Help buying UK train tickets from US
 

What is the cheapest and most reliable way to buy train tickets/ reservations for trains to and from London and Wales if you're in the US? We have a very specific schedule, and would like to know we have seats waiting for us after our flight lands, but it appears as though sites like Qjump.co.uk or thetrainline.co.uk are only for UK residents. As for raileurope.com, they seem much more expensive than those other sites. What gives? Aren't there reasonable advance rates for a nighttime train ride to Swansea in November? I'm stumped.

I don't know of any on-line tickets available for US based residents. Have you tried doing a search on Great Western Railways (they run the trains to South Wales)?
Advance rates are good - as long as you travel after the rush hours. APEX tickets are very limited but will cost around £25 London to Swansea.
If you can't get a standard class APEX then try First Class APEX. The extra is worth it as the carriges are not overcrowded and you get complimentary drinks and sandwiches. The last lime I travelled (August 2002 from Bridgend, Wales to London) it cost £49.50. This is a good deal cheaper than the standard saver returns. The deal is that you book your tickets at least 7 days in advance.

Just returned from London and Scotland. Used Qjump to buy train tickets to Edinburgh from London via web site. Got a great deal---$115.00 round trip for 2 people London to Edinburgh. That's dollars not pounds!!
Used web site ,paid with Visa and picked up tickets at station(Kings Cross) via ticket machine.
Excellent price and painless transaction all done from my home here in NW Montana.

I agree that www.qjump.co.uk/ is good, and lays out the whole range for each journey, including cheap tickets sold only in advance. If you prefer to use an agent, and pay a five percent fee you might look at these two

Trainseurope Ltd, of Cambridgeshire and London, take credit card bookings by phone and mail tickets to any address. Have the widest access in Britain to rail systems and tickets. http://www.trainseurope.co.uk/ - E-mail [email protected]. Phone 00 44 900 195 0101 - calls from Britain cost 60p per minute, maximum £5, but if the enquiry results in a booking, the cost of the call is deducted from the final invoice.
Ffestiniog Travel, site http://www.festtravel.co.uk, e-mail [email protected], phone 01 766 512 400

Welcome to Britain

[email protected]

Great tips, guys. Thanks! I'll check them out.