Are ALSA bus tickets the same price online as the ticket office two weeks before departure?

[Doraexpladora]

Hi everyone, I now see a cheap deal online at the ALSA.com website (more than a month before departure date), but don't want to pay for the additional service fee if not needed. Are the prices the same at the ticket office if I buy it two weeks before departure date, or are the prices always higher at the ticket office? Thank you!

 

[Bradypus]

I have usually found advance purchase is cheaper but I do not know if that is a definite rule. Something else to consider though: the Christmas and New Year holiday period is approaching and in Spain that extends beyond January 6th. Many people will be travelling and buses and trains are likely to fill up well in advance. Is your journey in that period? If so is it worth risking being unable to travel on arrival in Spain to save what will probably be a relatively small sum for advance booking? Personally I would bite the bullet and fork out a few extra euros to be confident of a seat on the date and time of my choice

 

[Doraexpladora]

I have usually found advance purchase is cheaper but I do not know if that is a definite rule. Something else to consider though: the Christmas and New Year holiday period is approaching and in Spain that extends beyond January 6th. Many people will be travelling and buses and trains are likely to fill up well in advance. Is your journey in that period? If so is it worth risking being unable to travel on arrival in Spain to save what will probably be a relatively small sum for advance booking? Personally I would bite the bullet and fork out a few extra euros to be confident of a seat on the date and time of my choice

Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
Yes indeed it's on Jan 3, but I was thinking of purchasing it at the ticket office as soon as I arrive in Barcelona on Dec 20 and buy my onward ticket to Madrid. I also thought about tickets being sold out but at the same time people told me Spaniards don't pre-purchase tickets that much in advance.....
The deal is great but the fee is more than half of the bus ticket so I was thinking if I could avoid paying that then even better. Thanks again!

 

[TravellingMan22]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
Yes indeed it's on Jan 3, but I was thinking of purchasing it at the ticket office as soon as I arrive in Barcelona on Dec 20 and buy my onward ticket to Madrid. I also thought about tickets being sold out but at the same time people told me Spaniards don't pre-purchase tickets that much in advance.....
The deal is great but the fee is more than half of the bus ticket so I was thinking if I could avoid paying that then even better. Thanks again!

To be clear are you saying that the ‘Alsa’ quote includes a fee, as well as the fare?

I have been using Alsa pretty much 4 times a week for the last 10 weeks and always book online. I didn’t believe they charge a fee (unlike say Sociobus who charged me €6 for two people on one return journey), and don’t believe there is a different cheaper fare level, at the physical ticket office, I am not 100% on this but pretty confident. They don’t seem to increase their prices much even as the bus gets busy in the same way that airline do.

There is talk of Alsa coming out with a Black Friday Offer. There also some offers BCN - MAD around.

Despite all that I totally agree with @Bradypus. It’s peak time, any savings will be minimal so just book it!!

 

[Doraexpladora]

To be clear are you saying that the ‘Alsa’ quote includes a fee, as well as a fare, when you look at booking?

There is a booking fee when you book online or through their app. It's free at the ticket office but I am not sure if the prices are the same as online. Hence this post.

 

[FRM]

I too haver never paid a booking fee. I just priced a trip on the ALSA app without logging in and it appears if you haven’t registered for ALSA Plus there is a fee. Registering is free. Once registered it is much quicker to use.

Frm

 

[TravellingMan22]

I too haver never paid a booking fee. I just priced a trip on the ALSA app without logging in and it appears if you haven’t registered for ALSA Plus there is a fee. Registering is free. Once registered it is much quicker to use.

Frm

Ah ok! I have Alway been registered too!

 

[VintageCowgirl]

Can’t say as how I’ve noticed a booking fee - I’m also registered Alsa Plus. But about 10 days ago I was having trouble buying a ticket online from Malaga to Murcia so I finally went to the bus station and bought my ticket from the machine there and it was about one Euro cheaper than their website. Go figure.

 

[Tincatinker]

There is a booking fee when you book online or through their app. It's free at the ticket office but I am not sure if the prices are the same as online. Hence this post.

I'm seeing several services with €5 tickets and with an additional €2.90 "management fee". €7.90 Barcelona to Madrid seems like a bargain to me. It's also clear from ALSA's website that if you pre-register for ALSA Plus there are no management fees.

"Los clientes Alsa Plus disfrutan de costes de gestión gratis a partir de la primera compra. Si eres Alsa Plus, recuerda identificarte como tal antes de iniciar la compra. Para beneficiarte de esta y otras ventajas, regístrate en nuestra web."

Edit: those €5 tickets don’t hang about for long. Buy one even if it costs you €7:90

 

[TravellingMan22]

I'm seeing several services with €5 tickets and with an additional €2.90 "management fee". €7.90 Barcelona to Madrid seems like a bargain to me. It's also clear from ALSA's website that if you pre-register for ALSA Plus there are no management fees.

