Knowing all the tips for tatkal ticket booking has become the need of the hour. Tatkal ticket bookings are gaining traction as they are the only way out if you have a last-minute train booking to do. Even before a few years, the only place to book tatkal or general train tickets online was the official website of IRCTC. Today, multiple websites and applications like redRail app offer railway ticket booking facilities. Tatkal tickets are usually available for only a very few minutes and run out of stock immediately as people from all over the country try to book tickets on their choice of train. It is considered by many to be a nightmare to be able to successfully book tatkal tickets for their journey. Thus, it is necessary to know the best ways of booking train tickets to successfully purchase tatkal tickets within the given time frame and limited seats. You should also be aware that tatkal tickets for AC and non AC classes are released at different timings. While for AC class tickets tatkal starts from 10 AM for non AC class, tatkal tickets can only be booked from 11 AM.

5 Tips For Tatkal Ticket Booking

Some of the best tips for tatkal ticket booking are: 

Multiple Credentials

It is always wise to have multiple credentials for login into your IRCTC website because when the tatkal train tickets booking open, there is a tremendous rush to log in and book tickets. You cannot log in from one account on multiple devices. Therefore if you have various credentials, which you can also borrow from your friends or family, it will be easier to log in from multiple devices and try to book your tatkal tickets simultaneously. It increases the chances of getting tatkal access. Always remember not to use the same login ID on multiple browsers as IRCTC can detect the attempts and log you out from all sessions, ruining your chances of getting your tatkal reservation.

Know the Dates 

Knowing the dates on which the tatkal tickets for your train become available is extremely important as the tickets are only available for the first few minutes. Usually, the tatkal ticket opens at 10 or 11 AM one day before the journey date. Many people do not realize that the journey’s date is not the day they board the train, but the day it starts from its original departure station. This is usually applicable for trains with longer routes, but it must always be kept in mind while pre-planning your tatkal booking. 

Enter Passenger Details Beforehand

To save some time during your ticket booking and to ensure that you stay ahead in a rush, it is wise to enter the passenger details and other necessary information required for the train ticket booking beforehand. When you do this, what essentially happens is you will be able to click on ‘book tickets’ the moment tatkal opens and thus save a lot of time that you would have otherwise needed to enter the details and confirm your booking.

Pay via Net-Banking 

Another essential factor that should be kept in mind while booking your tatkal tickets is that the person who pays first gets the ticket first. To ensure that you can get the ticket before others, it is always wise to make payments using net banking as it is the fastest payment mode and instantly transfer the money to the merchant website. Other payments like cards usually require entering card numbers etc., which takes a lot of time. 

Stable Internet Connection 

Needless to say, booking tatkal tickets requires as fast an internet connection as you can get. Every aspirant logs into IRCTC 5 to 10 minutes before the tatkal tickets are made available, which means there is a huge rush on the website during that time. If your internet connection is not fast enough, you might not be able to log in in the first place during these high rush minutes. Even when you have logged in, you need a stable and fast internet connection every step of the way. From choosing your departure and destination station and the date of journey to selecting your train and entering personal details and booking conditions, you will not be able to move forward on each page if your internet connection is not fast. Internet connection also plays an essential role in ensuring you can complete your payment and receive the ticket successfully before others.