Passholder fare for Eurostar requires unused day on pass?
 

London's my last stop in a 3 week long trip. Without the travel day from Paris to London, I'll be using 5 days. I know the Eurostar doesn't use a day, but does it require an unused day? Will I need to get the 6 day pass?

Thanks!

What pass are you talking about? You'd need to consult the people who issued it.

Why do you need a pass? Have you checked the prices of Eurostar tickets without a pass as normally the cheapest tickets are cheaper than a passholder fare

Is the Eurostar trip allowable on the rail pass?

>>>Is the Eurostar trip allowable on the rail pass?<<<

No.

I'm talking about the Eurail Railpasses. The cheapest tickets via EuroStar.com (as a youth) are 75 GBP each. The cheapest tickets via RailEurope.com's booking site with a Railpass Holder fare (can't find a way to do it on EuroStar's site) are 88 USD each.

I understand the question. I would say no, you don't need a day on your pass to take advantage of discounts available to people who have that pass. However, I would suggest you buy those Eurostar tickets while your Railpass is still valid, but if it is all used up, that's kind of the same thing a not having one.

From RailEurope:
>>Is Eurostar included with my rail pass?
No, travel on Eurostar requires a separate ticket. However, many rail passes include discounted rates for the Eurostar called a Passholder fare. To see a list of passes that allow these fares select “details” when viewing fares with a pass.<<

RailEurope is saying they will sell you a discounted ticket because you have a pass. Rick Steves website explains it better. Read tips for passholders below the chart.
http://www.ricksteves.com/rail/eurostar.htm

Perhaps the dates you are searching have sold out of low fares because a random date in Sept. shows youth fare of 38gbp on Eurostar.

It's kind of last-minute I guess. The Budget Europe Travel people said as long as it's valid (within 60 days of the first day), I shouldn't need a day left. I guess the worst that happens is I have to pay the difference.

Budget Europe and Christina above are right - others seem muddled in their advice - to get the passholder fare you only have to have the overall validity of your pass - presumably two-months in your case with a flexipass - the overall validity 2-month period to be valid - so even though you may have used up your five unlimited travel days you can still get the passholder fare as long it is in the 2-month limit from when you activated the pass.

I have used passholder fares many times and this is the case. And BTW after buying railpasses from Byron at Budget Europe for years and talking to him if he tells you something you can count on it being totally correct IME!

>>>It's kind of last-minute I guess.<<<

It's not a last minute guess if you bother to look at the Rick Steves link I gave earlier. It states exactly.

Tips for Passholders

The passholder discount ticket is available to travelers carrying a railpass that covers one end of the Eurostar route (Britain, France, or Belgium). This trip does not use one of your counted travel days on a flexipass. Class of service for this trip (first or standard) need not match your railpass.

Passholder discount tickets for Eurostar are sold in the US through the same agents who book passholder reservations. They are also available in local currency (starting about £50 or €75) at select European locations including Eurostar departure stations, the Eurostar office near London's Victoria station, Euraide offices (Munich Hbf and Berlin Hbf stations), and by phone to the European numbers above, but not on the Eurostar website. The Passholder fare is often the best rate for adults age 26+. Those who qualify for youth/senior/child discounts should test different options to find the best rates before ordering a ticket.

the important info that Rick Steves web site omits is that even if all of your flexible travel days are exhausted as long as the 2-month validity period of your pass is still in effect then you can travel on the passholder fare - for consecutive-day passes the ability to travel on a passholder fare would end the day the consecutive-day period ends but with a flexipass you only have to have the 2-month period be in effect even if you have used up all your flexible travel dates.

and to repeat for others some of the cheaper fares at www.eurostar.com can be cheaper even than the Passholder Fare - but on the other hand if all the cheap fares are gone then the Passholder Fare can indeed at times be a good deal. But always check IMO and compare prices in Pounds at www.eurostar.com with the Passholder fare in dollars. Or if under 26 like Rick Steves say the youth Eurostar tickets can be cheaper a lot of time.