Can you reserve a seat with a free child ticket for trains in the UK?

5/3/2018 1:39:56 PM

The option I took a few months ago (with a 4 year old too big for long periods on a lap) was simply to put her in my reserved seat and sit on the floor/stand/perch on the edge of her seat. As an (able-bodied) adult the discomfort of having to do this is minor compared to the discomfort of dealing with a grumpy small person. I was booking a long journey with several legs, some of which didn’t even have reservations, but I’d have had to pay for her all the way through or juggle ~16 tickets for the 2-person round trip (which isn;t handy when you’re carrying a child and large rucksack through the barriers with little time to spare).

Carriages with reserved seats in them tend to be rather full, due to the way reservations are assigned to seats, so if you’re averse to paying for a child’s seat, you might find you’re better off in a carriage without reserved seats. That’s a gamble of course. It’s common, though annoying, for people to reserve a seat and then sit elsewhere (very common on my intercity commute). But if you have an “advance” ticket you will have a reservation and are supposed to sit in that seat by ticket validity rules.

5/2/2018 6:39:17 AM

It looks like you’ve discovered all the options. From the Virgin Trains site:

Kids under 5 go free

Yup, that’s right – totally free. However, as under-5s don’t need a ticket, they also won’t have a reserved seat. There are a couple of ways to make sure there’s a place for their little legs to get a rest.

  1. If you’re feeling spontaneous every train has an unreserved coach which should have some empty seats. If you ask the station staff in advance, they’ll happily tell you which coach it is and exactly where to stand on the platform to be ready.

  2. If you want to ensure you’re under 5 gets a seat then its best to purchase a child’s ticket in advance. Grab a child ticket along with a Family and Friends Railcard (see above). This can be as little as a couple of quid, gives you both a discount, can be used for advance fares, and for bargain travel during peak times.

It doesn’t appear there’s an option to take advantage of the free under-five fare and reserve a seat. A railcard could be advantageous if you want to book the child fare and get a reserved seat.

5/2/2018 6:38:26 AM

Part of the point of the free travel is that the small child is assumed not to require a seat. You will not be able to reserve a seat for them without paying a fare. Obviously if there are spare seats when on board they can use them.

Worth considering a Family and Friends railcard. In my experience it is cheaper to buy an adult and child ticket with the card than just the adult ticket alone without. It might well pay for itself on this journey alone.

5/2/2018 6:38:25 AM

National Rail‘s summary of child fares makes the issue much clearer, at least to me:

Children under five years of age may accompany fare-paying passengers free of charge, unless the Train Company you want to use specifies otherwise in their notices and other publications. However, children under five years of age who are travelling free may only occupy a seat which is not required by a fare-paying passenger.

Since their seat is not merely not guaranteed, but subject to withdrawal at any time, it’s clear why you can’t reserve one. If you want your child to have a reservation (or even the right to occupy their seat for the whole journey!) then paying the child fare seems like the way to go.

Credit:stackoverflow.com‘

About me

Hello,My name is Aparna Patel,I’m a Travel Blogger and Photographer who travel the world full-time with my hubby.I like to share my travel experience.

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