Channel Tunnel Cost Increase (1 Viewer)

[DDJC]

As I may have explained before, due to my boys' disabilities, we need the certainty of booking and reserving everything before we cross the water. I don't want to re-hash the "That's not proper motorhoming" argument, so roll with me!

Anyway, over the last couple of weeks, I have been booking sites for our summer 3 weeks. OMG, but it is so much more expensive than last year. Admittedly, we always go for the premium sites with activities that my boys would enjoy (mainly posh swimming pools with slides and/or a beach), but even so, if I told you the per night cost of one particular site, none of you would ever speak to me again, out of sheer disgust at our profligacy in these economically tight times.

Anyway, all booked and deposits paid. Off to the Channel Tunnel website to book crossings. Get in early.

I should explain, we have a 7.15m, 3500kg moho. There are 4 of us so we can easily go overweight. Some of you will be outraged, but I have no problem going a tad over, because I know that the bus is safe, having bigger tyres and rear semi air. Therefore it is safe up to 3850kg, pending paying someone a couple of hundred quid to do the admin (Mrs DDJC can't drive >3500kg, although I can)

So we attach a little trailer. A titchy, narrow, unbraked spud of a thing, but it allows us to be legal. And this where I got the shock of my life on the tunnel website. Bear in mind that we can only go in August, during the school holidays - there is no alternative.

To get our motorhome under the water to France, costs a preposterous £276. Even if we had a 9m moho, it would there or thereabouts.
BUT, as soon as you add our 2m long trailer, the cost goes to ...

£620 !!!! ONE WAY!!!!!!!
There is no consideration on trailer size. If you have one shorter than 4.5m, it more than doubles the cost. Yet if we booked a motorhome with a total length that is longer that my moho+trailer, it is less than £300,

But that isn't the worst of it. For the return journey, the moho only cost is a scary £300.
But if you add a trailer, and you won't believe it, the cost goes to ....

£1030 for ONE EFFING WAY!

Try it. Get the price yourselves. I have tried several times, and it is the same. Last year we were getting crossing costs with trailer of £300, which is heavy, but affordable in the context of a three week family trip.

So I guess I am asking a few questions.
We could use the Dover Calais ferry, but I haven't used it for years and years. Can anyone tell me, from arrival at Dover to driving off at Calais, takes how long?
Is there any other way that you can book the tunnel without being royally shafted? I am going to talk to the Tunnel and plead my case about trailer size.
We could cut down the weight a little and pack it in, but I reckon we would still be over. How much over do you go, assuming you are confident that you are legal?
Any other weird or useful suggestions.

Thanks all,

 

[Carpmart]

OKAY!

The definitive advice from Eurotunnel.

A couple of you have already suggested this, so this will validate your genius

Eurotunnel charge for the actual length that you take up, not whether you have a detachable trailer. BUT BUT BUT, it is weighted against the traveller, because of the length brackets they use. So, a 5.5m moho towing a 1.8m trailer (7.3m) pays the same as an 8m moho towing a 4.5m trailer (12.5m). They agreed that this was barmy.

Their suggestion was that because it is just about total length, I should book a motorhome of more than 8m without a trailer. For the dates/times I need, this now means that the price drops to:

£245 out and £334 back!

Still more expensive than ferries, but infinitely better than what I was originally being quoted.
I am going to change my stored vehicle details to reflect that our bus is now, magically 9m long!

Add Tesco vouchers and we are now no long sailing, but tunnelling again.

I asked about the Motorhome/Commercial van thing and apparently it is law rather then their pricing policy. It doesn't make any difference if you are under 3500kg. If over, then ensure that you tick the option that says that you are a motorhome, especially if you are a PVC.


Thanks everyone for the advice, hope this helps you as well.

Just to clarify, as I’m a little confused, my 9m+ Motorhome (I select >8m when I book) which is already in the longest category. They ask, are you towing, which I’m not at the moment, but would like to. ET mean I can tow a trailer, on the back of my 9m MoHo, without specifically booking a trailer…. does this align to the advice you got from Eurotunnel?

 

[DDJC]

Just to clarify, as I’m a little confused, my 9m+ Motorhome (I select >8m when I book) which is already in the longest category. They ask, are you towing, which I’m not at the moment, but would like to. ET mean I can tow a trailer, on the back of my 9m MoHo, without specifically booking a trailer…. does this align to the advice you got from Eurotunnel?

