Cheap Train & Coach Deals streamline the cost of travel tickets with the latest discounts

Last Updated:
31 Jan

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This is a list of super cheap train and coach deals, vouchers, and codes that will enable you to cut your travel costs to the bone, sometimes just £1 each way.

We aim to ensure these can be used by everyone by checking with the company's press office (unless stated) but policies can change so do check before you book.

Yet these are just one-off promotions, it's also important you check out the Cheap Trains guide, full of cutting edge techniques to cut any journey’s cost. And if the worst comes to the worst there’s the Cheap Petrol guide too.

Includes...

New Deals

Family & Friends Railcard 20% offOnline code

Family and Friends LogoGet 20% off a 1 year Family & Friends Railcard online. Simply enter the code MONEY20 in the promotional code box, which will bring the price down from £28 to £22.40. The code's valid until Wed 29 Feb 2012. Yet if you've a Tesco Clubcard, you can get it for £14 of Clubcard Rewards. See the Family, 16-25 and Senior Railcards £14 in Tesco pts info.

The railcard saves 1/3 on adult ticket prices, and 60% on kids'. To be eligible to use the card, at least one adult must be travelling with a child who is 5-15 years old. Up to four adults and four kids can travel on one railcard, and they don't have to be related.

London Midland Trains £15 day travelOnline voucher

London Midland is offering £15 tickets allowing unlimited off-peak day travel on any London Midland route. Simply fill in the form, print off the voucher and take it to any London Midland station.

You can travel any day between Sat 4 and Sun 19 Feb departing after 9.30am on weekdays, any time on weekends. Standard tickets will cost £15 (child £5) for all-day travel, or you can go first class for £25 (child £10). Railcard holders get standard tickets for £9.90 (£2 for accompanied children with a Friends & Family or Network Railcard).

There's no limit on the number of ticket applications that can be made but 5,000 tickets are available for each day of the promotion. Generally, the longer the journey the bigger the saving. A standard return ticket from London to Liverpool begins at £39 off-peak or £79 peak, so with the £15 day pass the savings mount up. Some shorter distance journeys may come out cheaper than £15 though, so always check first.

  • Routes included: London Midland only routes.
  • Discount available half term? Yes.
  • Any railcards valid? 16-25, Family & Friends, Senior, Disabled Persons, Network, Two Together, HM Forces and Annual Gold Card.
  • How to book: Fill in the form on the London Midland site, print off the voucher and take it to any station covered by London Midland to buy your tickets.
  • When does it end? Scheduled for Sun 19 Feb 2012.

Scotrail £19 Over 55s flat rate returnsBuy online, by phone or at stations

ScotRail Logo If you're over 55, travel between any two stations in Scotland, standard class, for £19 return with Scotrail until Sat 31 March 2012. It's also valid on trains from Carlisle and Berwick-upon-Tweed (but excludes travel between the two) to most stations in Scotland.

Senior railcard holders and Disabled railcard holders will also get an extra £2 off per return. Travel any time at weekends and on trains arriving in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen or Dundee after 9.30am Mon-Fri. The return travel is valid for a month from the date of the outward journey. If you want to upgrade to First Class, it's £26 return.

  • Routes included: All the Scotrail network
  • How to book: On the Scotrail Club 55 site, from any manned Scotrail station or phone 08457 55 00 33. There are no booking or credit card fees.
  • When does it end? Sat 31 March 2012
  • Restrictions: Not valid on Caledonian Sleeper and private charter services. Mon - Fri excludes arrival into Glasgow Queen Street/Central, Edinburgh Waverley, Haymarket, Dundee or Aberdeen and departing from Glasgow Queen Street, Glasgow Central, Edinburgh Waverley or Haymarket between 4.42pm - 6.09pm. Also excludes the 6.15pm Glasgow Queen Street to Edinburgh Waverley services. Not valid on East Coast services on Sundays between Aberdeen and Edinburgh as well as stations in between the two.

