainline can't give you reservations, and if your traveling with young kids, you'll want them on the London-bound trains, so phone FGW for its after-sales support, where you can arrange reservations with a reference number. Only, yesterday when I traveled, not only had I been given a reference number with a digit missing, but when I got on the train, there were no reservation tickets on a single seat, the guard having not received any for that day. It was truly annoying all around, but at least I traveled relatively cheaply.

Tue 1 Jul 2014, 12:03

We use the Oxford Evening Out all the time. £3 return.

Tue 1 Jul 2014, 06:41

Phillip - the exception means you CAN use it on the 18.37.

Mon 30 Jun 2014, 23:33

Oxford Evening Out ticket doesn't look too appealing!

Using the link quoted in the 1st post gives the following:-

Valid all stations Didcot Parkway to Banbury and Kingham, on all services departing at or after 18:50, with the following exceptions:

Kingham 18:15
Hanborough 18:44
Shipton 18:20
Charlbury 18:37

Since when was 18h37 after 18h50?

Some evening out if the earliest usable train arrives at 20h00 and the last one goes at 22h53!

Sat 16 Nov 2013, 10:53

Railway fares are a mystery, even to those who have experience with them. Picking up on Richard Fairhurst's example of Charlbury to Birmingham, the Off-Peak Return through fare via Worcester is £36.80. You can travel for much less than this by buying two tickets. An Off-Peak Day Return from Charlbury to Worcester costs £14.50. An Off Peak Day Return from Worcester to Birmingham costs £8.40 - giving a combined total of £22.90. If you are thinking of visiting Birmingham for the famous German Christmas Market, which runs from 14th November to 22nd December, the cheapest way of getting there using normal "walk-up" fares is via Worcester. The above fares apply on or after the 0939 train (Mondays to Fridays) or any train on Saturdays or Sundays. There is a restriction if you wish to return from Birmingham during the evening rush hour (1630 to 1800) on Mondays to Fridays. In this case, you would need an Anytime Day Return from Worcester to Birmingham costing £10.20. These fares can be reduced by about 34% with a Railcard, but remember that the Cotswold Line Railcard only applies as far as Worcester. If you wish to take a party of 3 or 4 adults, GroupSave is available at the fare for 2 adults.

Fri 15 Nov 2013, 17:18

Another one that might prove useful - if you're going to Birmingham, it's cheaper to buy a ticket to Wolverhampton and get off at Birmingham (£41.50 peak vs £75). Alternatively, if you have a Network Card or a Cotswold Line Railcard, you can buy a Railcard return to Worcester and then a return from there to Birmingham, though that's usually slower than going via Oxford.

Fri 15 Nov 2013, 17:12

The ones less publicised are rover and ranger fares across whole of FGW area; group savers are more well known and in the leaflets on the counter.

Fri 15 Nov 2013, 16:50

Going to Worcester or Oxford at half term, we always buy tickets in the ticket office and we always get given the group save ticket without asking for it, we just ask for cheap day returns for 2 adults and 1 child and we're told "this is the cheaper option, so I'll do you 3 adult tickets instead". This has been the case for at least the past three years.

We don't get it for London, but then my daughter has always travelled for £1 or so when we go to London, as long as one adult has a full price ticket.

Fri 15 Nov 2013, 15:44

Just seen the last entry - going to add that the booklet about these 'special' ie not advertised fares, is available, if you ask, at the station. Why aren't they out front with all the other network offers etc?? It appears from the Nat train enquiry line, mentioned on earlier entry, that these offers have been available since 2008! Great Western are deliberately keeping knowledge of these as difficult as possible, as could not find on their own website. If no internet access presume even harder. Its not like they are offered on those occasions when they would apply... Perhaps we need mass evening outing to Oxford, or beyond!!

Thu 14 Nov 2013, 18:04 (last edited on Thu 14 Nov 2013, 18:06)

The "Oxford Evening Out" is a runabout ticket, which is available on any train departing Charlbury after 1810, covering a far wider area than just to Oxford. For £3.00 (£2.00 with most railcards, but not the Cotswold Line Railcard) you can travel westwards as far as Kingham or anywhere in the area bounded by Banbury, Bicester Town or Didcot Parkway in the other direction.

Details are shown on page 14 of First Great Western's "Ranger and Rover Tickets" booklet, which is available from Charlbury station.

Sat 9 Nov 2013, 21:06

When I asked for a return ticket on the train to Oxford one evening, having been told it was cheaper than buying it in the machine, the guard said he had never heard of it. I didn't ask by name for an 'Oxford evening out' ticket, which was obviously my mistake. I ended up paying the normal price! These things are certainly not widely advertised!

Sun 3 Nov 2013, 20:00

I got caught out a month or so ago with the evening out ticket. I knew it wasn't available from the ticket machine, so I deliberately waited to buy on the train, but the guard never came round. When I got to Oxford the ticket office was closed so I had to use the machines anyway, and so missed the discount. I was advised to "actively seek out the guard on the train". I did this next time, and mentioned the issue to the guard, and he said he'd raise at the next meeting that the discouted tickets ought to be available on the machines - so you never know.

Sun 3 Nov 2013, 08:15

I agree these are very poorly advertised - however the Cotswold line railcard is on the FGW website, and the 'groupsave' fares can be found by clicking the small circle in the fares table
Example - a 'groupsave 4' (4 people) from Charlbury to Oxford is £11.60 return - saving 40p over the 'Oxford evening out' ticket. Obviously if you are travelling 'solo' (and perhaps have no friends?!) the 'evening out' ticket @ £3 is better value

Sat 2 Nov 2013, 18:40

A while ago someone told me about the "Oxford Evening Out" rail ticket but when I mentioned it to others no-one had heard of it. I had a search about and found that not only was the "Oxford evening out" a real ticket but FGW have many others discounts available, however most are very poorly advertised. Most of these off peak deals are not advertised at the station and I couldn't find them on the FGW website but they are on the National Rail Enquiries website. These are generally not available at the ticket machine, you have ask for them on the train.

1) Oxford evening out - Only available for asking for the ticket by name on the train! Adult £3; Child £1.50. A return ticket available on all services departing Charlbury after 18:25. (http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/prf5d26b54764470855429d0ef67a73c.aspx)

2) GroupSave for small groups - When just 3 or 4 adults or children can travel for the price of two adults on various off-peak ticket types (up to 50% discount!). Also additionally, up to four accompanying children pay £1.00 each. You have to ask on the train for this. (http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/pr354fdc0a0400020101fea1769fbf60.aspx)

3) For off peak journeys on The Cotswold Line, there is the Cotswold Line Railcard gives the holder a 34% discount from Off Peak Single and Return tickets, and Anytime Day tickets on the route between Worcester Foregate Street & Oxford inclusive. The Railcard costs £7.50 for one year and is valid for use when off peak tickets are available. (http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/prae3bdcc35ce7410121220c0456bf6d.aspx)

I hope that some are able to make use of this information.