How to save money on the railways

The train ticket system can seem complicated with so many different types available on different lines. But one thing is clear the cost of them is high!

Rail fares increased by 5.9% in March this year (2023) and between October – December last year, there were record cancellations and wait times, with 4.5% of all trains cancelled, the highest rate since 2014. Only 62.3% of trains arrived on time at their stops during the journey, with just 82.8% arriving punctually at their final destination, according to the Office of Rail and Road.

Train travel costs can be astronomical and during a cost of living crisis it is more difficult than ever to pay for fares. I’ve collected together some tips on how to get the best price for your planned journey.

Be flexible

If you can travel a little later or a little earlier then do, as you can easily save 50% if you don’t mind waiting and you’re more likely to get a seat! Peak times are between 06.30 – 09.30 and 15.30 – 18.30. You can save a lot of money by travelling outside of these periods or on weekends.

The Trainline Fare Finder tool will compare the cheapest tickets around the dates you want to travel.

Price Prediction

Trainline’s Price Prediction app tool shows you when cheap tickets are likely to rise in price or sell out. It gives predictions for specific routes, dates and times, based on data from previous journeys and current trends to estimate when prices are likely to go up.

Buy in advance

Most train companies release their tickets 12 weeks before the date of travel. These are “Advance” tickets and will be at the cheapest price. These are only Single and not Return but the overall saving may be greater than buying a Return. Some companies will release tickets up to 24 weeks before the departure date, so keep an eye on them. They are sold up to 10 minutes before departure but there is only a limited number of tickets available and they are sold on a first-come-first-served basis.

If you need to change your ticket, you can do this for a charge of up to £10 but you will not be able to get a refund.

You can sign up to the Trainline Ticket Alert service which will email you as soon as tickets become available.

National Rail also has a future travel dates timetable, showing the furthest date into the future on which you can buy advance tickets, for each train company.

Split ticketing

You can save money on train fares by buying multiple tickets for the individual parts of a journey, instead of just one ticket. You don’t need to get off the train but you will have the tickets for each leg of the journey. Be aware that they may not work for peak journeys or shorter journey times.

The train must stop at the destination for your split ticket or you could face a fine.

For example, Graeme Jones just bought his son a ticket from Manchester to Crewe then Crewe to London for £8. The cost of a straight through ticket was £56. Crewe does seem to be a useful location for split ticketing and making good savings.

The Trainline will automatically apply the split ticketing calculation, where possible. But check all the sites before booking! For example, today (15/05/23) I looked at various journeys from London Kings Cross to Manchester Piccadilly on the 14/06/23.

These were the results for the 12.33…

Trainline : £32.00

Split ticketing : £32.00

Trainpal : £27.50

Trip.com : £31.36

Direct with the train company Avanti : £32.00

And for the 15:46:

Trainline : £38.20

Split Ticketing : £38.20

Trainpal : £31.40

Trip.com : £31.36

Direct with the train company Avanti : £31.40

So check them all out, as prices can vary!

Railcards

 There are a number of railcards which may suit you.

• 16-17 Saver – £30.00 – gives 50% off Standard Anytime, Standard Off-Peak, Standard Advance and Season tickets for travel at any time of the day for 16 -17 year olds up to their 18th birthday and lasts a year.
• 16-25 Railcard – £30.00 – 1/3 off Standard Anytime, Standard Off-Peak, Standard and first Class Advance tickets but not season tickets.
• 26-30 Railcard – £30.00 – 1/3 off most off-peak rail fares to travel across Great Britain. There are tickets, time restrictions and minimum fares. You can buy this any time before your 31^st birthday and keep using it for a whole year, so until you’re almost 32!
• Disabled Persons Railcard – £20.00 (£54.00 for three years) – 1/3 off and a companion can also get 1/3 off and includes competitions, discounts on restaurants, days out and hotels with partners.
• Family & Friends Railcard – £30 (or £70 for three years) – 1/3 off rail fares for up to 4 adults and 60% off for up to 4 children aged between 5 and 1 years old.
• Network Railcard – £30.00 – 1/3 off rail fares in London and the South East
• you and up to 4 adults can enjoy 1/3 off most rail fares and 4 children between the ages of 5 and 15 years old get 60% off theirs when they travel with you.
• Senior Railcard – £30.00 (or £70 for three years) – 1/3 off Standard and First Class Anytime, Off-Peak and Advance fares and includes discounts on restaurants, days out and hotels with partners.
• Two Together Railcard – £30.00 – 1/3 off all fares for two of you for most trips except peak morning and includes discounts on restaurants, days out and hotels with partners.
• Veterans Railcard – £30.00 (or £70 for three years) – For Veterans who served at least one day in His Majesty’s UK Armed Forces or UK Merchant Mariners who have seen duty on legally defined military operations.

Tesco Clubcard vouchers and Railcards

At the moment Clubcard vouchers can be tripled up to buy all the Railcards, except the 16-17 Saver.

From 13 June 2023 the vouchers will only be worth twice the amount. However, Tesco  has extended the validity period for all codes, from 6 to 12 months.

You can only purchase the cards which last one year, not three years.

Upgrade to first class cheaply

Seatfrog is an app which allows you to bid for an upgrade to first class tickets. For example, I could have bid on the train that I took yesterday from London Kings Cross to Leeds. The winning bid was £14.00. You only pay if you win the auction. Not all the train operators currently partner with the app but it is expected that the number will grow.

Season tickets

There is now a variety of season tickets available including the Flexi Season ticket which is not available on all routes which was introduced in June 2021 in response to people’s new working patterns during/after the pandemic.

National Rail has an online calculator where you can work out which season ticket would be the best and save the most for you.

Getting refunds and compensation

 Rail strikes: Your travel and refund rights if you are affected by train strikes and have your train cancelled or delayed you are due refunds/compensation and in some cases consequential loss

All you need to know about your consumer rights and travel for more on all travel sectors.

Helen Dewdney Morning Live 01/09/22

Covering your rights regarding train strikes.

Taking questions regarding the strikes on Jeremy Vine Show on Channel 5 07/10/22

And for everything else to complain about effectively GET THE BOOK! How To Complain: The ESSENTIAL Consumer Guide to Getting REFUNDS, Redress and RESULTS!

Want to get better at complaining? See 101 Habits of an Effective Complainer.

Save yourself time and effort finding the laws and wording a letter of complaint. Download a template, fill in your details and get that redress

Purchase downloadable templates to gain redress.

More help with travel

How to complain about train journeys (or the lack of them!)

How to book and complain about holidays/flights/travel

More help on saving money

Saving money Various posts and interviews regarding ways to save money on a wide range of things.