Arriva Trains Wales £19 Over 55s rtnsBuy online, over the phone or at stations

Arriva Trains Wales LogoTravel anywhere on the Arriva Trains Wales (ATW) network for £19 return if you’re over 55. If you have a Senior or Disabled Railcard, show it and you'll get an extra £2 off. Travel after 9.30am weekdays if you're going to Cardiff Central, Birmingham, Manchester or Liverpool or anytime at weekends. The offer's on until Wed 28 March 2012 (you must make an outward journey by this date but can return within one month).

  • Routes included: All Arriva Trains Wales network. Club55 add-on tickets can also be bought for certain Chiltern Railways, Cross Country, First Great Western, London Midland, Northern Rail and Merseyrail journeys.
  • How to book: Online at Arriva Trains Wales, any station or ATW train where there are no booking facilities available, just make sure you take along proof of age. You can also call 0844 3751 546 (8am - 8pm Mon -Sat or 9am - 5pm Sun).
  • When does it end? Wed 28 March 2012.
  • Restrictions: You must travel after 10am for London Marylebone but not during 4pm - 7pm if you've bought an add-on ticket. See the full ATW T&Cs.

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Southern £12 unlimited day travelOnline only

Southern Trains LogoGet a £12 DaySave ticket for unlimited off-peak travel every day. The ticket must be bought from the Southern Railway website at least seven days in advance of travel (or 14 days in advance during school holidays, Christmas, Easter etc). It's only valid on the Southern Network, including lines to South London, Portsmouth, Ashford, Brighton, Guildford and more.

Plus, groups of three or four (adults and children) travelling at the same time can buy a DaySave ticket for £24. For any additional children travelling, it's £1 extra.

As it's an off-peak ticket valid for one day, you can travel any time on Saturday, Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays. But not before 10am or between 4:45pm-7:15pm Mon - Fri when boarding trains from East Croydon and London stations such as Victoria, London Bridge and Clapham Junction. Railcards and other discounts can't be used with this offer and it excludes Gatwick Express services. Tickets can't be refunded or exchanged. You'll need to register with Southern before buying tickets.

  • Routes included: London Victoria to Portsmouth, Brighton to Southampton, Eastbourne to Ashford. See the Southern Network map for full journey info.
  • How to book: Visit Southern Railway website
  • When does it end? Ongoing
  • Any restrictions? Excludes Gatwick Express. You must travel on the date shown on the ticket and buy at least seven days in advance, online only.

Chiltern Bicester-Lon week's free travel for seasonticket holdersFill in a form

National Rail Logo Get a 7 day rail pass to travel between Bicester North (Oxfordshire) and London at any time on Chiltern Railways plus free parking at the station. The week's pass is worth around £100.

To get the free travel you must hold a monthly or annual season ticket or travelcard to London with any rail operator, costing £200 or £2,000 respectively, or have had one expire less than 7 days before the free rail pass's start date.

  • Who can get it? Non-Chiltern monthly or annual season ticket or travelcard holders.
  • How?: Register at Chiltern Railways. Voucher will be emailed. Show it with your usual season ticket at the station.
  • Routes included? Bicester North to London Marylebone and vice versa (not intermediate stations). See Chiltern Railways.
  • Any restrictions? Need valid season ticket or have expired within last 7 days.
  • When does it end? Redeem voucher by Wed 29 Feb 2012.

Train Deals

Buy train tickets with Tesco Clubcard RewardsSlice the cost

Red Spotted Hanky LogoYou can now buy rail tickets using Tesco Clubcard vouchers on rail site Redspottedhanky. Check the rest of this Deals note for individual operators' sales though as Redspottedhanky's system doesn't tend to factor in sale prices. Full details in the Cheap Train Tickets Guide.

Family, 16-25 and Senior Railcards £14 in Tesco pts Online only

National Rail LogoWhat's the deal?

Get a 16-25, Family & Friends or Senior railcard for £14 in Tesco points instead of the usual £28. The cards get you up to a third off rail fares.

