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Cheap train tickets

Cheap train tickets

Find hidden fares & split tickets

Kelvin Goodson
Kelvin Goodson and Jenny Keefe
Updated 28 February 2023

Travelling by train can be expensive, and with rail fares in England and Wales jumping by 5.9% on 5 March, it's crucial to cut costs where you can. This guide has 20 ways to save, including how to split tickets, beat booking fees, save 1/3 with a railcard and more.

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20 ways to cut costs, including...

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  1. Book 12+ weeks ahead for the cheapest fares

    Calendar illustration

    Most people know if you book early, you can get cheaper train tickets, yet often these vanish quicker than empty seats on a peak-time journey. To ensure a bargain, the key is to start looking for tickets about 12 weeks before you want to travel.

    Network Rail must – usually – have the timetable set 12 weeks in advance. So train operators commonly release cheap advance tickets shortly after. It's not always dead on 12 weeks though, it's often more like 10 or 11.

    On the other hand, some operators release advance tickets even earlier than 12 weeks prior – with the caveat that times could change slightly. For example, London North Eastern Railway (LNER) often releases advance tickets up to 24 weeks ahead for routes from stations north of York to London.

    If you've less than 12 weeks before you travel, it's usually best to book ASAP, as the longer you leave it, the pricier tickets tend to get. With some operators, you can buy advance tickets up to 10 minutes before you travel if they haven't sold out. For full help, see Book early, late.

    Advance tickets are non-refundable (unless your journey's delayed or cancelled). So if you book and then can't travel – for instance, if you're ill – you won't get your money back. See full info on the National Rail website.

    Illustration of a set of traffic lights showing red.

    Get a free alert when tickets go on sale

    If you know when and where you want to go, there's a sneaky way to be first in the cheap tickets queue. Put your journey details into the Trainline ticket alert system and you'll get an email when advance tickets for that journey go on sale, which are usually the cheapest fares – though to avoid fees, buy using a train-booking site that doesn't charge them.

    National Rail also has a future travel dates table, showing the furthest date in the future you can buy advance tickets for each train firm.

  2. Flexible season tickets in England can save some £100s/year, but not everyone will save

    Flexible season tickets are a type of ticket that aim to help part-time commuters in England save money on train travel, and were announced in May 2021. Our analysis shows that while some can save £100s a year, others will save little or would even be worse off buying these new tickets.

    How do flexible season tickets work?

    They allow you to travel as a day return on any eight days in a 28-day period using a paperless ticket via a smartcard or phone, and you don't need to select when you want to travel in advance. If you were to split it by doing an outbound journey on one day and an inbound journey on another day, you'd use up two of your eight days. If you've an irregular working pattern, after you've used your eight you can just buy another flexible ticket and start again.

    They're only available for standard class, but can be used for both peak and off-peak travel, including weekends. In most cases you should be able to use any train operator between your start and end stations, though a flexible season ticket won't allow you to add any extras such as London Underground trips, and can't be used on that or the Newcastle Metro for example.

    Use MSE's train Season Ticket Calculator to check if flexi tickets are REALLY cheaper

    Try out our Season Ticket Calculator which shows if flexible season tickets beat daily, annual, or other season tickets for your journey. The calculator assumes you get five weeks off a year, so if your situation differs, you'll need to divide your flexible and annual ticket costs by the amount you're likely to travel.

    We've also crunched the numbers and tested 35 routes (also based on having five weeks off in a year) to give a rule of thumb on the best type of ticket to use. Of course, this is just a snapshot, and you can use the calculator for your specific journey.

    Here's what our rule of thumb analysis found...

    • If you travel only ONE day a week you’re almost certainly better off buying a daily ticket (especially a cheap advance ticket if you can).

    • If travelling TWO days a week, the flexible season ticket was cheaper than a daily ticket on 34 out of 35 routes and beat an annual season ticket every time – though the saving you could make varies. For example, travelling two days a week from Milton Keynes to London could save £500 a year versus buying daily tickets or £2,200 versus annual, whereas travelling from Southampton Central to Winchester would save £65 a year against dailies, or £620 versus annual.

    • See our commuting two days a week cost comparison analysis in full

      Cost comparison travelling two days a week (cheapest option in bold)