I am going to be very careful here. I suggest that you phone them and get the definitive yourself. 03443 35 35 35

I have to also say that I have little faith in the ability of the booking office to talk to the checking in staff. I am half expecting to be questioned by them on arrival.

 

[DDJC]

Good point, but if you also have a Tesco Bank credit card you pick up points every time you use it. We use our Tesco credit cards for everything and by that I mean everything be it a 50p bread roll, half an hours parking to a new kitchen 5 years ago. We use them more like a debit card and pay off the balance every few days or so. I reckon on average we get 2-3 tunnel crossings every year from club card points.

So if I shop at Tesco for grub and stuff (which I do), I get points. If I use our Tesco credit card to pay for them (which I don't), do you get double the points?

 

[denisejoe]

So if I shop at Tesco for grub and stuff (which I do), I get points. If I use our Tesco credit card to pay for them (which I don't), do you get double the points?

Not quite. Spending in Tesco using your Tesco credit card you get your normal points of 1 per £1 spent plus a reduced number of points, think it's 1 point per £8 spend.

In places other than Tesco you get just the 1 point per £8 spent. So for example if you spend £80 in a Morrisons SM you will get 10 points.

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[15edward]

Not as many as before. Vouchers used to pay fir two crossings per year! Now hardly one. Use the credit card all the time but don’t always shop in Tescos- which might explain it!

 

[chaser]

So if I shop at Tesco for grub and stuff (which I do), I get points. If I use our Tesco credit card to pay for them (which I don't), do you get double the points?

Don't want to hijack this thread as there are plenty of threads about Tesco cards but seeing it's been raised, if anyone uses the tunnel regularly the Tesco credit card is an absolute no brainer, use it for everything, fuel , shopping, insurance, electric, rates , just everything that you can't get a better deal by paying cash.
You get points on everything without ever setting foot in Tesco even though you do get more points if you do, we have one each and use alternate cards for tunnel which some of the times it pays near enough all of it.
It costs absolutely nothing, nothing is dearer by using it, you get a month to pay, but one thing well two actually, you can't draw cash out with it or you get interest on it which defeats the object, and you must religiously pay it off before the due date or you pay interest on the lot.
But you can't believe how quick they mount up if you use the cc for absolutely everything then you get three times their value for the tunnel.
Pay it off regular and you can't lose.
Not good for use in Europe though, you need a Halifax clarity for that.

 

[DangerMousy]

So if I shop at Tesco for grub and stuff (which I do), I get points. If I use our Tesco credit card to pay for them (which I don't), do you get double the points?

Not quite. Spending in Tesco using your Tesco credit card you get your normal points of 1 per £1 spent plus a reduced number of points, think it's 1 point per £8 spend.

In places other than Tesco you get just the 1 point per £8 spent. So for example if you spend £80 in a Morrisons SM you will get 10 points.

Depending on how much you spend per month at Tesco a good cashback credit card is usually far better than a Tesco one. On average we get around £300 per year cashback from our cashback credit cards. At Tesco our annual spend would only earn us around 4.5k points, which translates to around £135 worth of Tesco Eurotunnel vouchers at 3x the points value (we don't currently shop at Tesco very often so this is all at the 1 point for £8 rate). We'd need to spend at least £500 per month a Tesco to get enough points to equal our current cashback (and that's not going to happen).

So do your sums carefully before deciding which card works best for you.

 

[chaser]

Depending on how much you spend per month at Tesco a good cashback credit card is usually far better than a Tesco one. On average we get around £300 per year cashback from our cashback credit cards. At Tesco our annual spend would only earn us around 4.5k points, which translates to around £135 worth of Tesco Eurotunnel vouchers at 3x the points value (we don't currently shop at Tesco very often so this is all at the 1 point for £8 rate). We'd need to spend at least £500 per month a Tesco to get enough points to equal our current cashback (and that's not going to happen).

So do your sums carefully before deciding which card works best for you.

Sorry but your sums are wrong there, you get Tesco points on everything you spend anywhere not just Tesco,in fact you don't have to spend a penny in the store.

 

[chaser]

Depending on how much you spend per month at Tesco a good cashback credit card is usually far better than a Tesco one. On average we get around £300 per year cashback from our cashback credit cards. At Tesco our annual spend would only earn us around 4.5k points, which translates to around £135 worth of Tesco Eurotunnel vouchers at 3x the points value (we don't currently shop at Tesco very often so this is all at the 1 point for £8 rate). We'd need to spend at least £500 per month a Tesco to get enough points to equal our current cashback (and that's not going to happen).

