Rail Warrant Accounts

Tickets

1. What type of tickets can I purchase using a rail warrant?
2. Can I exchange a warrant for an advance purchase ticket?
3. Can I purchase a ticket for a London Underground only journey with a rail warrant?

4. Is it possible to reserve seats when buying tickets using a rail warrant?

1. What type of tickets can I purchase using a rail warrant?

Rail warrants can be exchanged for the majority of rail tickets available across the National Rail network.

When a warrant is presented at a station, the ticket clerk will look at the details completed and then issue the cheapest ticket available for the journey requested. Normal ticket prices are applicable and there are no special discounts available when purchasing tickets using warrants.

Car park tickets and on-board meals can also be purchased using warrants (if available). Through rail/ship journeys, where these fares exist, can also be purchased using a warrant but not port to port only journeys.

For more information on ticket types please visit the tickets information page on the National Rail Enquiries website.

Season tickets cannot be purchased using an ordinary rail warrant. Season Ticket Rail Warrant Accounts are available for this purpose.

For details on how to complete a warrant please go to our section on How to complete a Rail Warrant.

2. Can I exchange a warrant for an advance purchase ticket?

Yes, to take advantage of cheaper fares it is possible to exchange a warrant for an advance purchase ticket, but to do so you would need to present the warrant, at a station that can issue advance purchase tickets, before the date of travel. The ticket clerk will check to see availability of these tickets and if available, issue the ticket there and then in exchange for the warrant. On average, most advance purchase tickets are available for purchase 8 weeks before the date of travel.

3. Can I purchase a ticket for a London Underground only journey with a rail warrant?

You cannot purchase a daily Underground only ticket with an ordinary rail warrant.

However, tickets can be purchased for a combined National Rail/London Underground ticket at a National Rail station.

You can also purchase an Underground only season ticket using a Season Ticket Rail Warrant at London Underground stations.

4. Is it possible to reserve seats when buying tickets using a rail warrant?

Yes you can reserve seats using a warrant if seats are reservable for the journey being made. Some tickets include a seat reservation and so in this case you can simply issue the warrant for the ticket only.

If the ticket does not include the seat reservation then you will need to issue a separate warrant completing the journey details and then in the 'Other Services' section, mark the warrant ‘seat reservation only’.

You will then need to exchange your warrant at the station. Reservations can normally be made from about 2 months in advance of the day of travel, up to about 2 hours before the train departs from its start point, or, for early morning trains, up to 1600 the previous evening. For more information on reservations please visit the reservations page on the National Rail Enquiries website.

To view PDFs on this website you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader. Download it free by clicking here