      Journey Flexi season ticket cost a year Daily ticket cost a year Annual season ticket cost a year
      Brighton to London £3,671 £4,195 £4,316
      Chelmsford to Stratford £2,123 £2,364 £4,088
      Winchester to London Waterloo £4,931 £7,066 £5,580
      Southampton Central to Winchester £662 £727 £1,288
      Milton Keynes to London £3,470 £3,965 £5,668
      Worcester to Bristol £2,686 £2,972 £5,220
      Gravesend to London St Pancras £2,953 £3,376 £5,080
      Brighton to East or West Croydon £2,788 £3,947 unrestricted, or £2,548 via Thameslink only £3,156
      Doncaster to Sheffield £660 £754 £1,088
      Headcorn to London Charing Cross £3,597 £4,112 £5,504
      Haywards Heath to Hove £1,167 £1,334 £1,604
      Chalkwell to Fenchurch Street £1,693 £1,785 £3,704
      Derby to Sheffield £1,932 £2,870 £3,212
      Darlington to Newcastle £1,334 £1,435 £2,664
      York to Leeds £1,546 £1,766 £2,516
      St Albans City to London Thameslink £1,911 £2,070 £3,808
      Bromsgrove to Birmingham New Street £675 £754 £1,296
      Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Piccadilly £1,658 £1,895 £2,760
      Deal to London £5,253 £6,449 £5,948
      West Worthing to London Bridge £4,564 £5,870 £5,168
      Petersfield to London £4,287 £5,538 £4,852
      Hindley to Manchester £789 £902 £1,240
      East Grinstead to London Bridge £2,214 £2,530 £2,876
      Cambridge to Kings Cross £3,671 £4,195 £5,388
      Brighton to Bedford £5,686 £6,449 £6,752
      Reigate to City Thameslink £1,795 £2,052 £3,096
      London Paddington to Oxford £4,897 £6,468 £5,544
      Biggleswade to Kings Cross £2,801 £3,202 £4,916
      Luton to London £2,536 £2,898 £4,544
      Bristol Temple Meads to Worle £1,040 £1,104 £2,108
      Slough to London Paddington £1,490 £1,656 £2,860
      Eastbourne to East Croydon £2,911 £5,364 £3,296
      Ashford International to St Pancras International £6,035 £6,900 £7,020
      Blackburn to Manchester £1,111 £1,270 £1,976
      Weston Super Mare to Bristol Temple Meads £1,040 £1,104 £2,108

      For these calculations, we've assumed you get five weeks off a year.

    • Travelling THREE days a week the flexible season ticket won on 20 out of 35 routes but an annual was cheaper on 13 routes and a daily ticket cheaper on two. For example, travelling from Worcester to Bristol with a flexible ticket would save £1,190 versus an annual ticket or £430 versus a daily ticket. But if travelling three days a week from Brighton to East or West Croydon, flexible tickets would cost £1,025 more than an annual season ticket or £360 more than the cheapest daily ticket.

    • See our commuting three days a week cost comparison analysis in full

      Cost comparison travelling three days a week (cheapest option in bold)

      Journey Flexi season ticket cost a year Daily ticket cost a year Annual season ticket cost a year
      Brighton to London £5,506.00 £6,293 £4,316
      Chelmsford to Stratford £3,184 £3,547 £4,088
      Winchester to London Waterloo £7,397 £10,598 £5,580
      Southampton Central to Winchester £944 £1,090 £1,288
      Milton Keynes to London £5,204 £5,948 £5,668
      Worcester to Bristol £4,030 £4,457 £5,220
      Gravesend to London St Pancras £4,430 £5,065 £5,080
      Brighton to East or West Croydon £4,181 £5,920 unrestricted, or £3,823 via Thameslink only £3,156
      Doncaster to Sheffield £990 £1,132 £1,088
      Headcorn to London Charing Cross £5,396 £6,169 £5,504
      Haywards Heath to Hove £1,751 £2,001 £1,604
      Chalkwell to Fenchurch Street £2,539 £2,677 £3,704
      Derby to Sheffield £2,898 £4,306 £3,212
      Darlington to Newcastle £2,001 £2,153 £2,664
      York to Leeds £2,318 £2,650 unrestricted, or £2,194 via Northern Trains only £2,516
      St Albans City to London Thameslink £2,867 £3,105 £3,808
      Bromsgrove to Birmingham New Street £1,013 £1,132 £1,296
      Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Piccadilly £2,487 £2,843 unrestricted, or £2,291 via Northern Trains only £2,760
      Deal to London £7,880 £9,674 £5,948
      West Worthing to London Bridge £6,847 £8,804 £5,168
      Petersfield to London £6,431 £8,308 £4,852
      Hindley to Manchester £1,183 £1,352 £1,240
      East Grinstead to London Bridge £3,321 £3,795 £2,876
      Cambridge to Kings Cross £5,506 £6,293 £5,388
      Brighton to Bedford £8,528 £9,674 £6,752
      Reigate to City Thameslink £2,693 £3,077 £3,096
      London Paddington to Oxford £7,345 £9,701 £5,544
      Biggleswade to Kings Cross £4,202 £4,802 £4,916
      Luton to London £3,804 £4,347 £4,544
      Slough to London Paddington £2,236 £2,484 £2,860
      Bristol Temple Meads to Worle £1,559 £1,656 £2,108
      Blackburn to Manchester £1,666 £1,904 £1,976
      Eastbourne to East Croydon £4,366 £8,045 £3,296
      Ashford International to St Pancras International £9,053 £10,350 £7,020
      Weston Super Mare to Bristol Temple Meads £1,559 £1,656 £2,108

      For these calculations, we've assumed you get five weeks off a year.

      Where the Flexible season ticket wins, it's often very close. For example, those travelling from Hindley to Manchester would only save £57 a year compared to the annual season ticket cost.

      If you're absolutely certain you'll only need to travel eight days each time, that's fine. If not, as the annual season ticket would allow you to travel during twice as many days in a year, it's worth weighing up if you think you'll definitely save money in the long run if your plans change and you need to travel on that route more often.

