Brittany Ferries - One Way Bookings
We are hoping to book a trip to France at some stage this year. In the past we have booked standard return crossings. However this year we are likely to have a bit more flexibility with our dates so are looking at booking two one way flexi fares. The upside, of course, is that we can try and stay longer if we are having a wonderful time. But are there any downsides to booking two individual fares?
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Hi Stato, there are just three downsides, the price, the price and the price.
My hoped for, but now very unlike may/June trip with BF from Plymouth to Roscoff booked via the club as a combined fare would cost, minus the site vouchers, £295 for the ferry.
Booked direct it’s £567.
I would book a return via the club and then pay the amend fee if I wanted to change.
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Thank you both for responding.
Alanandjean - looking at the routes down to Spain I am finding BF flexi fares about £100-150 dearer than the equivalent club fare. However, as this year could be a bit uncertain I would like as much flexibility as possible. With BF flexi fares I can move the dates of travel without charge, and get 75% back if I don't want to travel (for any reason). Whereas if I book through the Club I can amend or cancel without any club fees, but assume they will pass on the BF amendment/cancellation fees? Is that right or am I reading it wrong?
I booked flexi tickets with BF last year. I moved the dates couple of times, and then cancelled and got my 75% back. I got the other 25% back from HSBC travel insurance. I know it was only a couple of hundred quid but it was excellent service from HSBC. Quick phone call, no paperwork, and the money was in my account the same day! I was very impressed.
Jamsdad - For some reason I was under the impression that the flexibility bit of the flexi fare only applied to the outward leg. You couldn't change the return leg once you had travelled. Again, I'm probably completely wrong. I would rather book a standard flexi ticket, just as long as I get flexibility on both legs.
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Just has a quick look on the BF website and came across this re flexi fares:
Flexi: The most flexible fare, gives you the freedom to make free amendments up until four hours before your outbound sailing
which isn't very helpful if you want flexibility for both sailings. It's quite poor when you have to book flexi tickets for both legs. You can't book flexi out and standard back.
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Stato, if you do decide to book directly with B/F you can always save 10% of the base fare by borrowing a Friends and Families discount code from a Club Voyage member. That might save you £90 on a return to Spain.
A good place to ask for such a code is the Caravan Talk forum because the private messaging facility there allows replies without publicly revealing one's private e mail address.
Club Voyage members are often willing to pass on a code as they get a £10 kickback for themselves from B/F.
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PS . And if you decide to simply book a flexible single ticket going out you may then not need an expensive flexible ticket for the homeward journey. You can book that on line while you are away as a single ticket at the cheaper economy rate - but you may need to be flexible with your dates, times and routes in order to get availability.
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I thought that border controls at any EU country that you enter want to see proof of a return ticket among other things. Wouldn't this preclude buying one over there when you want to return unless you already had a flexi ticket that you could amend?
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Thanks Eurotraveller. That's a good point about the Friends and Family discount code. Apologies, I omitted to say that I had already included the discount in my fare comparisons. I was given a code by a French site owner a couple of years back. For non code users that means BF are £150-200 dearer than the Club on the shoulder season Spanish routes.
Good advice too about saving money with an economy ticket for the return leg. It could work for those with complete flexibility on when they return.
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Not just border controls, many insurance companies insist on a return ticket purchased before hand or insurance becomes invalid.
Where possible we always book flexi tickets and yes I do book 2 x singles. The only time I book a return ticket is if I am going to get a lovely discount through the club and some vouchars which make it worthwhile. Don't forget that even the club bookings can be amended for a small fee. So do your sums and work out which is the better value, ie pay more for BF direct, use a 'friend' as ET has suggest direct with BF or try the club and see if you can get a discount with vouchars even if you don't use them it can often be worthwhile.
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Looking at the Portsmouth to Caen route I have found the combined deal discount to be very poor this year. In the past I have deals where the cost of the ferry and vouchers was significantly less than the ferry cost alone. This year's combined deal discount on one of my dates was £7 . That makes the vouchers pointless to me. I'll stick with ACSI.
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Deleted User User - wow, version 10. That is impressive. Like you I will be sticking with BF flexi tickets this year. I'd rather pay more upfront and have peace of mind that I can amend as much as I want free of charge or only lose a couple of hundred quid if I decide to cancel on my own volition.
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Its nice to be planning holidays again!
Reading the small print regarding amending ferry bookings with the Club it states that there will be a £20 charge. Which is fair enough. But it also states that you will also have to pay any operators charges. So if I book a return trip on Brittany Ferries with the club and then want to come home a week earlier (or a week later) does it mean there will be a i) £20 club fee plus ii) the difference in fare, if applicable, plus iii) a BF amendment charge?
Has anybody done this, and if so, was there a BF amendment charge?
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Are you thinking of this situation?
We were booked home from Calais at 0800 one morning but arrived at 1400 the day before and went to the port. The amendment fees to travel that afternoon were sky high because it was a higher price band. We shrugged, went to the local Fort Lapin campsite, spent the money on a slap up meal at the Cote d’Argent restaurant by the beach, and took the original booking in the morning.
All a long time ago. But it may still apply if your amended ferry is at a higher rate.
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ET - This is our first longish post retirement holiday, ie 5-6 weeks. There is a very slight chance that we may have to change our plans and come home early due to family reasons. There is also a possibility that we would like to try and stay away longer. Looking at the BF website it says amendments are £20. If I book through the Club I assume this will be added to the £20 Club amendment fee. Either way I can live with that. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't silly money.
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Hi Another David,
Yes you can of course change your inbound, but due to this pesky small print you have to pay an amendment fee, currently £20. I've just found this out today!I've just done a dummy booking and the price of two singles is the same as one return, so in future I'll always book two singles.
Happy travelling0
