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21 September 2023
Cheaper train season tickets
While some don't do it as often as they did before the pandemic, commuting to work remains expensive, with many paying £1,000s for rail, tube or metro tickets each year. And with fares in England and Wales increasing by up to 5.9% from Sunday 5 March, it's vital to find the cheapest season ticket possible – it can save you £100s each year.
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Across the country, whether you're Oyster-carding from Orpington or training from Tiverton, you could save a decent chunk of cash by getting an annual season ticket rather than buying 12 monthly ones or – even worse – weekly travelcards.
"Surely I won't save that much? I'm still using the same train line, just as often," you may say. But this is actually the best way to cut your commuting costs, often slashing the cost of travel by £100s each year.
This table shows a few examples of how much you could save by buying an annual season ticket when commuting into some of the UK's major cities...
Monthly versus annual season tickets
CITY/TOWN | JOURNEY | MONTHLY TICKET COST | ANNUAL TICKET COST | SAVING OVER YEAR |
---|---|---|---|---|
Birmingham | Rugby to Birmingham New Street (1) | £167.10 | £1,740 | £265.20 |
Cardiff | Barry Island to Cardiff Queen Street | £78 | £812 | £124 |
Glasgow | Greenock West to Glasgow Central | £181.70 | £1,892 | £288.40 |
London | Crystal Palace to Oxford Circus | £173.60 | £1,808 | £275.20 |
London | Colchester to Liverpool Street | £553.40 | £5,764 | £876.80 |
London | Guildford to Tottenham Court Road (2) | £485 | £5,052 | £768 |
Manchester | Hazel Grove to Manchester Piccadilly | £111.40 | £1,160 | £176.80 |
Table correct as of February 2023. (1) Only valid via Coventry. (2) Only valid via Clandon or Woking and based on ticket including London travelcard for zones 1-6. |
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It's hardly a secret that buying 'in bulk' usually saves on commuting costs, but the main problem is that many people can't get the cash together to be able to afford paying a one-off sum of what is often £1,000s in just one month. Luckily, there are several ways around this, and they don't all cost the earth. Here are five ways you can spread the cost of buying a season ticket. Read through until you find one that suits you.
If you can't use any of these methods, then sadly, you won't be able to save this time around.
But it's worth looking at your finances and planning a budget. Is there anywhere you can cut back in order to be able to save for next year? Or, if you've a low eligibility score for the credit cards, could you take steps to boost your credit rating so you could get one in the future? Our Improve your credit score guide has the lowdown.
For more information on cutting the cost of train travel, see our Cheap train tickets guide.
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