So do your sums carefully before deciding which card works best for you.

Btw, I am not knocking your card , you must do what's right for you as everyone should, and I suppose your cashback would go towards the tunnel just the same as the points but there won't be a lot of difference but the Tesco way does keep your money together for the tunnel and comes as a pleasent surprise when booking.

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[DangerMousy]

Sorry but your sums are wrong there, you get Tesco points on everything you spend anywhere not just Tesco,in fact you don't have to spend a penny in the store.

No they're not....this is already taken into account: based on our 2022 spending we would've earned around 4.5k points over the year at the rate of 1 point per £8 non-Tesco spend. The point I was trying to make is that a Tesco Clubcard credit card is only usually the best option if you spend a lot in Tescos.
In fact I did used to have a Tesco Clubcard credit card years ago when the earnings rate was more generous and we shopped there more regularly, but even that was beaten by a good cashback credit card.

Btw, I am not knocking your card , you must do what's right for you as everyone should, and I suppose your cashback would go towards the tunnel just the same as the points but there won't be a lot of difference but the Tesco way does keep your money together for the tunnel and comes as a pleasent surprise when booking.

We earn more than twice as much from Cashback credit cards than we would via a Tesco CC (even taking into account the 3x value vouchers) - that's a fair difference. And for me the reward rate is the most important factor. This is going a bit off topic though now.

 

[Stoosal]

Tesco points if using tesco credit card:

5 points for every £4 spent in Tescos
5 points for every £4 of Tesco fuel
1 point for every £8 spent anywhere else.

 

[Soycd]

I think the key thing is you have to do what’s best for you. We find that by using our Tesco credit cards for everything AND paying the balance off weekly or every couple of days works for us. It pays for a couple, of tunnels a year and we also railcards. I never use Tesco CC outside UK. For that I use Wise.

 

[chaser]

I think the key thing is you have to do what’s best for you. We find that by using our Tesco credit cards for everything AND paying the balance off weekly or every couple of days works for us. It pays for a couple, of tunnels a year and we also railcards. I never use Tesco CC outside UK. For that I use Wise.

This is true, and the thread was about tunnel costs of a trailer so just saying that it could be reduced by having a Tesco credit card, not a discussion about the relative benifits of other cards.
But as the ops problem seems to be sorted to his benifit, we have come to the end and wish him all the best of getting through and it has been an eye opener for others who might be trying the same.
Just one other point on the op, I don't see where anyone is actually checking anything at the tunnel you just draw in and load up although someone does walk down and ask to see your ticket when loaded, never knew why.

 

[DDJC]

This is true, and the thread was about tunnel costs of a trailer so just saying that it could be reduced by having a Tesco credit card, not a discussion about the relative benifits of other cards.
But as the ops problem seems to be sorted to his benifit, we have come to the end and wish him all the best of getting through and it has been an eye opener for others who might be trying the same.
Just one other point on the op, I don't see where anyone is actually checking anything at the tunnel you just draw in and load up although someone does walk down and ask to see your ticket when loaded, never knew why.

We always drive through the automated check in. It picks up our reg plate, prints off a hanger and off we go.
No one checked our ticket hanger on-board last year and we used the tunnel twice.

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[georgio]

Wouldn't it be cheaper to chance an overload fine at those sort of prices. I reckon that most motorhomes are overloaded when going on long trips

 

[chaser]

Wouldn't it be cheaper to chance an overload fine at those sort of prices. I reckon that most motorhomes are overloaded when going on long trips

Well not as things stand as he has now got his trailer on for free.

 

[Coastal Cruiser.]

Just one other point on the op, I don't see where anyone is actually checking anything at the tunnel

Same as dogs.
We pay for our 2 pups but nobody has ever come in the van to check anything.

 

[chaser]

Same as dogs.
We pay for our 2 pups but nobody has ever come in the van to check anything.

This is very true and if you really wanted to think and worry about it, there isn't really a lot of security if someone wanted to blow the tunnel up is there.

 

[MichaelT]

This is very true and if you really wanted to think and worry about it, there isn't really a lot of security if someone wanted to blow the tunnel up is there.

We have been swabbed several times

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[chaser]

We have been swabbed several times

So have we, but how many havnt and what if someone else put it in and touched nothing else, and really all anyone would have to do is set fire to a van full of fuel.
I don't want to prolong this diversion as it's just the same on anything including ferry's.

 

[Coastal Cruiser.]

