Using the 2 for 1 offer on Brit Rail when arriving at Heathrow
On May 19th, my wife and I will land at Heathrow in London. We would like to take advantage of the Brit rail 2 for 1 offer if possible. We will be in London one week, then take the train to Southampton for a cruise. Can I buy a train ticket from Heathrow to Victoria station, then buy a 7 day travel pass at Victoria as well as our train ticket to Sourthampton. With the vouchers I print in advance, would this qualify us to take advantage of the 2 for 1? Will it still be in operation at that time? Any other suggestion?
James
Baltimore, MD USA 1/20/13
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Yes - but remember it is the paper version of the 7 day pass you want for 2for1 offers, which you buy at Victoria's main railway station*, not at the Victoria underground station.
*Don't look for "Brit Rail", it is only a marketing name used in North America (I think), you won't generally see it in London or elsewhere when you are here. It is not a name used here by the companies that actually run the trains.
You can get to Victoria from Heathrow by tube - Piccadilly line to Earl's Court, then change to the district line. You can buy that ticket at Heathrow underground station.
Most trains to Southampton go from Waterloo (South West Trains), although there is a longer service from Victoria.
So far as I know there are no plans to abandon the 2for1 scheme.
If you take the Tube from Heathrow to Victoria, transfer from the Piccadilly Line to the District Line at Hammersmith rather than Earl's Court. At Hammersmith all you'll have to do is walk a few feet from one side of the platform to the other.
As Keith said, the fastest train service from London to Southampton is on South West trains departing from Waterloo. If you book well in advance on megatrain.com, you can get a discount fare as low as £1.00. Departure times are limited.
Thanks to you both. I realize that the seven-day ticket must be a paper ticket with the Railroad symbol at the top. I understand, however, that I must arrive in London by rail, and I'm not sure if taking a train from Heathrow to Victoria qualifies for that. I realize taking the train may take longer via Paddington Station, then the Circle line to Victoria, but would this be acceptable for the 2 for 1 while in London?
James, the paper travelcard from the rail station is sufficient for the 2 for 1 offers. You either need the paper travelcard OR travel via rail from another part of the UK. You don't need both for the 2 for 1.
James - Laura is right, but at the risk of flogging a dead horse, you do not need to arrive in London by train, you just need to buy the travelcard at a railway station. Moreover, the Heathorw-Paddington trains (Heathrow Express/Connect services), are ones that specifically do not qualify for 2for1, you would be going out of your way, paying more and getting no advantage.
PS Yes, when I wrote change at Earls Court, I did mean Hammersmith as Tim corrected.
When you talk about taking the train from Heathrow to Victoria, the only train that can do that journey is the Underground train and it does not qualify for the 2 for 1 programme - that is limited to National Rail train tickets. No Underground issued Travelcards, no Oyster Cards.
Since the promotion is an advertising promotion by the main railways there is no way to know if or when it may end. It frequently undergoes changes of what is included.
It has been going for quite a while now and I see nothing that says it will end any time soon, but you just don't know. I advise checking closer to your travel time for specifically what is included.