"Los clientes Alsa Plus disfrutan de costes de gestión gratis a partir de la primera compra. Si eres Alsa Plus, recuerda identificarte como tal antes de iniciar la compra. Para beneficiarte de esta y otras ventajas, regístrate en nuestra web."

Ah yes. Thank you. Yes they seem to be offering €5 on select services on certain routes. I bagged a €5 Alicante to Madrid a few weeks back, and for folks who are doing the same route a few times (unlikely on here I know) you can buy a pass at heavily discounted prices for that route.

I got an email from them talking about €15 Madrid to BCN, not sure whether that was return, and also something about big discounts this Black Friday. Can’t say I really read it!

 

[Kathor1]

'm seeing several services with €5 tickets and with an additional €2.90 "management fee". €7.90 Barcelona to Madrid seems like a bargain to me.

Thanks, I get it now. I was trying to understand how the booking fee could be "more than half the bus ticket" for a long distance ALSA bus trip.

The Alsa booking fee is never more than €2.90. It can be as low as €0.10 depending on the full non-reduced ticket price. The booking fee structure is explained on the Alsa Website.

The full price is €37.13. There is a reduced price at €19.00 for some departure times and a super reduced price at only €5.00 for some other departure times! Hence total price: either €40.03 or €21.90 or €7.90, depending on departure time and available rate and if you are not a subscriber of Alsa Plus.

I would not hesitate and book the bus trip for €7.90 while it is available online and not wait and risk ending up with having to pay €37 at the kiosk because the dirt-cheap reduced seats are gone. Note, of course, that this low fare does not allow cancellation or change.

On the website, click on "Look other fares" - they go up and not down and that's why I don't think that there is a reduced price guarantee for any of these trips.

 

[TravellingMan22]

Thanks. I didn’t even realise I was a subscriber but I must be as just did a fare quote and it says ‘free management fees’!

I note at the top of the BCN - MAD page it refers to unlimited travel on that route for €15 to 31/12/23 which must be what the email I received must be about! Great value!!

 

[henrythedog]

Thanks. I didn’t even realise I was a subscriber but I must be as just did a fare quote and it says ‘free management fees’!

I note at the top of the BCN - MAD page it refers to unlimited travel on that route for €15 to 31/12/23 which must be what the email I received must be about! Great value!!

If you download the App I don’t think you would even notice signing up for ALSA plus. I didn’t and I have, if that makes sense.

I’ll take the opportunity to flag up that ALSAs APP and website are simple to use and, whenever I’ve cancelled a refundable ticket the refund has been instantaneous.

Advance purchase on ALSA and RENFE is often so highly discounted that if uncertain of departure time it can still be cheaper to but two tickets in advance rather than buy the correct one on departure.

 

[syug]

Buying Alsa bus tickets online in advance is cheaper than buying them on the day at the bus station. I suggest you Alsa App, it's a great resource and works good

 

[TravellingMan22]

Can’t say as how I’ve noticed a booking fee - I’m also registered Alsa Plus. But about 10 days ago I was having trouble buying a ticket online from Malaga to Murcia so I finally went to the bus station and bought my ticket from the machine there and it was about one Euro cheaper than their website. Go figure.

Odd one! At Cordoba bus station now travelling to Malaga and the online price and the ticket machine price are same!

 

[TravellingMan22]

If you download the App I don’t think you would even notice signing up for ALSA plus. I didn’t and I have, if that makes sense.

I’ll take the opportunity to flag up that ALSAs APP and website are simple to use and, whenever I’ve cancelled a refundable ticket the refund has been instantaneous.

Advance purchase on ALSA and RENFE is often so highly discounted that if uncertain of departure time it can still be cheaper to but two tickets in advance rather than buy the correct one on departure.

Yep! Strongly agree with all of that!

 

[Kathor1]

Buying Alsa bus tickets online in advance is cheaper than buying them on the day at the bus station. I suggest you Alsa App, it's a great resource and works good

Is that a certainty - that Alsa bus station fares are higher and different from Alsa online fares???

When you book online you pay a booking fee (unless you are a subscriber of Alsa Plus). You pay a booking fee of €2.90 for a bus ticket from Barcelona to Madrid and a booking fee of €0.50 for a bus ticket from Ponferrada to Rabanal. The OP wants to avoid paying the booking fee by purchasing the ticket at an Alsa counter, and the risk is that the bus could be full and she has to wait for a later bus or that the reduced fares are no longer available and she has to pay the full price. Nobody here knows anything about the likelihood of this to happen for a specific bus trip in January 2024.

Alsa fare structure - Minimum, Reduced and Superflex/Flexibe. Note that is says "Limited seats" at the end of the overview:



Alsa booking fee structure - the booking fee is calculated on the basis of the full fare (Superflex/Flexible) and not the discounted fare:

 

[Doraexpladora]

I don't know how to delete this post as I have already solved it. Thank you all for answering and trying to help!

 

[trecile]

I don't know how to delete this post as I have already solved it. Thank you all for answering and trying to help!

I will close the thread, but we don't normally delete threads like this because they may have useful information for other members.