How to get it

Go to the 16-25, Family & Friends or Senior Tesco rewards page and buy. You'll be sent a code that can be used on the Railcard checkout.

How Tesco Clubcard Rewards work

While worth 1p in store, Clubcard points values are up to tripled when converted to Tesco Clubcard Rewards Vouchers, which include days out, magazine subscriptions, holidays etc; eg, Alton Towers ticket for £11 of points, or a year's Company mag subscription for £8.

Other deals can be better value than the railcards but if you're buying them anyway, and don't need any other deals, it's a good conversion. Read more in the Loyalty Points Boosting guide

What discounts do the railcards get you?

16-25: A third off fares if you're over 16 and under 26 or a full-time student.
Family & Friends: A third off adult and 60% off child fares, a minimum of one adult and one child, up to four adults and four children (age 5-15) can travel using one card.
Senior: A third off fares for over 60s.

  • How to book: Exchange Tesco vouchers then use code on Railcard website
  • Any restrictions: Check the railcard site for restrictions and to ensure you're eligible before exchanging your vouchers.
  • When does it end? Ongoing until at least July 2012.

West Midlands residents 1/3 off rail faresWhen you travel in a pair

National Rail LogoWhat's the deal?

Buy an annual Two Together railcard for £28 and get a third off all Anytime, Off-Peak and Advance rail fares when two people travel together.

Who can get it?

Anyone 16 or over living in a Birmingham (B), Coventry (CV), Dudley (DY), Walsall (WS) or Wolverhampton (WV) postcode. Just the main cardholder needs to live in the area.

How to get it

Buy on the Two Together railcard site or at participating stations. It costs £28 for one railcard which covers you and your friend, partner or relative (you don't have to be related). You need to give details and photos of both cardholders.

What discounts does the railcard get you?

A third off Anytime, Off peak and Advance adult fares plus some travelcards across Great Britain. See the full discount list.

When can it be used?

Mon - Fri, excluding 4.30am - 9.30am, any time weekends and Bank Holidays.

Any restrictions?

You must name the person you'll be travelling with as the second cardholder when you buy.

When does it end?

This is a trial scheme with railcards available to buy until 19 May 2012. Rail companies will be evaluating the trial in 2013 and if feedback's good may consider rolling it out nationwide.

Virgin London – Manch from £12 e/wVirgin cheap fares

Virgin LogoGet advance tickets from London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly from £12 each way. To find the tickets, enter your chosen travel dates, currently up to Mon 16 April 2012, on the Virgin Farefinder. Tickets are subject to availability.

  • Routes included: London to Manchester
  • How to book: Via the Virgin Farefinder
  • When does it end?: Tickets currently available to Mon 16 April 2012

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Southeastern Kids for a QuidBuy at the station

Southeastern Trains LogoUp to four kids (5-15) travelling with an adult with a valid off-peak ticket can go for £1 on Southeastern trains. The adult's fare can be bought online but the kids tickets must be bought at the station.

  • Where can you travel? On the Southeastern network
  • How do I get it? Buy at a Southeastern station. See network map.
  • Any restrictions? Not valid for journeys only within London zones 1-6. The child must be 5-15 years old.
  • When does it end? Currently ongoing

Southern 10% off Advance (single) and off-peak ticketsBook online

Southern Trains LogoGrab 10% off Southern Trains Advance (single) and off-peak tickets until Wed 29 Feb 2012 if you buy them on the Southern Railway website. Plus Senior, 16-25, Family, Disabled and HM Forces Railcards get the discount too.

The discount's only available for certain journeys entirely on the Southern network bought online. There are no booking fees when you buy online.

  • Routes included: London to Brighton, Portsmouth and Southampton.
  • How to book: Visit Southern Railway website.
  • Any restrictions? Can't be used on Bank Holidays.
  • When does it end? Wed 29 Feb 2012.

