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EUROSTAR – PROBLEMS BOOKING SEAT RESERVATION USING INTERRAIL PASS !

BASICALLY FORCED BY EUROSTAR TO BUYING A FULL PRICE TICKET DESPITE HAVING AN INTERRAIL PASS! AND THE TRAIN NOT BEING FULL!

This is our first experience with Eurostar and Interrail Pass, and possibly our last! We are a family of 5 persons.

Eurostar are not encouraging ‘environmentally sustainable travel’ with their very limited Interrail pass compulsory seat reservation availability.

Eurostar are financially punishing families travelling on a limited budget with limited alternative travel options having already purchased an Interrail Pass.

We recently purchased Interrail Passes in order to travel from Austria to the UK primarily to visit family. We wanted to try an alternative to flying and use this environmental and sustainable travel option.

For various reasons we were not able to book or purchase earlier than we did (mid to late July).

Pre purchased Interrail passes are required in order to complete a compulsory seat reservation on Eurostar. Having checked seat availability for our planned date on 01.08 22 on Eurostar for our outward journey (i.e Brussels Midi to London St. Pancras International), we purchased Interrail Passes, reserved seats on trains from Austria to Brussels. Then l tried to reserve the seats on Eurostar only to find that on that date (01.08.22) things had changed in that short time frame and there were no more seats available for Interrail Pass holders so l was forced to change all the bookings to the next day (02.08.22) in order to be able to use the Interrail Pass option and reservation fee of about 150 Euros. OK part one complete.

For several reasons, we had to wait a few days in order to be able to confirm our return travel date of 16.08.22. By this time on this date, not only were there no Eurostar seats available for Interrail Pass holders, there were no other options on any days that whole week from London St. Pancras International on any Eurostar route!

However, I checked direct on Eurostar bookings, the train was not full! Full price tickets could be purchased but no seats were possible for Interrail Pass holders!

We have a limited time for holiday/ travel and had to book our return to Austria. I tried all other options to avoid using Eurostar but with a family and children it was too complicated and required a lot of time. In effect, l was forced into buying the full priced tickets on Eurostar at over 800Euros! The Interrail Pass for 5 days cost us 988 Euros! We had expected the original Eurostar booking fee of about 150 Euros each way OK, but now we have had to pay about 650 Euros extra despite having the Interrail Passes AND other seats being available on that journey.

I will be trying to claim at least some money back from Eurostar, but l don’t have much hope. We will still enjoy our Family visit/ holiday to the UK and acknowledge that we are still among the privileged few in the world who are able to make such a journey or holiday. However…..

 

THE EUROSTAR SEAT ALLOCATION FOR INTERRAIL PASS HOLDERS IS VERY POOR!

IT IS WRONG AND IMMORAL OF EUROSTAR TO BASICALLY FORCE PEOPLE TO PAY FULL PRICED TICKETS HAVING ALREADY PURCHASED INTERRAIL PASSES.

THIS POLICY DOES NOT HELP GET PEOPLE AWAY FROM (OFTEN CHEAPER) FLIGHT TRAVEL ONTO THE MORE SUSTAINABLE FORM OF RAILWAY TRANSPORT!

 

THERE NEEDS TO BE A BETTER AGREEMENT BETWEEN INTERRAIL (EURAIL) AND EUROSTAR (AND OTHER TRAIN SERVICE PROVIDERS), TO ENSURE FAIR SEAT ALLOCATION AND A FAIR BOOKING FEE FOR PASS HOLDERS, ESPECIALLY FAMILIES WHO HAVE TO TRAVEL DURING SCHOOL HOLIDAY TIMES. I.E PEAK TRAVEL SEASON.

I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO CAMPAIGN FOR THIS POLICY/ FAIR AGREEMENT ON BEHALF OF FAMILIES; INDIVIDUALS AND THE ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL!

Paul Murray  (Family Murray/ Kickingereder in Austria)

As this is a forum for travellers helping each other I suggest that you send your writing to Customer Support as feedback. You can use this form.

https://eurail.zendesk.com/hc/en-001/requests/new

 

I Would like to add that the above should apply even for Spontaneous bookings (as that is often how people travel using the Interrail or Eurail passes)!

Regards 

Paul Murray 

Thanks Anna, l have done that as well, but l also think  forums like this can share negative experiences from folks which can then in turn help others to maybe avoid such difficulties. Happy travels ! :)

I'm not a fan of this quota for Pass users that have international trains of French SNCF, Thalys and Eurostar, but it is clearly the information about it in the country information page.

Its simple: it is this or no pass use at all.

I am supporting Paul Murray in all aspects. I couldn’t get a seat reservation on Eurostar with my Interrail 1st class pass from Paris to London and back and has to buy two entirely new tickets for 480 Euro DESPITE many many empty seats on both trains in 1st and 2nd class! I think this is absolutely unacceptable. I also believe that the concept of Interrail is FLEXIBLE traveling and not booking weeks or months every step in advance. 
Any one made an experience to get a refund  ??

Despite the rights and wrongs of quotas that is what we have to work with.

I am afraid that I have no qualms about using planes or ferries and, being based in the north of the UK, I fully intend using low cost flights as an option as needed to get in or out of UK.  

I have 2 Interrails booked in the next 2 weeks and will only use E* for one return journey (booked many weeks ago).  Flights from Leeds to Catania and Nice and a flight from Prague to Leeds were all well under £100 each with one hold bag. (Jet2 or Ryanair). Compared with E* at £30/£39 res fee and 12 hours travel 

If you are an interrailer flying in to the UK you fill find almost all the regional airports within easy reach of the nearest rail station. For example Leeds airport has a regular bus service to Leeds centre  (about 40 mins) and then rail connections across the UK. London, Birmingham and Edinburgh are 2 hours away.

OOI standard single LNER fare from Leeds to London is now over £100. LNER has no reservation fees in UK.

Part of the problem is that Interrail/Eurail refuse to show pass holder seat availability before you buy a pass. If you use the seat reservations module without a valid pass (or without being logged in), there's only a small and inconspicuous footnote that explains that the price given is only an indication and that seat availability can only be checked while booking.

We have seen lots of posts from people who would like to see seat availability before they buy their pass, and rightfully so. Or who were fooled by the reservations module to think there was availability (also after this small footnote had been added), only to find out after buying a pass that this wasn't the case.

I agree with all the other posts but as has been said it is passholder quotas or nothing. However there must be a technical solution to showing available places on the RailPlanner app. as you can see this information on SNCB.

Those quota are nuisance indeed. I completely understand your frustrations! It doesn’t convince people to not use the plane.

It’s also difficult to avoid the Eurostar, going to and from the UK. Especially last minute.

But it’s not the only option if you want to travel without plane.

You can also travel as a foot passenger on the ferry Dover-Calais (for about 30 EUR/person). A lot more of hustle and bustle, and much slower. But it would’ve been a cheaper, adventurous option, in stead of buying last minute full on high-season Eurostar prices.

There are also overnight Ferries from/to Harwich or Newcastle to the Netherlands you might want to look in at for a next attempt in greener family travel, but bypassing Eurostar.

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