Train operator East Coast is encouraging passengers to book tickets as soon as possible for travel over the Christmas and New Year holidays.
East Coast opened its reservations system last week for advance booking on its train services up to and including Monday 2 January 2012.
As an extra incentive to encourage early bookings, East Coast is offering double the usual number of Rewards points for East Coast First and Standard Advance tickets purchased on its website, by members of its recently-launched loyalty points scheme from Friday 7 October to Friday 14 October.
New members of the East Coast Rewards scheme qualify for 100 bonus points on joining – enough to buy 48 hours of free East Coast Wi-Fi in Standard Class, or 20 per cent towards a free First Class return ticket (worth 500 points) on East Coast trains.
Every £1 spent with East Coast earns one Rewards point – or one and a half points if a First Class ticket is bought.
Customers can earn Rewards points on any train journey with any operator, on any route – not just East Coast – when they buy online.
East Coast’s Commercial and Customer Service Director Peter Williams said:
“East Coast’s Advance fares offer great value for those who plan ahead, especially those who buy via our website. Our cheapest fares are only available through our website.
“This year, with the added incentive of double Rewards points for First and Standard Advance tickets bought on our website from Friday 7 to Friday 14 October, we’re expecting to be busier than ever in the next week – so now is the time to be thinking about buying tickets, reserving seats and joining East Coast Rewards for travel over Christmas and the New Year.”
As usual, train services are expected to be especially busy in the week before Christmas, and customers are being encouraged to make reservations to guarantee a seat.
Seat reservations are free of charge for Advance ticket holders.
