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Train travel in Britain has become ridiculously expensive, with some journeys costing as much as £1 a mile.
But it is not always necessary to shell out large sums of money on train tickets, as long as we know how to book tactically.
We consulted experts, scoured rail operator websites, checked out all the hidden quirks and savings and examined the small print to find out how you really can pay less on Britain’s railways.
Hundreds of pounds can be saved with a little planning and price comparison.
And our roundup of the benefits of booking well in advance highlights huge discounts of up to 80 percent.
Meanwhile, other travellers travelling by train can save up to £300 on return tickets from London to Edinburgh.
Here is our 15-point guide on how to be a smart train traveller.
Subscribe to alerts
For the best deals, Kevin Goodson and Jenny Keefe at Money Saving Expert.com We recommend that you sign up for price alerts via the rail operators’ websites or apps, or via Thetrainline.com. To resolve an alert on Trainline, you should try to purchase a ticket outside of the current ticket booking window for that route. You will then be offered an option to ‘set alert’. Alternatively, you can create an alert on individual rail operators’ websites, which may require you to register with the rail operator using your email.
It is not always necessary to shell out large sums of money on train tickets, if you know how to book
8-12 week rule
According to Goodson and Keefe, the cheapest fares, especially for long-distance routes, are usually available eight to 12 weeks before travel, when most rail operators publish timetables. Some do so earlier. For example, London North Eastern Railway and Great Western Railway offer timetables 24 weeks in advance. To check exactly when to take advantage of the right time (which is absolutely key if you want the best deals), check out the “Advance Ticket Booking Period” section on Thetrainline.com. As a general rule: fares purchased eight to 12 weeks in advance are 75 per cent cheaper.
But never also later
Beware: if you book outside the published timetable, it could cost you dearly. Rail expert Mark Smith of Seat61.com warns: “Don’t fall for the trap! There are several weeks at the end of the booking horizon when expensive fares go on sale for any time and out of season, but before that the cheap advance fares go on sale. This ‘trap’ catches many overseas visitors to the UK desperate to book rail travel months in advance.” That’s why it’s worth checking the exact ticket release date of the rail operator at your destination.
Direct booking
Fares on third-party websites are typically £1.50 per ticket, which can be as high as £2.79. So it’s best to book directly with the rail operators. “Beware of Trainline booking fees,” warns Moneysavingexpert.com, which recommends using Trainline to check prices (but not to book trains). The booking website Mytrainticket.co.uk also has small fees.
Or “What a Welshman”
Transport for Wales (TfW) is the main rail operator in Wales and one of the peculiarities of its website (tfw.gales) is that you can book all trains without paying anything. This is available for all British trains except sleeper services. Smith of Seat61.com recommends it, saying: “There’s no need to find the ‘right’ train operator’s website or compare prices on different sites, as (they’re all on) tfw.wales.” Or try redspottedhanky.comwhich has a “no fees” policy.
Two singles, no return: a great saving
Two single tickets are almost always cheaper, although you might expect return tickets to offer better value for money. For example, a return ticket from London to Glasgow at any time can cost a whopping £393 on Avanti West Coast. But two single tickets for the same days cost £81 – a huge saving of £312. Always check.
Split Rate Offers
Trainline is one of the websites that offers split fare deals as a way to save money.
Buying two or more tickets for a single journey is often cheaper. This is known as a “split ticket” and is possible due to tricky pricing anomalies that can help you (legally) dodge peak-time fares. To check/book, go to Trainsplit.com, which only charges a small fee if you find discounts. Split ticket prices are also offered on Thetrainline.com, Raileasy.com and Mytrainpal.com – each of which also have small fees. Buying four tickets for a last-minute direct journey from Plymouth to Birmingham on Trainsplit.com cost us £73.94 when we checked, a saving of £26.26 (a 35 per cent discount).
Try a “price prediction” tool
Trainline has an excellent ‘Price Predictor’ for major routes that lets you check how prices are likely to change in the days leading up to your departure date. For example, a London to Liverpool fare was available when we searched for it for £43, but rose to £48 six days later, £68 four days later, and finally £76.30 on the day of travel. Knowing this, you can make an informed decision about whether you need to buy straight away or not.
Say yes to newsletters
This is a little different to signing up for alerts on rail operators’ websites. Instead, you click to accept the latest news and general offers. It’s a great way to stay on top of the market, with discounts and half-price promotions.
Travel on Wednesdays at lunchtime.
This could be one of the cheapest times of the week to travel, according to Seat61.com.
Railcards for (almost) everyone
Railcards for seniors, youth, friends and family and the lesser-known ‘Two Together Cards’ offer fares with a third discount
You might be surprised to discover that you qualify for a ‘railcard’. Yes, there are railcards for seniors, young people and families, but there are less well-known ones such as ‘Two Together Cards’, which offer a third off fares (£30 a year for a card covering two people, twotogether-railcard.co.uk) when you travel with your companion. You don’t have to be married to apply. Two friends or family members can apply – the cards are particularly suitable for sports fans travelling together, or for groups of hikers or weekend walkers. You can get more than one (different cards for travelling with different friends).
London and the South East
If you live here and take the train regularly, or even occasionally, it will almost certainly be worth your while to buy a Network Railcard for £30 a year, which offers 34 per cent off fares after 10am on weekdays (minimum fare £13) and at weekends (network-railcard.co.uk). The area covered stretches from Exeter and Plymouth to Kent, via London, near Colchester in Essex and near Banbury in Oxfordshire. You can take up to three adults and four children aged between five and 15 with the same discount. Train guru Mark Smith swears by his.
Check out special promotions
National Rail is responsible for promoting rail travel in Britain and its website is a great place to check out ‘rover’ tickets (one to seven days) which allow unlimited travel on selected lines (nationalrail.co.uk). For example, an Anglia Pass covering Norfolk costs from £68.10, which works out to less than £10 a day.
Savings for occasional travelers
If you travel a couple of days a week on a regular route, a “flexible season ticket” covering eight return tickets in a 28-day period could be very useful. Moneysupermarket.com recently found that 97 per cent of routes yielded savings (£500 a year for someone travelling two days a week between Milton Keynes and London, for example). See their “Cheapest Way to Travel” page.
Don’t forget the Eurostar!
Sign up for the Eurostar newsletter and be the first to hear about our latest deals – from £35 for a one-way ticket from London St Pancras to Paris (eurostar.com/uk-en/newsletters). Eurostar tickets go on sale 6-8 months in advance – this is the best time to book the cheapest fares to France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.
* Tom Chesshyre is the author of five books on rail travel. His sixth book, Slow Trains Around Britain: Notes from a 4,162-mile Adventure on 144 Rides, is due out next June (Summersdale).