If you work for the NHS, sign up for free to Health Service Discounts and you can get a code for 20% off TransPennine Express advance fares (including first-class). The rail operator has services covering the north of England and Scotland including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, York and Newcastle.
To get the deal, sign up/log in at this Health Service Discounts link – you'll then be able to access the TransPennine offer link and code. A maximum of eight discounted tickets can be bought using one code. An advance ticket is for a single journey, so if you want a return you'll need to buy two advance singles.
For more ways to save on train travel, see our Cheap train tickets guide.
Health Service Discounts is a free-to-join benefits scheme for NHS staff and the wider health service sector, with deals for over 1,300 brands. See the Health Service Discounts website for more information and/or to join.
If you're a teacher or work at an educational establishment, sign up for free to Discounts for Teachers and you can get a code for 20% off TransPennine Express advance fares (including first-class). The rail operator has services covering the north of England and Scotland including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, York and Newcastle.
To get the deal, sign up/log in at this Discounts for Teachers link – you'll then be able to access the TransPennine offer link and code. A maximum of eight discounted tickets can be bought using one code. An advance ticket is for a single journey, so if you want a return you'll need to buy two advance singles.
For more ways to save on train travel, see our Cheap train tickets guide.
Discounts for Teachers is a free-to-join benefits scheme for teachers and education staff, with deals for over 1,500 brands. See the Discounts for Teachers website for more information and/or to join.
TransPennine Express, which operates train services from Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield, Glasgow and more, is offering one million advance single adult tickets for £1 in its flash sale until 11.59pm on Friday 19 January (though tickets have gone quicker in the past, so don't hang about). Tickets for children aged five to 15-years-old are half-price in this sale too, at 50p.
The mega-cheap fares are for selected routes, travelling between Monday 22 January and Friday 8 March on TransPennine Express services only, though journeys between Monday 29 January and Tuesday 6 February are excluded due to industrial action.
You'll need to look for a £1 single adult or 50p child ‘Advance Purchase' ticket using the TransPennine Express online Journey Planner, or via its app (Android/iOS) – if using the app, enter the code SALE in the 'Discounts' box found in 'Edit journey'.
As the promotional routes cover various destinations and dates, it will be trial and error finding the cheaper seats. There'll be more availability the further in advance you book and it helps if you can be flexible on dates and destination.
From what we've seen, the offer mostly applies to off-peak trains, with limited availability during weekday peak times. Returns are included, as long as you specify a date. Open returns are excluded.
Some examples we found on Tuesday 16 January:
Manchester Piccadilly to Edinburgh – £1 one-way adult ticket
Newcastle to Leeds – £1 one-way adult ticket
Leeds to Manchester Piccadilly – 50p one-way child ticket
These tickets are only valid for the specific train selected when booking, and are non-refundable.
To complete your grand (cheap) day out, see our Cheap days out ideas, and for other ways to save on train travel, check our Cheap train tickets guide.
Use them
If you answer 'NO' to any of the following questions, don't buy.
Are you
Will I use it?
Is it worth it?
Are you
Do I need it?
Can I afford it?