    Travelling off-peak? Flexible season tickets are best for those commuting during weekday peak times. With more potential for flexible working patterns, if you won't be doing the typical '9 to 5' and you'll often commute later in the day off-peak, then in most cases you're best going for daily tickets and using the tips in the rest of this guide below to cut the cost of your ticket.

    You can buy Flexible season tickets online or via train company apps, and in some cases at ticket offices, but this is operator-dependent

    You won't be able to get them on ScotRail or Transport for Wales, or on Heathrow Express, London Overground, Merseyrail, TfL Rail or 'open access operators', which are non-franchised firms such as Grand Central and Hull Trains.

    If you've got a 16-17 Saver or a Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card you'll be able to get 50% off a Flexible season ticket, but you won't be able to use any other railcard or group discount to get them.

  3. Ends tonight (Tue). £15 off £30+ code on flexible, weekly and monthly (but not annual) season tickets

    If you commute by train, you can often save money buying a season ticket rather than individual tickets. And you can save even more by using the code HELLOSAVINGS to get £15 off when you buy a weekly, monthly or flexible (but not annual) season ticket costing £30 or more through the Trainline app*.

    While the link above goes to a webpage about digital season tickets, the offer applies to both regular paper season tickets (delivery charges apply) and, where available, digital season tickets.

    The offer is for new and existing Trainline customers until 11.59pm on Tuesday 28 February or until 100,000 codes are claimed, whichever's first. You can see full T&Cs on the Trainline website.

    Don't know if you can save with a season ticket? Check what's the cheapest option for you using our Train Season Ticket Calculator.

    How the offer works

    It's only available through the Trainline app*, so to use it you'll need a smartphone or tablet running Android Marshmallow (6.0) or later, or Apple iOS version 14.0 or later.

    1. Log in to the Trainline app (you'll need to be signed up to Trainline*, which is free), go to the 'Search' section and tap the 'Flexi & Seasons' tab, then choose the stations you want to travel between with your season ticket and the date you want it to start.

    2. Choose between a 'Flexi' (England only), 'Weekly' or 'Monthly' ticket (you can choose 'Annual', but the £15 discount won't apply).

    3. On the 'Payment' screen, enter the promo code HELLOSAVINGS and tap 'Apply code'.

    If you buy a digital season ticket, it should appear in the 'My Tickets' section of the Trainline app. If you've bought a paper season ticket, it should be delivered either by 1pm the next working day after it's sent or one to three days after it's sent, depending on the option you choose. Tickets are sent a maximum of seven days before the start date.

    While we don't recommend buying daily tickets from Trainline as it charges booking fees, it doesn't charge booking fees on season tickets. But if you buy a paper season ticket, you'll be charged £2.50 for first class delivery or £7.50 for special delivery.

    Is the offer any good?

    Season ticket discounts are rare, but as with most offers, this one's only worth taking advantage of if you were already going to buy a weekly, monthly or flexible season ticket costing £30 or more.

    As mentioned above, if you're not sure whether you'll save money with a season ticket compared to buying a ticket each time you travel, you can find out using our Train Ticket Season Calculator.

    If you're considering a flexible season ticket for the first time, it's also worth taking a look at our flexible season ticket savings analysis.

    • What are digital season tickets?

      Like digital railcards, digital season tickets are the same as regular season tickets, but instead of getting a paper ticket and photo card from a train station, you get a digital ticket that will appear in the Trainline app* (available for Android and iOS devices).

      You use it in the same way you use mobile tickets – open the app and go to your ticket, which will have a QR (quick response) code on it. Scan this at gates and show to ticket inspectors for them to scan as required.

    • Which rail firms offer digital season tickets?

      Trainline told us that digital flexible season tickets are available from the "majority" of firms in England, while digital weekly and monthly season tickets are available for many routes from the following firms:
       

      • Avanti West Coast
      • Chiltern Railways
      • London Northwestern Railway
      • Northern
      • Southern Railway
      • Thameslink
      • Transport for Wales
      • West Midlands Railway

    • Do digital season tickets require a separate photo card?

      We asked Trainline for clarification on this and it said that no separate photo card is needed for digital flexible season tickets, and no separate photo card is needed for digital weekly and monthly season tickets on "most routes" operated by the firms listed in the point above.

      A "limited number of routes" operated by Avanti West Coast and London North Eastern Railway (LNER) where digital season tickets are available DO require a separate photo card – if this is the case, the payment screen in the Trainline app will ask you to enter your photo card number.

    • How do I get a photo card if I need one?

      If you don't already have a photo card and the season ticket you want to buy requires one, you'll need to get a photo card before you buy it (as you'll be asked for your photo card number when buying).

      You can get a photo card free of charge by going to your nearest train station ticket office with a recent passport-size photo of yourself (full info on the National Rail website), or you can request one from Trainline.

      If your season ticket requires a photo card, it will be invalid if you travel without one, and if you fail to show it when requested, you risk being charged for a ticket or having to pay a penalty fare.

  4. Find out when cheap tickets are likely to jump in price (and when they're likely to sell out)

    Trainline has a free Price Prediction tool in its Android and iOS apps, to show you when cheap tickets are likely to rise in price or sell out.

