Seat reservations Irish rail with free travel card

LimerickGray

I got my free recently and trying to reserve online often ends up being g charged €5 when attempting to reserve a seat.
am I doing something wrong?

bazza1

Reservations cost€2.50 in each direction if you want to reserve a seat . A certain % are free if booked early enough.

cython

Per https://www.irishrail.ie/en-ie/rail-fares-and-tickets/how-to-guide/booking-a-seat-only-reservation there's a limited number of free "reservation only" slots available on all services, and if they're all taken, then you should be charged €2.50 per journey.

My understanding is that this was brought in as a change there previously being unlimited reservation only spaces as a result of some FTP holders abusing the system and booking free seats on multiple services while only ever intending to take one, and thus obstructing other potential passengers.

LimerickGray

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122284768#Comment_122284768

thanks. I thought it was a free scheme. I can’t find anything on their site explaining.

El Gato De Negocios

I have an annual travel pass that I pay for through work. If you try and book same day and depending on the train time eg peak commuting time like around 5 pm, I have to pay €2.50 but as I know the days and times I'm going to use it I just book all trips a month in advance and pay nothing extra.

LimerickGray

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122284835#Comment_122284835

thank you for explaining