Advance tickets

• Weekday bookings for Advance tickets are available until Friday 5 June 2026
• Weekend bookings for Advance tickets are available until Sunday 31 May 2026
• Bookings are currently unavailable for the late May Bank Holiday weekend from Saturday 23 to Monday 25 May
• Services departing between 23:00 and 02:00 will only open 12 weeks in advance when timetables have been confirmed

Details last updated 27 February 2026

Advance tickets can be purchased online, through our app, and at our station ticket offices, but not through our Ticket Vending Machines.

They're available as paper and eTickets, but not on our contactless smartcard, The Key.

Advance tickets are only valid for travel on the specific date and time of the train selected when booked. The ticket will not be valid on other trains and you may be required to buy a new ticket if you travel on a different train than the one booked.

Advance tickets are available on selected routes, including some highspeed services. Unfortunately, Advance Tickets are not available for journeys entirely within the London Travelcard area (zones 1-6) or from selected stations close to London. 

Advance tickets are non-refundable.

However, fee-free refunds may be available if the service an Advance ticket was booked on has been cancelled due to industrial action, or if you abandon your journey due to service disruption. You can apply for this refund for Advance tickets bought through Southeastern at Customer Services. For Advance tickets not bought through Southeastern, please contact your original retalier.

Yes. Advance Singles can be changed for a £10 fee per ticket, per amendment. You can change the date, time and route, as long as you travel with the same train operator as the original ticket. You cannot change the origin or destination stations, or reverse the direction of travel.

Changes have to be made:

• Paper: At a station up to the original ticket's departure time, or online up until the day before travel if they're not yet printed.
• eTicket: Online only up until the day of travel. Advance eTickets cannot be amended at ticket offices.

If your new ticket costs more than the original, you'll need to pay the difference in price, along with the fee. However, if your new ticket costs less, we can't provide a refund.

For Advance tickets bought through a Southeastern account, you just need to log in and amend your tickets online.

For Advance tickets bought as a guest, there's a link at the top of your confirmation email that'll let you associate the order with a new or existing Southeastern account. You can then amend your tickets online.

For Advance tickets bought from a station, or for tickets bought online and printed, you can visit a ticket office.

Advance tickets can only be amended up until the day before travel when using our website or app. This is so there's enough time to issue the new ticket through electronic means.

Advance tickets can be amended at a station ticket office up until a minute before the originally booked service is due to depart. They cannot be amended to a train that has already departed.

Advance eTickets cannot be amended at a station, and must be amended online before the date of travel.

If there are any problems with amending your Advance ticket, please contact Customer Services. Please be aware that there due to response times, it may take a few days for a reply, so if there's a more immediate requirement for assistance, please do call our Contact Centre on 0345 322 7021.

Child discounts are available for all Advance fares. You can also combine adult Advance tickets with Kids for a Quid.

Whilst GroupSave discounts aren't available, you can still get 1/3 off Advance tickets with a Railcard, subject to its terms and conditions.