    It gives predictions for specific routes, dates and times based on data from billions of journeys, making it great for when you want a cheap advance fare but haven't finalised your plans.

    We tried it on a journey from Edinburgh to London Euston – it showed tickets currently cost £33 and would likely sell out at that price in 59 days, and could hit £146 by the day of travel.

    Beware when you book. While Trainline's Price Prediction tool is handy, we DON'T recommend using Trainline to buy your tickets, as you could pay up to £1.75 extra in booking fees (though if you're booking via the app on the day of travel, there's no fee). See sites that don't charge.

  5. Split your tickets, not your journey, to save big

    Assorted train tickets

    This is the big trick everyone should know. Instead of buying tickets for the whole journey, buying tickets for its constituent parts can slash the price, even though you're on exactly the same train.

    For example, if you're travelling from London to Durham, but the train stops at York in between, you could potentially save money by buying a ticket from London to York and then another from York to Durham. You could even be sat in the same seat for the entire journey – you'll just have two tickets rather than one.

    It's perfectly legit according to the National Rail Conditions of Travel – the only rule is that the train MUST call at all the stations you buy tickets for.

    Try these tools to find split tickets

    While split ticketing gives massive savings, the problem's always been finding where and when it works. We've been campaigning on this for years and were the first to launch a split-ticketing tool in 2012 – now we think others have developed better specialist sites, so we link to them instead.

    There are several tools that do this, including one from the UK's biggest train-booking site, Trainline, so you've a choice. We spot-checked prices for 15 journeys across 10 tools and found there was no single cheapest, so to find the best splits, check as many sites as you've time for. All of the following let you check split tickets for one-way journeys, fixed returns and group bookings. All are free to use, though most charge a fee if you book via them, which we factored into our checks (see more on this below):

    • Cheapest overall, free, but mixed reviews – TrainPal*. Doesn't charge booking fees. Shows splits on the desktop site, mobile site and app. Found the cheapest or joint-cheapest fare on seven of the 15 journeys we checked, and is quite quick, but recent reviews on Trustpilot are mixed. Shows splits on all non-season tickets.

    • Quick, clear but not always cheapest – Split My Fare and TrainTickets.com. Split My Fare charges 15% of what you save, TrainTickets.com charges 10%. Both show splits on desktop and mobile sites, neither has an app. Split My Fare found the cheapest or joint-cheapest fare on three of the 15 journeys we checked, TrainTickets.com on two. Both are speedy and slick – it rarely takes more than a few seconds to find fares, and results and savings are displayed clearly. Both show splits on all non-season tickets. TrainTickets.com checks unlimited splits per journey, so could give you 10+ tickets for one journey.

    • Worth checking for belt 'n' braces – Split Your Ticket, TrainSplit* and TrainSplitting. Split Your Ticket and TrainSplit charge 15% of what you save, TrainSplitting charges 20%. All show splits on desktop and mobile sites. TrainSplit also has an app. All three are powered by train-booking site Raileasy, so deliver similar results. Each found between two and four of the cheapest or joint-cheapest fares on the 15 journeys we checked. All four show splits on all non-season tickets.

    As far as the Trainline* split-ticketing app goes, we found in our spot-check that it was costlier than rivals – in fact, it wasn't cheapest for any of the 15 journeys we checked once we factored in its booking fees. If you use any of these tools, let us know how you get on in the split ticketing forum discussion.

    You can dodge the fees split-ticket tools charge – but should you?

    All the ticket-split tools listed above charge a fee when you buy train tickets through them, usually by taking a cut of the saving you make.

    You don't have to pay these fees – you can avoid them by simply using a split-ticket tool to find splits for your journey, then buying from a train-booking site that doesn't charge booking fees or directly from the train firms involved, most of which don't charge fees.

    But bear in mind it costs money to run these tools and the margins on train tickets are pretty slim. So if few users buy through them, they may not always be around to help you save – and finding split tickets yourself can be fiddly.

    Split-ticketing quick questions

    • How can I find split tickets for myself?

      It normally takes five to 10 minutes to check for split tickets, but it's worth doing, especially for long journeys. And while the tools above can help, if you want to do it the old-fashioned way, here's a step-by-step guide:

      1. Find the journey's cheapest standard price. Track down the standard price for the journey you want to make. Without it, you won't know if you can save money.

      2. Find out where the train stops. Use the National Rail site. Search for the train you want to take, go to 'view details' and then '+show calling points'.

      3. Check the options. Pick a main station along your route and search for separate tickets to and from there for each leg – if that doesn't make the journey any cheaper, try another station.

      If the train you want to catch stops at a lot of places, there'll be a huge combination of tickets available, and then splitting the fare comes down to time versus money. Splitting a journey into six or eight tickets might work out cheaper (one MoneySaving football supporter ended up with 56 tickets), but it'll take a fair amount of legwork if you're splitting the journey yourself.

