MoneySavingExpert.com homepage
Cutting your costs, fighting your corner
Founder, Martin Lewis · Editor-in-Chief, Marcus Herbert
Search bar closed.

2 Current Deals

Advance fares only

Get code via Health Service Discounts

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.

More info

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.

Advance fares only

Get code via Discounts for Teachers

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.

More info

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.

Expired

£1 TransPennine Express train ticket sale

One million cheap tickets available, mostly off-peak – can you find 'em?

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.

How to get the discounted tickets

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. 

tp

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.

Martin's Money Mantras

Use them

Before spending

If you answer 'NO' to any of the following questions, don't buy.

Are you

Not skint? Ask:

Will I use it?

Is it worth it?

Are you

Skint? Ask:

Do I need it?

Can I afford it?

Free protection for all shopping!

There's a little-known piece of legislation that turns any credit card into a financial self-defence superhero. 'Section 75' of the Consumer Credit Act means your plastic must protect anything you buy for more than £100 for free, so if there's a problem or the company goes bust, you can still get your money back.
And although Section 75 doesn't apply to debit cards, there is something else to fall back on if you've paid using a debit card, or used a credit card for a purchase under £100. Known as Chargeback, this is part of banks' and card companies' internal rules and not a legal requirement. Read full details of Section 75 or Chargeback, plus how to claim, in our guides.
What the * means above
If a link has an * by it, that means it is an affiliated link and therefore it helps MoneySavingExpert stay free to use, as it is tracked to us. If you go through it, it can sometimes result in a payment or benefit to the site. It's worth noting this means the third party used may be named on any credit agreements.
You shouldn’t notice any difference and the link will never negatively impact the product. Plus the editorial line (the things we write) is NEVER impacted by these links. We aim to look at all available products. If it isn't possible to get an affiliate link for the top deal, it is still included in exactly the same way, just with a non-paying link. For more details, read How this site is financed
MSE Email icon 18 February 2025

For all the latest deals, guides and loopholes simply sign up today - it’s spam free!

32 months' 0% debt shift
Now on three cards
5 'hidden' Amazon tricks
Bag yourself a bargain
Protect yourself from phone theft
16 tips
ONE cheap energy fix left
Fix NOW
£150 Ninja air fryer £90
6,000 available
How marriage can save you cash
Watch Martin's video
264Mb Virgin broadband
'£20 a month'
Tools and calculators

Clever ways to calculate your finances

Find your odds of getting top cards
Find your odds for getting a cheap loan
Compare broadband, phone & TV deals
Compares thousands of mortgages
Eight calcs to help you work out the cost
We ensure you’re on the cheapest tariff