How to save money on train tickets

Our train tickets in the UK may initially appear expensive but, in reality, it’s usually only our last-minute tickets that are absurdly priced! If you book your train tickets around 12 weeks in advance then you’re much more likely to get a cheap ticket.

Tickets usually come on sale 12 weeks before the departure date and they can be up to 80% cheaper. You can set a ‘Ticket Alert’ with Trainline so you’re sent an email reminder when your chosen tickets come on sale and you can then take advantage of advance fares.

Split ticketing is a clever hack to cheat the system and get cheaper train fares. 

Let’s say you’re travelling from Manchester to London on a train that stops in Crewe and Milton Keynes. Rather than purchasing a single ticket for your whole journey, you can purchase individual tickets from Manchester to Crewe, Crewe to Milton Keynes and Milton Keynes to London.

The individual tickets for these shorter journeys are often much cheaper and you can still stay on the same train, often in the same seat, for the duration of the journey!

The price differences between peak and off-peak train travel in the UK is astonishing so, whenever possible, travel during off-peak hours or super-off peak hours.

Don’t be tempted to buy an off-peak ticket and sneak onto a peak train. The conductor will either ask you to pay the price difference or ask you to leave the train at the next stop.

It can be a little confusing to know when is peak and when is off-peak because the train’s arrival time is just as important as the departure time. A train leaving Manchester at 6am may feel like it should be off-peak, but it arrives into London at 8am in time for the rush-hour commute so it’s an extremely busy train.

The train’s route can also impact the peak and off-peak times as busy periods can vary between cities, towns and villages. 

You will almost always get cheaper train tickets if you book a return in the UK. Many European countries have set fares for single journeys with no discounts for returns but in the UK it can often be just a few pennies more to book a return than one-way.

An ‘open-return’ is the best option if you aren’t sure what time you will be returning. Be careful if you book an ‘off-peak open return’ as you will be restricted as to which train you can board to go back. 

You can save up to a third with a railcard and more people qualify for a railcard than you may expect. There are eight national railcards available and most people could benefit from one of them.

A regional railcard will allow you to save a third on tickets with a specific regional train companies. Again, you do need to pay a small yearly fee for railcards but it’s usually worth the initial fee.

Regional railcards include:

• Cambrian Railcard
• Cotswolds Line Railcard
• Dales Railcard
• Devon and Cornwall Railcard
• Esk Valley Railcard
• Thameslink and Great Northern Student 16/18 Connect Card
• Heart of Wales Line Railcard
• Highland Railcard
• Network Railcard
• Pembrokeshire Railcard
• Valleys Senior Railcard
• Network Railcard - Save a third on fares when travelling in the South East. This card can also be used in and around London.

If you’re booking train tickets for groups of 3-9 adults then you could save up to 34% with GroupSave tickets. Unlike railcards, there is no fee for GroupSave tickets but they are predominantly for off-peak tickets in standard class.

If you are travelling with children then consider a Family & Friends Railcard which saves you a third. The railcard costs £30 but is valid for up to four adults and four children.

If your train has been delayed or cancelled then you may be entitled to a full refund. 

Each train operator has its own refund policy so claiming refunds can initially appear complicated, but the government has announced they’re working on a simpler system to bring all refund claims together. 

Most train operators will provide Delay Repay for delays starting at 15 minutes. While each operator will vary, here’s a rough idea of the refund you can expect.

• For a 15-29 minute delay, you will receive a refund of 25% of the single fare
• For a 30-59 minute delay, you will receive 50% of the single fare
• For a delay over 60 minutes, you should get a full refund of the single fare

If you’re regularly taking the same train journey then a season ticket is going to lead to the biggest savings. Depending on your route, you may only need to travel via train twice a week to make a season ticket worthwhile.

Season tickets offer unlimited travel and are available in First Class and child options. They are usually only available for shorter journeys. If you’re regularly making long journeys then an All Line Rover ticket may be your best option.

You can buy annual season tickets if it’s likely you’ll be travelling most weeks throughout the year. Monthly and weekly season tickets are also available if your train travel will be for a short period of time.

A flexi season ticket allows you to travel 8 out of 28 days, anytime between your two chosen stations. This is a popular option for people who mostly work from home and travel into work a couple of times a week. It gives you the flexibility to pick and choose which days you travel.