National Express deals

Via code. For travel till 6 January, INCLUDING Christmas Day, Boxing Day & New Year's Day

If you're planning to travel with the family via coach over the Christmas and New Year period, this National Express* deal could be just the ticket.

Children aged 15 or under can travel for free with a paying adult when you enter the code FREEKIDS online at National Express* or via its app by 11.59pm on Sunday 5 January, or until all codes have been claimed. There were 10,000 codes available when the offer launched on Wednesday 4 December and when we checked with National Express on Monday 9 December, there were thousands remaining – but it's best to go quick if you want this.

It's for single or return journeys from Wednesday 11 December to Monday 6 January, and what's more, it includes Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day travel – National Express says it'll be operating 340 journeys on Christmas Day, including to/from major airports.

You can claim up to three free child tickets per paying adult. You'll need to buy your ticket at least 24 hours in advance of the outward travel date. The code will work on most National Express routes, though it does exclude travel to festivals and events.

There's a £1.50 booking fee, though if you sign up for a free National Express account (or log in), the fee won't apply.

How do I redeem the offer?

Select your coach trip, then enter the code FREEKIDS at the 'Your Details' part of the checkout – there's a small box underneath the payment details section (pictured below).

The code won't apply to tickets purchased via third-party websites, at ticket machines, in-person at stations, or from a driver. You also can't use it alongside any other discount or promotion such as Coachcard. The code won't work on open returns, season tickets or tickets for European services.

Here are a few examples of how much you could save on a child ticket using the code. We checked on Monday 9 December for a journey starting on Christmas Eve and returning on Boxing Day:

• Cardiff to Swansea return – £11.04 saving per child

• London Victoria to Bristol return – £25.12 saving per child

• Newcastle to Manchester return – £33.33 saving per child

It's possible to amend your ticket once purchased, but both an amendment fee and excess fare for the new ticket will apply so you might want to consider if this is still MoneySaving.

Prefer to get the train? See our cheap train tickets guide for ways to save.

For travel until 13 January (excluding 23-27 December)

If you're a student you can get 30% off National Express* coach tickets for up to four passengers when you book by 11.59pm on Sunday 5 January – it's for travel until Monday 13 January, excluding 23 to 27 December.

This is a much stronger deal than the usual 15% off offered to students. To get the discount, you'll need to enter a unique code online at National Express. You can get a code from any of the following student portals:

• Unidays

• Student Beans

• Amazon Prime Student

• Totum

You'll need to buy your ticket at least 24 hours in advance of the outward travel date in order to get the 30% off. The code will work on most National Express routes, though it does exclude travel to festivals and events.

There's a £1.50 booking fee, though National Express told us if you sign up for a free account (or log in), the fee won't apply.

The 30% off isn't valid on tickets purchased via third-party websites, at ticket machines, in-person at stations, from a driver or booked over the phone. You also can't use it alongside any other discount or promotion such as Coachcard. The 30% off doesn't apply on open returns, season tickets or tickets for European services.

See our full student deals round-up for more ways to save.