by Rachel Knowles

Created on: November 24, 2010

Travelling by train can be the most efficient way to make a journey, especially when your destination is a major city where traffic and parking can be a nightmare or the distance is too far to drive comfortably. Here are some ways to help you save money when buying train tickets helping to make it more cost effective too.

Buy tickets in advance

The golden rule when trying to save money on rail tickets is always to buy your ticket in advance. The best deals are usually available twelve weeks before the date of travel, when the timetables are first released for that period, but cheap tickets are often still available on the Internet right up to the day before travel.

Be flexible

If you are able to be flexible about your time of travel, you will be able to save money. The cheapest tickets are usually available for journeys starting late morning to early afternoon and if you can travel at these times, you will be able to go for the cheapest prices available.

Compare return tickets with two singles

Use the Internet to compare the prices of two singles with a return ticket. It may be cheaper to buy two singles rather than a return, particularly if one journey has to be taken at a peak time. It may also be cheaper to buy two tickets which cover the length of the journey by splitting the journey into two e.g. London to Plymouth and Plymouth to Penzance rather than one ticket for London to Penzance.

Consider buying a railcard

If you spend over £78 on rail tickets in a year, then it is probably worth investing in a railcard. These cards cost around £26 a year and can be bought from the Railcard website. A 16-25 railcard – previously the young person’s railcard – is available to anyone of that age group and full time students. It gives a third off most standard fares with any train company in Britain except Eurostar, including all standard advance tickets. A family and friends’ railcard gives a third off most standard adult fares for up to four adults providing that at least one child aged five to fifteen is travelling with them; children’s fares are discounted by 60%. Senior railcards again offer a third off most fares, but this is extended to cover first class as well as standard fares. There is also a disabled person’s railcard which offers a third off for the cardholder and their travelling companion. A network railcard offers the same discounts as the family and friends’ railcard on all standard advance fares in London and the south east.

For regular travel, invest in a season ticket

Where the same journey is undertaken regularly, for example if you are commuting into London each day, you will almost certainly save money by buying a season ticket. Use National Rail’s season ticket calculator to compare the tickets available to find the cheapest option for your travel.

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