Great Western Coffee Shop

Did anyone else know on Fridays only GWR don't permit Groupsave on Paddington to Penzance departures 1404 to 1904 inclusive ?  ::) Just one concern -  you can buy discounted tickets for all these services quite happily online, erm from GWRs website ?!?  ;D

The booking engine is the definitive authority, apparently - https://www.gwr.com/your-tickets/ways-to-save/cheap-tickets/groupsave


Groupsave has changed a number of times over the years - it used to be 3 or 4 tickets only, with children at £1.  A mathematical delight if there were five of you.   It then changed to 3 to 9 people, and more recently a 10 a.m. start time came in but that was poorly communicated. A few trains - any, yes, Cornish expresses on a Friday afternoon - have been excluded as have match day trains but those seem to vary year to year.  Perhaps it's only summer Fridays now with the limits to the west?  I don't recall the restrictions applying to the semifasts but I may be wrong, but Groupsave is not valid on CrossCountry.

A blackout calender on National Rail website used to detail dates when these couldnt be used eg. Cheltenham festival, but it hasn't been undated recently.

As I've posted on here before, Groupsave tickets have a restriction code (RV):
not valid 0001 - 0929 on any TOC▸
not valid any time on EMR» (East Midlands Trains) - about), GCR» , LNER» , Hull Trains, Merseyrail, Northern, Scotrail, TPE▸ , Avanti West Coast, Crosscountry, TfW, London Underground, Lumo, Caledonian Sleeper or Night Riviera
not valid for travel to/from Heathrow and London CIV▸
not valid to depart Paddington at 1404/1504/1604/1704/1804 except for travel to/beyond Exeter St Davids (Fridays Only)

That has changed over time - it was a new restriction (I said 10 a.m in error upthread; as we have no train at Melksham between 09:10 and 10:02, it's academic).  Does that restriction apply 7 days a week?

Monday to Friday only

14 October 2023 Update.

It appears GWR have had a change of heart (slap on the wrist?) with Groupsave.  The new instructions:

Groupsave discounts are generally valid on off-peak tickets [...].  If there is no off-peak ticket type offered for the journey then travel on a Groupsave discounted ticket is permitted after 09.30 Monday to Friday (except bank holidays).  Restrictions to groupsave tickets do not apply at weekends or on bank holidays.

Therefore Groupsave tickets will now be available once off-peak tickets become valid except where there is no off-peak ticket for the journey, whereby GS becomes valid after 09.30.
GS tickets are not valid on: the Night Riviera in either direction and departing Paddington at 1404/1504/1604/1704/1804 except for travel to/beyond Exeter St Davids (Fridays Only)
GS tickets are not valid any time on EMR» (East Midlands Trains) - about)» (East Midlands Trains) - about), GCR» » , LNER» » , Hull Trains, Merseyrail, Northern, Scotrail, TPE▸ ▸ , Avanti West Coast, Crosscountry, TfW, London Underground, Lumo, Caledonian Sleeper or Night Riviera

This brings GWR back in to alignment with the National T&Cs for Groupsave.