r/Interrail • u/ilseVOP • 3d ago

Is there a big difference booking from train station vs booking on the internet ?

/r/AskUK/comments/1w2d2um/is_there_a_big_difference_booking_from_train/
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u/skifans United Kingdom • Quality Contributor 3d ago edited 3d ago

This is something that varies a lot depending on the specific place you are traveling in. But I'm guessing you mean the UK.

On paper in person Vs the ticket office should be exactly the same. Though third party websites - like Omio - add extra booking fees. If buying online you would be much better off buying on an official operator website.

What does make a significant difference is the time between you booking and the time you travel. The cheapest tickets (called "Advance") are dynamically priced and become more expensive nearer departure until they sell out. So buying online a week in advance can be a lot cheaper then waiting till the day to buy at the station. But you could go to the ticket office a week ahead for the same cheaper ticket and would face the same price premium for buying online on the day. When it gets as close to a few days before departure you do sometimes see some sizeable price rises over a short period of time.

There are very odd occasional tickets which are only available in person at the ticket office or online but they are very very rare. It is supposed to be exactly the same regardless of your method of purchase (third party booking fees excluded).

But the ticketing system on the UK rail network is very complicated, and it's very possible that someone knowledge at a ticket office can give you good advice that gets you some cheaper ticket. That same cheaper ticket may be available online but it may not have come up top when just searching for A to B. Though without knowing the stations involved exactly it's a little hard to say.