Train Tickets from LHR to Salisbury

I will be taking the bus/train from LHR to Salisbury via Woking on Thursday. Is there any advantage to purchasing the tickets online before I go or should there be plenty of availability on the bus/train? The online price is 31.40 GBP for single with no return, so no discount tickets available. Also will be taking the train from Salisbury to London Waterloo, so I have the same question about whether to purchase online. Unfortunately the Megatrain option doesn't work as it gets me into London later in the afternoon.

 

Many thanks as always for the help from the experts.

 

Susan

Use http://www.trainline.com. They have combined LHR bus/train tickets available, also Salisbury to Waterloo. Usually a bit cheaper than a walk up client. Tickets can be collected at any ticket office or from a machine, you print off the security code etc.. Discounts are only available with pre bought cards, i.e. student card, old person,s or family. Cheaper fares are available into London after 0930/1000hrs depends on train company, cheap day return is usually a good deal. Hope this helps. Alan

Use http://www.trainline.com. They have combined LHR bus/train tickets available, also Salisbury to Waterloo. Usually a bit cheaper than a walk up client.

But they are generally more expensive than booking through train operating companies. The Trainline charges a booking fee; train operating companies usually do not (especially for their own services, although most will take bookings for most companies' trains).

 

A few days ago, I used Virgin Trains (West Coast) to book a London-Gatwick ticket on Thameslink, and will even get frequent flyer miles on top of the no booking fee service.

Re booking fee, have just made a dummy booking on Train Line, £7 difference on £100 fare. Booking fee £1.50, me thinks every little helps, even £5.50. Alan

SouthWest Trains show a fare of £25.90 for the Woking/Salisbury leg. http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/timetables.aspx

 

National Express http://www.nationalexpress.com/home.aspx want £13.50 for the Heathrow/Woking part.

 

SouthWest Trains will sell a through ticket for £31.40.

Edited September 5, 2015 by Bob++

Re booking fee, have just made a dummy booking on Train Line, £7 difference on £100 fare.

If you can get the Trainline to discount a fare, then it may well be worth it. But IME the vast majority of the time it simply sells exactly the same fares as the TOCs do, only with a booking fee added on.

 

In some ways I'm a bit sorry about this, as the Trainline was the first rail ticket booking site that I ever had an account with. But it just doesn't make sense any more for the stuff that I book.