      MoneySavers' split-ticketing successes

      ROUTE SPLIT TICKETS AT STANDARD FARE SPLIT-TICKET COST SAVING

      Nailsea and Backwell – Slough

      		 Didcot Parkway £148 £72.20 £75.80
      Taunton – London Pewsey £105 £42.70 £62.30
      Northampton – Leeds Burton-on-Trent £72 £34.70 £37.30
      Llandudno – London (first class) Crewe £403 £181.20 £221.80
      Great Yarmouth – Manchester Nottingham £158 £42 £116
      Doncaster – Southampton London £50 £20 £30
      Birmingham – Basingstoke Banbury £85 £37.60 £47.40
      Manchester – Edinburgh York £150 £92.20 £57.80
      Tiverton – London Pewsey £99 £55 £44
      Newark Castle – Bridgend Nottingham £114 £88.40 £25.60

      If you find a route where splitting works, use the Split ticketing forum discussion to report your success so others can benefit – thank you.

    • Can you save by splitting a ticket more than once?

      Yes – buying three, four or even more split tickets for one journey can cut costs more, and these tools search for multiple splits. The biggest we've seen while testing them is nine.

    • Can you split return tickets?

      Yes, but these can be more difficult to find as they require roughly the same route in each direction to save you money, or else you may just be offered an open return, which is unlikely to be the cheapest option.

    • What if my journey is delayed?

      There may be a problem if you need to change trains and you're delayed before you split your journey.

      For example, if you're going from London to Durham via York, and you're changing trains at York, delays that make you miss your time-specific train from York to Durham could mean you have to pay extra.

      However, you could also claim compensation for the delay – see our Train delays guide for more details.

    • What if I need to switch trains and my first train's delayed?

      In the rare event that you book split tickets and your split-ticket stop coincides with the station where you change trains, should your first train run late, your second ticket might not be valid for the next leg of the journey.

      Also, off-peak and super off-peak tickets require you to travel at specific times of day. So if you split your tickets at a station where you have to change, and a delay takes you into peak time, you may have to pay again to continue your journey during this time.

  6. Book early, late

    Most people know that buying train tickets in advance is usually cheaper, but many don't realise you can often buy them right down to the wire – the golden rule is:

    Always check if advance tickets are still available before you travel

    If tickets haven't sold out, seven firms now let you buy advance tickets on the day. Many more allow you to buy the day before, so never assume it's too late. Make sure you have time to get your tickets as it can take up to two hours before they're ready to collect.

    Here are train firms' cut-off points for advance tickets. We update this table regularly, but policies can sometimes change in between, so always check before you buy.

    LAST TIME TO GRAB AVAILABLE CHEAP TICKETS TRAIN COMPANIES
    On the day Avanti West Coast (up to one hour before), CrossCountry (up to 15 minutes before), Gatwick Express (up to 30 minutes before, online only), Grand Central (up to two hours before), Greater Anglia (up to 10 minutes before), London North Eastern Railway (up to 40 minutes before), Stansted Express (up to two hours before, online only)
    11.59pm the day before Caledonian Sleeper, East Midlands Railway, Northern, South Western Railways
    6pm the day before Chiltern Railways, Great Western Railway, Hull Trains, ScotRail, Southeastern, Southern Rail, TransPennine Express (majority of tickets), Transport for Wales
    Three days before Enterprise (online only)
    14 days before Heathrow Express (online only)

  7. Spend over £90/year? Consider a railcard

    Railcards usually cut a third off the bill. You can buy them on the Railcard site* and elsewhere, and most cost £30 a year – some you can also get for £70 for three years (£23.33 a year). So if you spend more than £90 a year on trains, a railcard is worth getting.

    Most railcards also give you a third off off-peak London Underground, London Overground, DLR (Docklands Light Railway) and Elizabeth line journeys on Oyster pay-as-you-go or travelcards. Go to an Underground, Overground or Elizabeth line station, or an Oyster ticket stop, with your railcard and ask them to register it to your Oyster card, or use it to buy a travelcard.

    There is also a range of tricks to cut the cost, including getting them for £10 in Tesco Clubcard vouchers or £10 if you know someone with an Annual Gold Card.

    Don't assume every journey qualifies for a railcard discount, though – always check first, especially if travelling at peak times, as the rules vary by operator.

    Digital railcards – get your railcard instantly (in most cases)

    You no longer need to carry a physical railcard around with you – you can get a digital railcard which is stored on your smartphone or tablet by downloading the free Railcard app (available for Android and iOS devices) from National Rail Enquiries, or if you choose to buy one via train-booking sites Trainline and TrainPal, which sometimes offer discounts, by downloading the Trainline app* (for Android or iOS) or the TrainPal app* (for Android, Huawei and iOS).

    Aside from not having to carry around a physical railcard, the main advantage of a digital railcard is that, in most cases, you can get it instantly, instead of having to wait for it to arrive in the post. Buy your railcard from Railcard.co.uk, Trainline* or TrainPal*, download the relevant app (if buying via TrainPal you'll need the app first), then follow the Railcard.co.uk instructions, Trainline instructions or TrainPal instructions on how to add your railcard to the app.

    Bear in mind that if you're buying a digital Disabled Person's Railcard, Veterans Railcard or 16-25 Railcard as a mature student, you'll need to allow up to five working days for your application to be approved as they're checked manually.

    Digital railcards can't be added to Apple Wallet or Google Pay, as they don't currently support the holograms used on railcards to prevent fraud. If your device runs out of battery or you lose it while travelling, and you're asked to show your railcard to prove your discount is valid, you could be asked to buy another ticket for your journey, or could be charged a penalty fare.

