Northern Rail Deals

Until 11.59pm on Sun 15 Jan, Northern is having a 50% off sale on all standard advance fares across its network in Northern England (see full map), including one-way tickets available between Leeds and Manchester for £1.50 and between Sheffield and Nottingham for £2.75.

How to get the discounted tickets

Sale seats are valid for travel from Mon 20 Feb until Mon 20 Mar. To get the discounted seats, you’ll need to book by 15 Jan online at Northern – you can't get this offer at station ticket offices.

The 50% off is available on all standard advance tickets, but it can be hit and miss as to whether the train you want has advance fares and it may involve a bit of trial and error to find the cheaper fares – but there will be more availability the further in advance you book. To see if the journey you want is discounted, enter your departure station at this Northern link.

Northern says the sale tickets will mostly be on off-peak trains, with very limited availability during weekday peak times, so you may need to be flexible on times and dates to get the cheapest tickets.

Once you've selected your travel dates, you'll be shown which trains have the cheapest tickets – sale seats are called 'Northern 50% Off'. For return trips, you'll need to book two singles to get the cheapest fare, so check both are at the discounted rate before booking – return fares are offered but these will be a lot more expensive than buying two 'Northern 50% Off' singles.

Top fares we found

Strong discounts we found (when buying two standard advance single sale tickets) on Wed 11 Jan include:

• £3 standard return Leeds to Manchester Victoria, depart 8.51am on Sat 18 Mar, rtn 3.48pm on Mon 20 Mar – next cheapest return, £22.
• £5.50 standard return Sheffield to Nottingham, depart 10.05am on Sat 25 Feb, rtn 5.17pm on Sun 26 Feb – next cheapest return, £21.50.
• £7.50 standard return Blackburn to York, depart 11.55am on Mon 20 Feb, rtn 7.18pm on Wed 22 Feb – next cheapest return, £26.

It's worth noting that these tickets are only valid for the specific train selected when booking, and are non-refundable.

Are child tickets included?

Discounted child tickets are available in this sale for half the price of the adult sale ticket, so a family of four – two adults and two children – could visit Blackpool from Manchester for £15 return – £2.50 each way for each adult, £1.25 each way for each child (norm £40.50 return).

Can I use a railcard?

Northen has told us you can use a 16-25, Family & Friends, Two Together, Senior or Disabled Persons Railcard with this offer to make an even bigger saving.