Cheap train & coach deals

Getting a railcard could put you on the right track for some decent savings, especially if you take the train often, as these cards get you one-third off most rail fares. If you want to get on board for some more discounts, you can get 34% off the cost of a digital railcard (which means the railcard is stored on your phone) when you purchase via third-party booking site Trip.com.

Note: With this deal, the railcard can only be accessed via Trip.com. You can't transfer it to the railcard app after purchasing. 

To get this offer, you'll need to be new to Trip.com and also buy a train ticket via its app or website. Buying the train ticket will activate your digital railcard, and you'll need to do it within 30 days of your railcard being issued. So only use this offer if you're happy to buy a train ticket from Trip.com (there's no minimum spend so you could just search for the cheapest possible fare) or if you already had a train trip planned in the next month.

How the offer works 

Railcards normally cost £30 for one year (or £70 for three years on some cards), but enter the code RCD001 when selecting your digital railcard at Trip.com to get it for £19.80 for one year (or £46.20 for three, where available). The offer ends at 11.59pm on Tuesday 31 December 2024. The code is limited to one digital railcard, and remember you need to be new to Trip.com.

Here's how to use the code:

• Sign up for a free account at Trip.com. If you're given the option to enter the code while signing up, you can – enter RCD001 in the 'Promo code (optional)' box.
• Once you're signed in to Trip.com, select the account/member icon and then 'Promo Codes'. Or in the app, go to the 'Account' tab and tap 'Vouchers & Promo Code'.
• If you entered the code while signing up, your 34% off voucher will appear here. If you didn't, enter RCD001 in the 'Enter promo code' box ('Enter code' in the app). The voucher will then be added to this section.
• Go to the 'Railcards' section (the 'Buy Tickets' tab, then the 'Get Railcards' button in the app) and choose the railcard you want. The discount should be automatically applied.
• To activate your digital railcard, you'll need to buy any train ticket through Trip.com within 30 days of the railcard being issued. Trip.com says it doesn't charge a booking fee. If you don't activate your railcard, you'll be issued an automatic refund.

The code can only be used to buy one of the following digital railcards: 16-17 Saver, 16-25 Railcard, 26-30 Railcard, Family & Friends' Railcard, Network Railcard, Senior Railcard and Two Together Railcard. The offer excludes the Disabled Person's Railcard and Veterans' Railcard.

How to maximise the discount

Newbies to Trip.com can also get 5% off their first UK train ticket purchase with the code TRIP555 – so you could use this code when buying the train ticket needed to activate your railcard.

You don't have to purchase a railcard if you want to use this 5% off code. It is open to all newbies to Trip.com making their first UK train ticket purchase until 11.59pm on Tuesday 31 December.

See our cheap train tickets guide for more ways to save on rail fares.

Get a 16-25, Family & Friends, Senior or Two Together Railcard via Tesco Clubcard* for £15 in Clubcard vouchers instead of the usual £30. You'll be sent a code that can be used at the Railcard* site.

You can use Clubcard vouchers for the Disabled Person's Railcard, but Tesco says a technical error means you can only exchange £18 of vouchers for this, and as the railcard costs £20, you would need to pay the £2 difference separately.

What discounts do the railcards get you?

16-25: A third off fares if you're aged 16 and over and under 26.
Family & Friends: A third off adult and 60% off child fares, a minimum of one adult and one child, and a maximum of up to four adults and four children (age 5-15) can travel using one card.
Senior: Those aged 60 and over get a third off rail fares.
Two Together: A third off rail fares for two named adults when they travel together.

Check the railcard site for restrictions and to ensure you're eligible before exchanging your vouchers. See our Tesco Clubcard boosting guide for other ways to use your points.

If your train season ticket is an annual gold card (or comes with one), you can get extra discounts you don’t get with a standard season ticket. One of the biggest perks is being able to buy a railcard for just £10 (up to 66% off the normal price) for yourself or someone else.

This discount only works for those in the south of England, but if that’s you, it can be a winner. Railcards usually give a third off most fares – see full info on what each railcard gets you.

How do I get a gold card?

To do this, you'll need to have an annual gold card – this will either be your actual season ticket or come with it. You should have been given one automatically if you’ve bought a year's season ticket or Travelcard (not weekly or monthly) from one of 600+ stations on this annual gold card area map, and at least one of the stations on your ticket falls within the same area.

This won’t work in much of the UK, but the gold card area includes a large part of the south of England.

Which railcards can I get for £10?

You can choose from most of the major national railcards – 16-25, Family & Friends, Two Together, Senior, Network Railcard for London and the south of England (all normally £30) and Disabled Person's Railcard (normally £20). These cards get you a third off most journeys – see all railcard types.

You can get one annual railcard for £10 at any time during the validity of your annual gold card.

Don't have a gold card? You can still get a £10 railcard

The person buying the railcard doesn’t have to be the person who ends up using it.

So if a friend or family member who commutes has a gold card, just ask them to buy the £10 railcard for you if they don't need it, and they can follow the steps below. Check the Railcard* website to make sure you're eligible beforehand, and provide the gold card holder with any photos or evidence of eligibility required.

You can only buy the £10 railcard from a station

If you bought your annual season ticket from a train station, you'll need to purchase your railcard from that particular station. If you bought it online, then you can go to your nearest station. The only exception is if you're getting a Disabled Person's Railcard – see 'More info' below.

Let the staff member know you want to purchase a £10 railcard with your gold card and fill in the application they give you. Some railcards such as 16-25 and Senior require photos and evidence of eligibility so have that with you, and you'll need to show your gold card.

If you're buying a railcard for someone else, Railcard says the person you're buying the railcard for doesn't need to be present.

Another way to get a discount on railcards

• If you have a Tesco Clubcard with enough points, you could use your Clubcard vouchers to get a one-year railcard for £15 in vouchers. See National Railcards for £15 in Tesco points.