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Eurail Pass validation at Heathrow Airport

My understanding is:

(a) Eurailpasses are NOT valid on Heathrow Express

(b) as almost always with local suburban rail operators, Eurailpasses are similarly NOT valid on London Underground (‘Tube’) trains (and buses/trams)

however:

©️ Eurailpasses ARE VALID on the newly opened Elizabeth Line (Transport for London) between say London Heathrow Airport terminals and Paddington, or elsewhere on the route (though once one tries to connect to the Tube, one would have to have a valid Oyster Pass issued by TfL.

(d) Similarly, Eurailpasses “may” be valid on London Overground trains.

Is the latter - c and d- correct?

If so, where can one have a Paper Eurailpass validated at Heathrow?  Will a TfL staffed booking office do it?

20 replies

A
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Not valid Heathrow Express

Not valid London Underground, Tramlink, London Buses or Docklands Light Railway

Valid on Elizabeth Line (was valid on Heathrow Connect that ran same service previously)

Valid on London Overground

 

Elizabeth Line and London Overground are both National Rail services and all route appropriate NR tickets are valid on these. Unfortunately it is not unheard of that some staff are poorly trained and give problems with unusual tickets, any suggestion that Interrail is not valid is 100% incorrect.

Not sure about the validation, there is a staffed ticket office at Heathrow T2/3, If they cannot validate it is perfectly acceptable to travel with the unvalidated pass to your next station, Paddington presumably, where you can get it validated.

 

On the using pass+ oyster or contactless. There is nothing wrong with this but do be careful. There are a number of locations where it is possible to transfer between National Rail and other London services without passing a barrier or validator so it can be easy to inadvertently travel without a valid ticket if you are not careful. At some stations it may require exiting the gateline with pass and tapping in with oyster or the other way round. Always remember to close out an oyster/contactless journey, while changing directly to a NR journey using your pass would be valid if you don’t tap out at the end of your oyster use you will be charged extra for having an incomplete trip.

T
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Huge thanks.

Don’t worry, even in my own city where smartrcard (‘myki’) doesn’t require tapping off on trams or buses (except in limited circumstances), I always do so.  Agree with your advice re Passes v barriers.

 

A
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Huge thanks.

Don’t worry, even in my own city where smartrcard (‘myki’) doesn’t require tapping off on trams or buses (except in limited circumstances), I always do so.  Agree with your advice re Passes v barriers.

 

If you happen to use buses in London do not try to “tap out”. London buses are flat fare, taken with every validation, you would probably be charged for a second trip. All other modes are tap in/out.

M
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Validation of passes is no more-since many yrs. IN fact it was abolished before GB joined to accept Eurail. hence they would not even know what you are talking about there.

A
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Validation of passes is no more-since many yrs. IN fact it was abolished before GB joined to accept Eurail. hence they would not even know what you are talking about there.

 

 

There is a possibility they would stamp it in a UK station as validation is required for BritRail passes. Forgetting the different procedures being the reason for my incorrect post. Apologies Traveller749 for the incorrect information.

T
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AL_G and mcadv, if one has a Paper Eurailpass and one hasn’t previously notified Eurail of a commencement date - true in my case - isn’t a “major” station meant to date-stamp the Pass to reduce the risk of fraud?

(Apologies, it’s years since I’ve had a global Eurailpass but I’ve ordered one).

 

R
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AL_G and mcadv, if one has a Paper Eurailpass and one hasn’t previously notified Eurail of a commencement date - true in my case - isn’t a “major” station meant to date-stamp the Pass to reduce the risk of fraud?

A paper pass only needs to be validated if it does not yet have a validity period or a start date. But if you've ordered one from eurail.com, then you had to indicate a start date, so you can immediately use it from the start date.

Please ask questions in the community and not via a private message. That's the quickest way to get a response. I don't work for Eurail/Interrail.
T
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A paper pass only needs to be validated if it does not yet have a validity period or a start date. But if you've ordered one from eurail.com, then you had to indicate a start date, so you can immediately use it from the start date.

That’s not correct.  I did not need to indicate a starting date: it’s optional, so I declined to do that.

Angelo
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do you have bought a mobile or paper Eurail Pass? As mobile version, you can decide in a second moment about the starting date. On paper you have to know it at the booking on eurail.com

Do you have any questions? Feel free to ask in the community! Known languages: Deutsch, Italiano, English.
T
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Angelo, please read my reply above.  As a European, you won’t be eligible for a Eurailpass, so perhaps you don’t know the current setup.  I did NOT have to specify a starting date: there was the option to, but it was NOT compulsory.