    16-17 Saver Railcard – £30 for one year

    • Travel discount: 50% off adult fares
    • Who's eligible: 16 and 17-year-olds, up until their 18th birthday
    • Restrictions: Excludes ScotRail, Caledonian Sleeper, Oyster & travelcards

    16-25 Railcard – £30 for one year, £70 for three years

    • Travel discount: A third off adult fares
    • Who's eligible: Under-26s or full-time students of any age
    • Restrictions: Minimum £12 fare for journeys 4.30am to 10am, Monday to Friday

    26-30 Railcard – £30 for one year

    • Travel discount: A third off adult fares
    • Who's eligible: Under-31s
    • Restrictions: Minimum £12 fare for journeys 4.30am to 10am, Monday to Friday

    Family & Friends' Railcard – £30 for one year, £70 for three

    • Travel discount: A third off for adults and 60% off for children on most rail fares
    • Who's eligible: Up to four adults (aged 16+) when travelling with up to four kids (5 to 15)
    • Restrictions: Excludes weekday AM peak-time between London & south east England area stations

    Two Together Railcard – £30 for one year

    • Travel discount: A third off adult fares for two named people travelling together
    • Who's eligible: Over-16s
    • Restrictions: Not valid 4.30am to 9.30am weekdays. Both named people must purchase tickets together and start and finish journey together

    Senior Railcard – £30 for one year, £70 for three (cheaper via some councils)

    • Travel discount: A third off adult fares
    • Who's eligible: Over-60s
    • Restrictions: Not valid weekday AM peak-period between London and south east England area stations

    Disabled Person's Railcard – £20 for one year, £54 for three

    Network Railcard – £30 for one year

    • Travel discount: A third off most adult fares and 60% off child fares in the London and south east England area
    • Who's eligible: Up to four adults (aged 16+) and up to four kids (five to 15) travelling together
    • Restrictions: Not valid before 10am weekdays except some services. £13 minimum fare per adult and £1 min spend per child Monday-Friday

    HM Forces' Railcard – £21 for one year (apply via your unit HR admin)

    • Travel discount: A third off for adults and 60% off for children on most rail fares
    • Who's eligible: All members of regular forces and volunteer reserve, non-regular permanent staff and more – see full info 
    • Restrictions: Minimum £12 fare 4.30am to 10am, Monday to Friday (except July, August, public holidays). £8 min fare off-peak, £1 min fare per child (aged five to 15, up to four)

    Veterans' Railcard – £30 for one year, £70 for three years

    • Travel discount: A third off for adults and 60% off for children on most rail fares
    • Who's eligible: Those who served one day or more in Her Majesty’s Armed Forces (regular or reserve). And Merchant mariners who have seen duty on legally-defined military operations
    • Restrictions: Min £12 fare 4.30am to 10am weekdays (excluding advance fares & in July, Aug, bank hols). £8 min fare off-peak, £1 min per child (aged five to 15, up to four)

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  8. Got a season ticket for London or south east England? Get a free Gold Card

    If you buy an annual season ticket for a route which starts and/or ends in the Network Railcard Area (primarily London and south east England, but also includes parts of East Anglia and the Midlands), or if you buy an annual travelcard from Transport for London, you'll also get an Annual Gold Card.

    This gives a similar discount as a Network Railcard and also gives you a third off off-peak travel in London with an Oyster card. When you buy a qualifying season ticket, it should say 'Gold Card' at the bottom. Those buying an annual travelcard on their Oyster card will be given a separate Gold Card at the ticket office, but it's worth double-checking the discount has been added to your Oyster.

    Just as with a normal railcard, you'll need to take your Gold Card with you to get the discount when travelling on eligible routes.

    It's worth noting you can also grab a 16-25, Family & Friends', Two Together, Senior, Disabled Person's or Network Railcard for just £10, for you or someone you know if you have a Gold Card. See our £10 railcard deal.

  9. Trick to get a 16-25 Railcard until you're almost 27, and the 26-30 Railcard until you're almost 32

    The 16-25 Railcard costs £30 for a year (or £70 for three), while the 26-30 Railcard costs £30 a year. They give you a third off most rail fares, and you'll also get a third off London travelcards and off-peak Oyster travel. They can be used anytime, though if you're travelling before 10am on weekdays the minimum fare after the discount is £12.

    Despite its name, there's a great loophole which lets you keep on using the 16-25 Railcard even after you've turned 26. You just need to buy a three-year railcard the day before your 24th birthday (or a one-year railcard before your 26th) to get the discount almost until you turn 27.

    If you're not due to renew your existing 16-25 Railcard, which you can do up to 30 days before expiry, there's nothing to stop you buying another using a different email address if you want to use this trick.

    What about the 26-30 Railcard?

    It's still worth using this trick because if you have a 16-25 Railcard almost until you turn 27, you won't need to as many 26-30 Railcards, which is only available as a one-year card, after that. Without the trick you'd need four 26-30 Railcards to cover you from 26 to 30, but by using it you'd only need three to cover you from 27 to 30, saving you £30.

