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Six point plan for saving money on train fares

19/12/2011

Many train fares are rising from January 2012, but there are still plenty of ways to save money and take advantage of the millions of great value tickets available

To get the best value fares, wherever they can, passengers should:

1. Book in advance
• Train companies have almost doubled the number of cheap Advance fares available in the last few years, and now sell almost a million every week. They are available to buy up to 12 weeks before the date of travel and can be bought right up until 6pm the day before you travel (subject to availability)
• Advance fares are single tickets that are valid only on the date and train shown on the ticket.

2. Use online money-saving tools
• National Rail Enquiries’ (www.nationalrail.co.uk) Cheapest Fare Finder tool
• Best Value Fares (www.bestvaluefares.co.uk) lists all train companies’ latest offers and promotions
• Days Out Guide (www.daysoutguide.co.uk), offers 2for1 entry with rail tickets to hundreds of attractions across Britain.

3. Use a Railcard
• Record numbers of journeys are being made using Railcards, up by around a quarter since 2005, to around 2.9million in use today
• 1 in 14 journeys are now made with a Railcard every year, with Railcard holders saving on average £135 a year

4. Travel during less busy times
• Off-Peak fares are cheaper tickets for travelling on trains that are less busy. You can buy Off-Peak tickets any time before you travel. Restrictions will depend on the journey you are making and you will be advised when you buy.
• On longer distance journeys, if you travel in a peak period one way but return when it is less busy, look at a combination of Advance, Off-Peak and Anytime fares to get the best deal. Use www.nationalrail.co.uk to check out all the options.

5. Buy a Season ticket
• If passengers are making the same journey just two or three days a week, getting a Season ticket means they make considerable savings.
• An annual ticket offers 52 weeks’ travel for the price of 40, and weekly and month Season tickets are also available. The average price of a single journey made on a Season ticket is £3.18. Use National Rail Enquiries’ Season Ticket Calculator - http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/seasonticket/search - to check prices

6. Use group travel discounts
• Three or four adults travelling together at off-peak times can pay for the price of two by using Groupsave, which covers hundreds of destinations across London and South East – see www.daysoutguide.co.uk/groupsave