R
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That’s not correct.  I did not need to indicate a starting date: it’s optional, so I declined to do that.

Interesting. Thanks for pointing that out.

 

Please ask questions in the community and not via a private message. That's the quickest way to get a response. I don't work for Eurail/Interrail.
A
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AL_G and mcadv, if one has a Paper Eurailpass and one hasn’t previously notified Eurail of a commencement date - true in my case - isn’t a “major” station meant to date-stamp the Pass to reduce the risk of fraud?

(Apologies, it’s years since I’ve had a global Eurailpass but I’ve ordered one).

 


If it is undated then maybe, if there is a space on it marked for a stamp then yes.

If needed, starting in Britain will mean you will have no trouble as validating BritRail passes is still the standard procedure there.

When your pass arrives I (and I imagine a few others here) would be interested to see how it is printed, if you could post up a pic (with your details blocked) that would be appreciated.

 

I recently ordered a mobile pass because I didn’t want to fix a start date so if I could have gotten a n undated paper pass instead...

T
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If it is undated then maybe, if there is a space on it marked for a stamp then yes.

If needed, starting in Britain will mean you will have no trouble as validating BritRail passes is still the standard procedure there.

When your pass arrives I (and I imagine a few others here) would be interested to see how it is printed, if you could post up a pic (with your details blocked) that would be appreciated.

 

I recently ordered a mobile pass because I didn’t want to fix a start date so if I could have gotten a n undated paper pass instead...

 

It arrived weeks ago, and was exactly as I said. It still has space for start/end dates plus a station booking office stamp.

I’m not good at posting photos but I have a relative who is, so I’ll ask him to assist.

A
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As far s I know there is a difference between Interrail passes and Eurail passes. When you order an Interrail paper pass you need to decide the start date. When you order a paper Eurail pass you can get it with an open start date. Can someone from Customer Support confirm this? @Claudi. 

Please note that I don't work for Interrail/Eurail and that I don't reply to personal messages.
R
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As far s I know there is a difference between Interrail passes and Eurail passes. When you order an Interrail paper pass you need to decide the start date. When you order a paper Eurail pass you can get it with an open start date. Can someone from Customer Support confirm this? @Claudi. 

AFAIK that is correct.

Please ask questions in the community and not via a private message. That's the quickest way to get a response. I don't work for Eurail/Interrail.
C
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As far s I know there is a difference between Interrail passes and Eurail passes. When you order an Interrail paper pass you need to decide the start date. When you order a paper Eurail pass you can get it with an open start date. Can someone from Customer Support confirm this? @Claudi. 

That's correct! Interrail paper pass holders need to specify their start date during the purchasing and checkout process. They will then receive the paper pass with start date printed on it. An exchange is possible if your plans change. 

 

Eurail paper passes have a little more flexibility. Eurailers can either select a start date during checkout (this is referred to as a pre-activated pass) or they can have it activated at the station. More information about this process over here. 

Gerardo Broveglio 
It is not clear to me if I can use the global pass to go from Heathrow terminal 4 to London Paddington. Can the Elizabeth line be used? The answer should be: If you can use the Global Pass or I couldn't. Thank you!
 

 

 

 

T
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You can, but if it’s a Paper Pass with the ‘start date’ not yet filled in, ask the clerk at the ticket office to fill in the commencement and end dates and validate with a station stamp.

 

Using it means your travel commences on that date, not the next day.

Gerardo Broveglio

Thanks @Traveller749 !!!

What about the digital pass?  do i have to validate it?. 

Should the global pass journey be from Heathrow Terminal 4 to the Elizabeth Line "Heathrow Terminal 4 Rail Station" and then transfer at "Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 Rail Station"? Or does the train go direct without changing?

 

I leave here the link of Elizabeth Line:

https://tfl.gov.uk/plan-a-journey/results?InputFrom=Heathrow+Terminal+4+Rail+Station&From=Heathrow+Terminal+4+Rail+Station&FromId=1000104&InputTo=London+Paddington+Rail+Station&ToId= 1001221

 

R
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What about the digital pass?  do i have to validate it?.

No, you can activate a mobile pass by yourself. A few minutes before boarding your first train is good enough. You do need internet to activate a pass and to generate a QR code (which is your ticket).

Please ask questions in the community and not via a private message. That's the quickest way to get a response. I don't work for Eurail/Interrail.

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