    And the trick also works with the 26-30 Railcard. You can buy the 26-30 Railcard just before your 31st birthday and keep using it until its expiry date – so if you renew at the right time, you can use it until just before you turn 32.

    Have a look at our Railcard deals page to see if there are any offers available before buying one.

  10. Get 34% off a (digital) railcard

    If you spend £90 a year or more on train tickets, a railcard is a great way to save as they allow you to cut the cost of most fares by a third. And now you can save even more by getting 34% off the cost of a digital railcard if you buy one through ticket booking site TrainPal*.

    Note: When you visit TrainPal using the link above, you'll see a banner advertising an inferior 20% off railcards for new users deal. Ignore this and follow the steps below to get 34% off whether you're a new customer or a previous customer (provided you've not used a railcard code on TrainPal before).

    How the offer works

    Railcards normally cost £30 for one year (or £70 for three years on some), but by using the code RC007 at TrainPal* you can get one for £19.80 for one year (or £46.20 for three years, where available). There's no limit to the number of codes available, but they must be used within 90 days of being claimed. The offer ends on Friday 30 June.

    Here's how to use the code:

    1. If you don't already have one, sign up for a free account by going to TrainPal*, then select the 'Sign in' button, followed by 'Create an account'. You can also do this through the TrainPal app*, going to the 'Account' tab. If you want to enter code while signing up, you can – enter RC007 in the 'Promo code (optional)' box.

    2. Once you're signed in to TrainPal, select the account icon and then 'Promotions'. Or in the app, go to the 'Account' tab and tap 'Vouchers'.

    3. If you entered the code while signing up, your 34% off voucher will appear here. If you didn't, enter RC007 in the 'Enter promo code' box ('Enter code' in the app). The voucher will then be added to this section.

    4. Go to the 'Railcards' section (the 'Buy Tickets' tab then the 'Railcard' button in the app) and choose the railcard you want. Press the 'buy' button, and the discount should be automatically applied.

    The code is for new and existing customers who have not used a railcard code before. Only one digital railcard can be purchased per code.

    The code can be used to get 34% off the cost of the following railcards: 16 to 17 Saver, 16 to 25 Railcard, 26 to 30 Railcard, Family & Friends Railcard, Network Railcard, Senior Railcard and Two Together Railcard. The offer excludes the Disabled Person's Railcard and Veteran's Railcard.

    Railcards bought from TrainPal can only be used through the TrainPal app*, so you need a smartphone or tablet computer to take advantage of this offer (full info below).

    • What are digital railcards?

      Digital railcards are the same as regular railcards but, y'know, digital – instead of getting a physical card to show alongside your ticket while travelling, you download the TrainPal app*, available for Android, Huawei and iOS devices, to your smartphone or tablet, and your railcard will appear in that, as seen in the image above. See more on digital railcards.

      If you have an Android device, it'll need to be running Android Marshmallow 6.0 or later, while if you have an iOS device, it'll need to be running iOS 11.0 or later.

      You can use your digital railcard to get money off train tickets as soon as it appears in the app (usually immediately after purchase), and you can use it to buy tickets from any ticket booking site, not just TrainPal. See our list of ticket booking sites that don't charge.

  11. Regular traveller? Grab a season ticket

    Regular rail users and commuters should consider annual season tickets – National Rail's Season Ticket Calculator is a nifty tool to help you work out the cost.

    Some journeys can have multiple season ticket options. Check them all, as it can make a real difference. A 12-month Guildford to London season ticket including a London travelcard for zones 1 to 6 is £6,096, yet if you restrict your travel to the Clandon and Woking routes, it's £5,052.

    Also check if there are any split-ticket options, to see if you can save with two season tickets covering different legs of the journey.

    And don't forget, if you've an annual season ticket inside the Network Railcard Area, you get extra perks through the gold card scheme.

    To see how you might be able to save more read our Cheaper train season tickets guide.

  12. Singles can beat returns

    Returns should be better value, but often aren't. It's very common that cheaper fares are available by getting two single tickets rather than a return ticket, so be sure to check.

    It's usually easy to find these deals online as you'll often be shown both single and return fares when booking.

    Save £283 on a London to Manchester return

    As an example, a search for a return between London and Manchester train brought up a standard anytime return ticket costing a whopping £350. A quick check instantly found that, for the same journey, an outbound advance single ticket was £41, while coming back it cost £26 – a total of £67.

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  13. Use the top UK train-booking sites

    There are a few ways to search for cheap train tickets online, and bizarrely, different sites sometimes list different tickets, so for a belt 'n' braces check try a few.

    London North Eastern Railway is a good place to start as it sells tickets for all routes and doesn't charge booking fees. 

    • The main UK-wide booking sites

      Top UK train-booking sites

      TABLE_CELL_STYLE BOOKING FEE DELIVERY FEE

      		 ADVANTAGES
      FIRST CLASS NEXT-DAY 
      London North Eastern Railway No Free1, 2 £6.45 up to value of £500

      Sells all train companies' tickets. Gives an 'e-ticket' option, which lets you show tickets on your phone or print at home.
      Avanti West Coast  No £2 £6 Sells all train companies' tickets. Gives an 'e-ticket' option, which lets you show tickets on your phone or print at home.
      RedSpottedHanky No £1 £10

      Great reviews for customer service. 
      Trainline* 80p to £1.75 on website, 35p to £1.75 via app – no fee when buying via app on day of travel £2.50 for 2nd class3 £7.50

      If you can be flexible, its Best Fare Finder finds the cheapest fares around the dates you want to travel.
       