We have been swabbed several times

They did Mrs CCs side of the van last year going over, just around the window as our van is fairly high and that’s all he could reach from the outside.
He was having a laugh about it

there isn't really a lot of security if someone wanted to blow the tunnel up is there.

None really and they would cause a lot of carnage that’s for sure

Must remember to keep a few life jackets in the locker as a back up

 

[nicholsong]

Just reviewing all the costs of crossing the Channel nowadays I am pleased we are now Continent based and no longer have any need to cross to UK for MOT, and now never need another Polish MOT for our vintage registration.

 

[zac]

Just to clarify, as I’m a little confused, my 9m+ Motorhome (I select >8m when I book) which is already in the longest category. They ask, are you towing, which I’m not at the moment, but would like to. ET mean I can tow a trailer, on the back of my 9m MoHo, without specifically booking a trailer…. does this align to the advice you got from Eurotunnel?

Let me know if you call them as i was in the same position yesterday when i needed to get back from Calais to Dover and the Tunnel was coming up with £467, 8.5m MH and car trailer less than 4.5m. There is no option to select a motorhome that is 12.5m in length so i would be interested to know what they say as they must be losing customers based on this. Not an issue now as i am back after going on the ferry as it was half the cost but would be good for future.

 

[Minxy]

Don't want to hijack this thread as there are plenty of threads about Tesco cards but seeing it's been raised, if anyone uses the tunnel regularly the Tesco credit card is an absolute no brainer, use it for everything, fuel , shopping, insurance, electric, rates , just everything that you can't get a better deal by paying cash.
You get points on everything without ever setting foot in Tesco even though you do get more points if you do, we have one each and use alternate cards for tunnel which some of the times it pays near enough all of it.

Plus you can use the points for ferry vouchers too which are usually cheaper than the tunnel.

It costs absolutely nothing, nothing is dearer by using it, you get a month to pay, but one thing well two actually, you can't draw cash out with it or you get interest on it which defeats the object, and you must religiously pay it off before the due date or you pay interest on the lot.

You get up to 56 days interest free on purchases (depends when in the billing month the transactions fall) so there's no need to pay it off before the due date so long as the direct debit is set to pay it off in full each time.

But you can't believe how quick they mount up if you use the cc for absolutely everything then you get three times their value for the tunnel.

When spending in Tesco or at their fuel stations you do get much more points but ideally you need a cashback credit or debit card for elsewhere as ones paying 1% work out as a better financial return.

Pay it off regular and you can't lose.
Not good for use in Europe though, you need a Halifax clarity for that.

Not totally correct, we have a Curve card and by using that linked to our Tesco card we can use it in Europe and still get Tesco points with no fees, however as I mentioned above, there are better financial return cards.

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[InvictaMoto]

Odd. Before Christmas I did a price check on Eurotunnel for 31/8 out and back on 11/9. Upto 6m Moho, 2 adults and a dog. £475 return.

Did it tonight on my MS Surface (Win11) - same times, same travellers. £358.

Still £125 more than P&O and the pet lounge.

 

[Dave Scadding]

Any room for roof boxes instead of trailer?

 

[Chris]

Any room for roof boxes instead of trailer?

He would still have the weight issue.

 

[chaser]

This thread was about tunnel prices, and the op seems to have solved his problem so if it works the loophole is now there for everyone to have a go at.
As to credit cards I only mentioned them in terms of reducing the tunnel fare , not to have a discussion about their relative values, if you have no intention of useing the tunnel obviously there will be a better option somewhere but for they work brilliantly, it's like having a savings account for when you need the tunnel, cashback would be in the pub tonight.

 

[Dave Scadding]

He would still have the weight issue.

He said he doesn’t worry about that?

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[Fulham Dave]

Just to clarify, as I’m a little confused, my 9m+ Motorhome (I select >8m when I book) which is already in the longest category. They ask, are you towing, which I’m not at the moment, but would like to. ET mean I can tow a trailer, on the back of my 9m MoHo, without specifically booking a trailer…. does this align to the advice you got from Eurotunnel?

Hi Carpmart

Our van is 8.7m and we tow a 4m trailer with trike. We had a Frequent Traveller ticket for van but had to pay additional for the trailer, normally around £80 return. We travelled to continent in Nov/Dec but forgot to add / pay for the trailer on the booking. We were not questioned / stopped as sailed through booking.

Not sure if this is because of what DDJC was advised or just a mistake on their part - but if you find out, would love to know for future bookings