Changing advance tickets

[whole diary]

[Mookiemoo]

I was meant to go to the office tomorrow and have an advance return however my truck became ill tonight (well about an hour ago it got a flat) and its not going to be possible

Can I phone up and pay the change fee to change the ticket to another day first thing tomorrow or would I be told to go fornicate with myself

I could book a cab etc but I need to get it fixed

[inspector_blakey]

The ticket has no value for change or refund after your first train departs...I have a feeling this journey was very early in the morning, wasn't it? In that case you'll have trouble getting through to anyone in order to change it.

The full Ts & Cs w.r.t. changing advance tickets are here:

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.
    *
      Changes to tickets cannot be made on-board the train. If you board a train without a ticket and reservation for that service, a new ticket must be purchased. Depending on the Train Company you are travelling with, you may be liable to a Penalty Fare if you board the train with an invalid ticket.
    *
      The origin, destination and Train Company or route shown on the ticket(s) must remain the same.
    *
      The difference between the price paid and cost of the next suitable fare for your journey is payable, plus a ^10 administration fee per person, per single ticket for each change to a journey. If you change to a train on which a cheaper fare is available, the difference will not be refunded.

Good luck...

[Mookiemoo]

It was supposed to be the 0644 from nailsea!

oh well - thats 60 quid in FGW^▸ (First Great Western) coffers for nothing

[ChrisB]

Indeed, I believe changes are required before 1800 the day before the date of travel.

That's the risk in buying an Advance ticket....

[Chris from Nailsea]

Hmm. It appears that changes are not restricted to 18:00 the day before travel: from the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) website -

You can make changes to your travel plans up until the departure time shown on your ticket. Changes may only be made if the origin and destination stations stay the same.

For each change, you may have to pay an excess charge, plus a fee of ^10 per single ticket. You will need to present your original ticket when you request your change and you must travel on First Great Western trains only, if stated on your ticket.

[inspector_blakey]

Just a thought, but do you have an annual travel insurance policy? If so there's a slim chance that you might be able to claim the cost of the ticket since you were unable to use it due to your truck breaking down - bit of a long shot but if you can be bothered then you could check the small print.

[Ollie]

As per Chris, advance tickets can be changed as long as the train it's booked for hasn't departed yet.

FA did you go via East Coast in the end? As they have been known to do it over the phone?

Although I admit this is perhaps a bit late now..