Gatwick Express 10% off SinglesOnline offer

Gatwick Express LogoGet 10% off single tickets on the London Victoria-Gatwick non-stop route when you book online at Gatwick Express. There's no promotional code needed, just book online and the discount should be automatic. Your ticket can be sent via email and/or to your mobile.

The offer's for both Express and First Class travel for children and adults and can be booked for travel up to six months ahead. Railcards and other discounts can't be combined with the offer. There's no booking fee.

  • Routes included: London Victoria to Gatwick
  • How to book: Online at Gatwick Express
  • When does it end? Ongoing

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50% off Transpennine with 16-25 RailcardRailcard offer

First TransPennine Express LogoFirst TransPennine Express is offering holders of the 16-25 Railcard 50% off advanced fares rather than the 34% discount card holders normally get when you book through the Transpennine Express website.

Tickets are non-refundable and only valid on the specific train booked. The offer's ongoing. Airport Advance tickets to and from Manchester Airport aren't included.

  • Routes included: All TransPennine Express routes except tickets to and from Manchester Airport.
  • How to book: Online only, via the special Transpennine Express web page.
  • When does it end?: Ongoing

East Coast third off for groups of 3 plusBook online via the special page

East Coast Trains East Coast Trains is offering 33% off standard or first class Advance (single) tickets for groups of three to nine people, when you book online.

  • How do I book? Book via the special East Coast 3 plus web page.
  • Are there any exclusions? It's subject to availability, only available via the link above and you can't use railcards or other offers.
  • When does it end? Currently ongoing.

Chiltern Railways Free Parking for CarsharersFor 3+ passengers sharing

Chiltern Railways LogoRail passengers travelling together by car to a Chiltern Railways station can get the parking free.

As long as there are at least three people in the car planning to travel and you arrive between 6am and 9am, Monday to Friday simply tell the car park attendant you'd like a Carshare voucher and the parking shouldn't cost you a penny.

The offer excludes Saunderton, Hatton, Aylesbury Vale Parkway, Little Kimble, Lapworth and Kings Sutton stations. See Chiltern's network on the Chiltern Railways website.

Buy Eurotunnel tickets with Tesco Clubcard RewardsSwap points for rewards x3

Eurotunnel LogoGrab Eurotunnel (vehicle) tickets from Folkestone with Tesco Clubcard vouchers. £10 in vouchers gets you £30 in rewards. Use in full or as part payment.

  • Routes included: Travel from Folkestone only (NOT Calais)
  • How to book: Order Tesco Clubcard Reward 5 days before booking. Book at least 14 days before leaving
  • Any restrictions? Not for FlexiPlus tickets
  • When does it end?: Ongoing at Tue 14 Jan 2012

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Scotrail Bargain Berths from £19Register 'n' print voucher

ScotRail LogoIf you’re planning a trip between London and Scotland, check ScotRail’s Bargain Berths section, where Caledonian Sleeper single fares start at £19.

While you can book tickets up to 12pm on the day of travel if available, it's best to start looking as early as you can as the cheap berths go quickly (especially weekend tickets). To get the cheap tickets, type in the dates you're thinking of travelling, then click the dates on the calendar and it'll tell you how many berths are still available for those dates.

Once you've booked you'll receive an e-ticket to your email address, or a text to your mobile, whichever you choose.

  • Routes included: Scotrail Caledonian Sleeper routes to London Euston including Aberdeen, Fort William and Inverness. See the Caledonian Sleeper map for all routes.
  • How to book: The bargain berths section of the ScotRail website.
  • Any extras? Entitles you to join the Advance Loyalty Club
  • When does it end? Ongoing

CrossCountry trains 10% Student/Graduate discountAvailable for NUS holders

Cross Country Trains LogoStudents who have an "NUS Extra" or "Graduate Extra" card can get an extra 10% off on certain Cross Country Advance tickets (the applicable tickets will show up in green in a search).

You can get the discount in addition to the 16-25 railcard discount if you have one.

