Starlight Express

Booking with them is straightforward, and I'd say it's the best I've found for ticket purchases. The fares are shown clearly and the total is correct at the final stage. I found the confirmation email arrived promptly. I would book with them again without hesitation.

Still my go to for train tickets and I've been using them on and off for years now. The booking is quick once you know where things are, and the fare breakdown is clear before you pay. Last time the seat selection hung for a bit on my phone so I had to refresh and start again, which was mildly annoying. Otherwise no complaints, I'd keep using them for the regular trips up to my sister's.

I know the booking side pretty well from using a few of these sites over the years, and this one does the job. The seat info is clear and the e-ticket arrives straight away. The seat map was a bit sluggish on my phone and took a few seconds to load each time I tapped. Still a good way to book.

Before I picked this site I had a look at three others, and the thing that made the difference was the seat map. You can see exactly where the quiet carriages are and which seats have a table. Booking took a couple of minutes and the e-ticket came through instantly. Nothing about it felt clumsy.

My wife finds the big train sites confusing so I was looking for something simpler to book her trip to see the grandchildren. The search is clear and the fare options are laid out in plain English. I booked it over the phone while she watched and the confirmation came through to my email at once. It was a relief to get it sorted without fuss.

I needed a seat with room for my knee so I had to find a train that offered it. I tried two other sites first and neither showed the carriage layout clearly. This one did, and I booked a seat with extra legroom to York. The seat was where it said it would be, though the price was a bit more than the other sites had shown me.

Honestly the bit that got me was the seat map, you can see exactly which seats are free before you commit. Booked from the tube on the way to work, took about a minute. The tickets show up in the app straight after, no emails to dig out later. Quick and sorted.

Booked a return train for a weekend away and it was done in about five minutes, which is more than I can say for the big operators. The seat choice was clear, the confirmation came through straight away and the tickets sat in the app with no faff at the station. I've used a few booking sites over the years and this is the one I go back to now.

Compared to the other booking site I used before, this one is so much quicker. No pop ups everywhere and the checkout actually works on my phone. Got my tickets for a gig in like two minutes. Would use again.

Bought a return to Leeds for a work trip and paid through the site. The price was fine but the seat I picked was not the one I got, the carriage had changed and nobody told me until I was on the platform. Took a bit of sorting out.

I needed to get to Edinburgh to see my sister, who has a bad hip, so a seat near the door was important. The site let me pick exactly where I wanted to sit, and the reminder came through the day before. Everything went smoothly and I was grateful for the help.

Compared with the other app I usually use, this one shows you more seats so you can actually pick a decent one. Booked in a few taps while waiting for the bus. The confirmation was instant and the tickets were in the app. Quicker than the rest.

The best bit was how clear the seat map is, you can see exactly what's free before you pay. Booked my trip in a few minutes on the train. Tickets appeared in the app straight away. Really simple.

Compared with another booking site I've used, changing my return took far longer than it should have. The first attempt kept timing out on my phone and I had to start again. I got through in the end but it cost me a good twenty minutes. The refund also took more than a week to show up in my account. Not what I wanted from a booking.

Got a return to Manchester for the weekend on the app, took about two minutes tops. Didn't have to make an account first which was nice, just put my card in and the tickets came straight through to my phone. Might use it again for the next trip home.

Booked a group trip for a mate's birthday on here and it's sorted. Took about five mins on the bus. Confirmation came through right away and everyone got their tickets in the app. Would use it again.

I've been buying my monthly commuter pass through them for about four years now, so I know how it works. Renewing is quick and the reminder email arrives a few days before it runs out, which saves me forgetting. The one thing that annoyed me this time was the card payment failed twice before going through, and I had to ring my bank to sort it. Otherwise it's been reliable and I'd keep using it.

My mum got ill the day before a trip so I had to move the booking, and I was dreading it. I checked a couple of other sites first but none of them made changes easy. This one let me swap the date in a couple of taps and the new confirmation came straight through. Really glad I went with it.

I compared it with two other booking sites before settling on this one, and it was the only one that showed the full price up front. The others added fees right at the end. Booked my train in a few clicks and the tickets were in the app straight away. Would go with them again.