Beware changes to NXEC website

If, like me, your bank forced the end of their Visa credit card on you last year and offered you an American Express (AMEX) card as a replacement, you'll have found that not everywhere accepts it. One safe-haven, however, has been the National Express East Coast (NXEC) website, which permits payment of your tickets using this card type. Additionally, online bookings made for advance purchase tickets have an 11% discount attached, too. You can earn air miles and save money on your rail fares.


Not anymore you can't. The NXEC website, which is still as good as it ever was for mixing single fares to get the cheapest return fare price, has - without any notification at all - ceased offering transactions using AMEX and has also removed all signs of its 11% online discount price from all its fares.

Now the website offers no advantage over others for the cost of advance purchase tickets. NXEC also removed the airline-style white tickets that its predecessor GNER used to issue for web-purchased tickets; now for an advance fare for travel between Grimsby and London King's Cross for two people you're issued with no less than TEN generic credit card-sized orange train tickets to cover the journey. The last time I used the Virgin Trains website they didn't, so perhaps they'll be my next port of call for train tickets along the East Coast Main Line! (GL)