  • When does it end? Ongoing

Megatrain & Megabus £1 faresOnline offer

Megabusplus LogoSister companies Megatrain and Megabus - you need to go via the Megabus site - offer train and bus fares across the UK for £1 each way plus a 50p booking charge per transaction. Go to the Megabus site, pick where you're travelling to and from, and opt for train or bus to find available fares.

  • Routes included: Aberdeen, Bath, Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Manchester, Newcastle, Edinburgh Airport, Exeter, Leeds, Leicester, London, Oxford, Sheffield & many more. See the Megabus and Megatrain route maps.
  • How to book: Go to Megabus (site is the same for Megatrain)
  • When does it end? Ongoing

Chiltern Railways Birm to Lond return from £10Book online

Chiltern Railways Logo Use the Chiltern Railways self print or ticket to your mobile service which costs from £5 each way and you could pay just £10 to get travel from Birmingham to London and back.

While the route is slower and takes you from Birmingham Snow Hill or Moor Street to Marylebone rather than Birmingham New Street to Euston, if you're willing to spend a little longer getting there, then the price difference could be huge.

  • Routes included: London to Birmingham
  • How to book: Visit Chiltern Railways website.
  • When does it end?: Ongoing

Bus & Coach Deals

Earn/Spend Loyalty Points on Stagecoach BusesEarn loyalty points

Stagecoach LogoYou can now earn loyalty points when you buy Stagecoach Bus Megarider and Unirider season tickets or Smartrider smart cards via loyalty points scheme MyICE. You'll earn 3 ICE points for every £2 you spend. Each ICE point is worth 1p, which can be spent on further season tickets.

The season tickets and smartcards are sent out by post or can be collected from electronic ticket machines. Postage cost depends on method chosen.

  • Routes included: Stagecoach routes outside London
  • Any exclusions: Stagecoach's Smartzone tickets and Megarider Smartzone tickets in Oxfordshire.
  • How to book: Using loyalty points site MyICE
  • When does it end?: Currently ongoing

Earn/Collect loyalty points on Arriva BusesEarn loyalty points

Arriva LogoYou can now earn loyalty points when you buy some Arriva bus season or multi-journey tickets via loyalty points scheme MyICE. You'll earn 3 ICE points for every £2 you spend. Each ICE point is worth 1p, which can be spent on further season tickets.

Season tickets can be sent by post or to your mobile phone. Postage cost depends on the postage method chosen.

  • Routes included: Arriva routes outside London. See Arriva's bus network
  • Any exclusions?: Single, return, day saver and weekly saver tickets.
  • How to book: Using loyalty points site MyICE
  • When does it end?: Currently ongoing

Buy Megabus tickets with Tesco Clubcard RewardsSwap points for rewards x2

Megabus LogoGrab Megabus tickets using Tesco Clubcard vouchers. £5 in vouchers gets you £10 worth of rewards, in the form of four £2.50 token codes.

  • Routes included: Routes available on Megabus.com
  • How to book: Using Tesco Clubcard vouchers
  • Any fees? 50p booking fee payable by card
  • When does it end? Ongoing at Weds 31 Aug 2011

Greyhound Journeys from £1Book online

Greyhound Logo Well-known US bus company Greyhound has routes in the UK starting at £1 each way between Swansea and Cardiff. Other services include London to the Isle of Wight from £12 each way.

A booking fee of 50p applies on all fares, and the offer's currently ongoing.

  • Routes included: Swansea, Cardiff, Isle of Wight.
  • How to book: Visit Greyhound UK.
  • When does it end?: Ongoing.

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Megabusplus Yorkshire £2.50 return faresBook online

Megabusplus LogoMegabusplus, set up by Megabus, provides combined rail and bus journeys. For example buy a ticket from London to York and you'll journey from London to East Midlands Parkway by train, and between East Midland Parkway and Yorkshire by coach.

  • Routes included: York, Castleford, Harrogate, Hull, Halifax, Doncaster, Scunthorpe, Huddersfield and Bradford.
  • When does it end?: Ongoing

Oxford Tube to London from £7 return

Oxford Tube Logo Day/next day return prices for under 16s for a 'Nightrider' on the Oxford Tube Coach service are £7, longer term returns are £10 (students/over 60s are £11 and £15 respectively).

