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Looking ahead - what type(s) of ticket do you most commonly expect to be using when you travel on a (main GB network) train in 2022.  I'm looking at numbers of individual journeys made, not tickets sold.

I am assuming that there's no major change in products offered, and I am not asking anytime/peak/offpeak, standard/first, railcard, Groupsave, whether you will have dogs, bicycle or both with you.

If "Other" please tell me so I know what I have overlooked

What do you mean by a "Flexible day return"?

Most of my journeys in 2021 & 2022 will be using

• a monthly season ticket (to be upgraded to annual when I am confident that I will not basked to WFH again)
• off peak day return
• contactless debit card for journeys in London not covered by my season ticket

A day return ticket on which you have a choice of trains - anytime day return, off-peak day return or super-offpeak day return


So in my groupings, that's

• Longer period season tickets
• Flexible DAY returns
• Touch in, Touch out

I was looking for a simpler ticket system. All these look like making it more complicated still.

How about:

No returns tickets - just two singles.  Then one could be peak and the other off peak?

So that is no day returns - never understood why they were cheaper and only available on some routes. 

It would make circular journeys much more afordable. (I once did Swindon to Exeter to Leeds to Swindon).  It was expensive!

Looking at the range of options makes me realise how little I know about ticketing, despite being a regular train traveller. I usually get day returns, or advance tickets... are they singles? I just buy whatever is cheapest and legal. I assume the National Rail site won't sell me anything illegal... maybe I'm naive!

The National Rail site is very good at selling you a ticket for exactly what you tell it you want to do, and as long as you then do that and use the exact itinerary it tells you to, you'll be fine. What it doesn't always do nearly as well is make clear what flexibility you have if any to change your plans, what extra costs that might entail or if there is a far better option that wouldn't cost significantly more.

...and as a long-time rail industry employee I'm fortunate that I can normally buy a "flexible" ticket for about the same price as a train-specific advance would be, though not always.  I don't get any reductions on those cheap advance fares, which is fair enough, and there are some barred trains/times plus an expectation that I will give up my seat if normal passengers are standing (and that's when I sometimes wish I'd bought a cheap advance instead even if it cost a bit more!). 

I think (? still the case ?) that National Rail does not sell the tickets - it passes you to a vendor for that.  However, yes, those systems are pretty good if you say exactly when travelling.    Less good on funny itineraries where you want a break of journey along the way, for example.  It IS possible to get illegal tickets - by claiming a railcard you don't have, for example.  Ts and Cs for railcards say "must be shown at time of booking" but I have yet to be asked to wave mine at the computer screen.

For my 'other' which I don't think is covered is employer pays as part of flexible working arrangement.

Generally advance singles though as I book them myself.

It's even more complex - I have not included BritRail, or Plusbus, or complimentary scratch cards, or permit to travel, or volunteer's authorising letter, in my listing, for example, and I'm noting a number of "other" votes too.   Makes you realise how complex the job of the train manager, gate line, and RPI inspectors is.

As I am now permanently based from home now I will no longer be relying on my annual season card between Weston and Temple Meads, but what I will use is a group save ticket whenever watching football (Parson Street) or cricket (Taunton)

Bump!

This poll on what type(s) of tickets you expect to use for most of your journeys next year remains open at http://www.passenger.chat/25312

Oranges - tickets people will use
Flexible DAY returns   - 31
Flexible PERIOD returns   - 20
Advance Singles   - 15
Day rangers and tour products   - 12
Flexible Singles   - 10
Multiple day rovers   - 8
Charter train tickets   - 6
Touch in, Touch out   - 4
Other (please post)   - 4
Concessionary pass   - 3
Longer period season tickets   - 2

Lemons - specialist products of little interest (though I would hate to loose SailRail, weekly seasons or train staff!)
Return tickets which include attraction entry such as Steam!   - 1
No opportunity (taken) to pay   - 1
Singles including other transport such as SailRail   - 0
FlexiSeasons   - 0
Weekly season tickets   - 0
I work the train and don't have to pay   - 0
I am under 5 and don't have to pay   - 0
Someone else looks after the ticket and I don't know what it is   - 0
I don't expect to travel on a UK main network train in 2022   - 0