      Gives an 'e-ticket' option, which lets you show tickets on your phone or print at home.
      Raileasy

      £1 to £1.50

      		 £1.502 £7.50

      Allows you to toggle between cheapest and most flexible fares, also searches for split tickets.
      Train operators' own sites N/A N/A N/A

      Check relevant train companies' sites before booking, as they often offer discounts.
      National Rail N/A N/A N/A

      Doesn't sell tickets, but highlights the cheapest fares. Links directly to train companies, most of which are fee-free.
      1 Only if ticket on departure or self-print aren't available for your booking. 2 Tickets must be booked at least five working days before you travel. 3 Tickets must be booked at least seven days before you travel.

  14. Only pay peak for the bit that is

    Train peak times are usually before 10am and between 4pm and 7pm. Yet if a long train journey starts during peak time, even if a portion of it's outside peak time and you return outside peak time, you still pay peak-time price for the whole journey.

    By using split ticketing based on time as well as distance, you can ensure you're only paying peak prices for the portion of your journey that actually takes place in peak hours.

    How much you can save... £45 off a London-Manchester peak train return

    As an example, on a London to Manchester single journey leaving at 9.20am, we found a standard anytime fare for £175. By splitting the ticket at Milton Keynes, it knocked £45 off the total fare as part of the journey was off peak.

  15. Grab cheap Megatrain fares

    Megatrain* flogs hundreds of singles from £6 plus a £1 booking fee, for routes between London and Chesterfield, Derby, Leicester, Loughborough, Nottingham or Sheffield. 

    It uses the same booking system as Megabus, but the train won't be as cheap 'n' cheerful as the tickets – Megatrain is operated by East Midlands Railway, so you'll be on the same service as people who booked their tickets elsewhere. For example, we found a ticket from London to Chesterfield for £20.43 with Megatrain. The same ticket booked direct with East Midlands Railway was £31.

    While normal cheap advance tickets are released 10 to 12 weeks in advance, Megatrain only releases tickets 45 days before.

    A crafty MoneySaving trick is to combine Megatrain fares with split ticketing. 

  16. Grab ultra-cheap train deals

    There are more promotional train fares available than people realise; for ultra-cheap deals, you have to know where to look and be flexible.

    Offers change all the time and include everything from Kids for a Quid on Southeastern to eight-week free first-class upgrades for expectant mothers with Greater Anglia.

    We've a regularly updated list of super-cheap train promos and discounts in Cheap Train & Coach Deals, and also check National Rail's special offers index.

  17. Get cashback on all train tickets

    Cashback credit cards pay you back each time you spend on them and are a great way to shave down the cost of transport, especially as some now offer boosted cashback, but ALWAYS...

    Set up a direct debit to repay the card in full each month, so you never pay interest, which would outstrip any gain.

    You can get up to 5% bonus cashback on everything you buy, up to a maximum £100 with our top pick American Express reward card. After the introductory bonus, cashback is then tiered up to 1%, though you need to spend £3,000+ a year to get any cashback.

    Remember you'll also be credit checked if you apply. Full details and more options in Credit card rewards.

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  18. Know your train refund rights

    Every operator has different rules, but the majority will pay out for delays of 30 minutes or more, and quite a few will pay after 15 minutes. 

    The majority operate a Delay Repay policy meaning they will pay compensation of 50% of the fare, regardless of what caused the hold-up.

    A few train companies still operate an old-style compensation scheme, which means they sometimes won't pay if the delay was not their fault, such as if it was the result of a track fire or strike.

    For more details, see our guides on Train delays and Tube delays.

  19. Find cheap first-class tickets

    Travelling first-class doesn't have to be costly – there are a couple of ways to grab a premium ticket for less.

    If you book well ahead the difference in price between standard and first class can be less than you'd expect, depending on when you want to travel. For example, a single standard class ticket from London to York was £39 when we checked 11 weeks ahead, but a first-class ticket was £44.

    It's worth noting the cost of the upgrade can vary by route. Avanti West Coast, for example, charges between £15 and £30 for a weekend upgrade, depending on the length of journey. 

    It can, however, sometimes be cheaper to upgrade on the day, as 11 firms offer a flat-rate upgrade fee on weekends and bank holidays.

    For example, if a first-class advance ticket with LNER from Leeds to London is £44, but you opt for a standard-class ticket at £18, and pay the £15 upgrade fee on the day you'll save £11. 

  20. Warning! 'Travelling short' is cheap... but banned

    Cheap advance fares are often scarce on popular routes, especially commuter ones. This means it's sometimes possible to buy a ticket for a longer journey that incorporates your route at a cheaper price and make some serious savings.

    This is known as 'travelling short'. Sadly, it's a no-go as it's against the conditions of advance tickets and you can get fined for doing it.

    Most other non-advance tickets allow you to get off early or break your journey – check the ticket's conditions or ask at a station.

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