To get it you have to travel between 3pm and midnight. There are also discounts for Railcard and coachcard holders. Kids up to two can go free with a paying adult.

  • Routes included: Oxford to London (Hillingdon, Shepherds Bush, Notting Hill Gate, Marble Arch and Victoria).
  • How to book: Tickets & passes up to a month in advance can be bought from the driver, while the service's full range of tickets can be bought on the Oxford Tube website, by phone or from Gloucester Green travel shop.
  • When does it end?: Ongoing.

Easybus airport travel from £3 return

Easybus Logo Cheap bus operator Easybus offers journeys from Central and West London to Gatwick, Stansted and Luton airports starting at £2 each way, and from Watford Junction station to Luton and Heathrow from £1.50 each way. You don't have to be flying to use the service.

  • Routes included: Gatwick, Stansted, Heathrow & Luton to London and Watford
  • How to book: Visit the Easybus website or buy at the departure point.
  • When does it end?: Ongoing

Liverpool Airport to Manchester for £12 return

Terravision Logo European low cost city shuttle bus company Terravision offers fares between Liverpool airport and Manchester city centre for £8 one way or £12 return.

  • Routes included: Liverpool to Manchester
  • How to book: Visit Terravision website
  • When does it end?: Ongoing

Found a cheaper deal?
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More train cost cutting tricks

There's a host of the other tips and techniques to bag yourself dirt cheap train tickets. Here's a few quick tips but for full info read the Cheap Trains guide.

Buy early, specifically 12 weeks early

book early

Everyone knows book early and you can get cheaper fares, yet often these disappear quicker than empty seats on a commuter trip. Therefore to ensure a bargain, the key moment is buying 12 weeks in advance. This is because, contractually Network Rail must have the timetable set 12 weeks in advance; therefore this is commonly - though not definitely - when tickets are released.

If you know when and where you want to go, there's a sneaky way to be first in the cheap tickets queue. The TheTrainline's* ticket alert system emails the moment cheap advance tickets for a specific journey come on sale (commonly the cheapest fares).

Get early booking discounts at the last minute!

Everyone knows booking train tickets in advance is much cheaper, but what needs to be understood is Advance tickets can often be bought the night before, or even on the way to the station. So the golden rule is... Always check or call if advance tickets are still available, even if you're on the way to the station.

Spend over £78/year? Get a 16-25, Family & Friends or Senior Railcard.

Railcards which can be bought from the Railcard website typically cost £28 per year, or £65 for three years, and cut a third off the bill. Therefore spend over £84 a year (even in just one trip) and you save. Until May '08 railcards weren't valid on some super-cheap promotional fares; now they're valid on all tickets bought in advance and all standard class tickets.

Local rail cards, season tickets and Rover & Ranger tickets

Local rail cards, season tickets and Rover and Ranger tickets, such as the Network Railcard in the South East, are also available, offering holders unlimited travel within specific areas for specific periods of time. There's a full list of these on the National Rail website.

Calling National Rail Enquiries? Pay less for the call

If you need to dial National Rail Enquiries, the official number is 0845 748 49 50; yet you can cut the cost of calling by dialling 0121 634 2040 and then pressing '1', you'll get through to the same thing. See the SayNoTo0870 guide for more info.

* Using these links helps the site stay free to use, as they're affiliated links which invisibly take you via price comparison services like Moneysupermarket or affiliate sites, this then means if you end up getting a product this site gets revenue

You shouldn't notice any difference, the links don't impact the product at all and the editorial line (the things we write) is NEVER impacted by the revenue. If it isn't possible to get an affiliate link for the best product, its still listed in the same way. The following links Eurostar, Megabus and thetrainline are identical unaffiliated link provided for the sake of transparency. Click on the following link for more details on how this site's financed.

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