Three efficient ways to save money on UK rail fares
As is reported, UK rail fares have risen on average by 3.4 per cent from January 2, 2018, which is a disaster for most travelers. However, there still exist some efficient ways to save money on it.
1. Book earlier & avoid booking fees
It is known to us that the earlier you book, the cheaper the ticket. Advance fares are limited in number, so you must book in advance (around 12 weeks before departure). You can check details here.
If you register with Trainline, you can set email alert for advance ticket. However, do NOT buy it on Trainline since you will pay some extra money in booking fee. Other online booking services such as VirginTrain and TrainPal, do not charge any booking or credit card fees.
2. Railcard discount
If you are eligible for a railcard, you will have a chance to save about 1/3 on most rail fares. Here is the list of some common railcards in UK.
3. Split ticketing
A few things need to be clarified before we talk about it:
A. Split ticketing might not be successful for each route, but do save money if succeed.
B. Split ticketing is legal.
C. Your journey stays the same if you choose split tickets.
When you want to travel from station A to Station B, you only need to buy one ticket for the whole journey, which, for example, might cost you £319. Assuming that there is a station called C between A and B, then your one ticket can be split into two tickets (Ticket 1: from Station A to C; Ticket 2: from Station C to B). Your journey still stays the same, but the only difference is that you need to carry two or more tickets instead of one ticket.
Even if you use split tickets, you have a higher chance to sit at the same seat and in same coach and train. Everything looks like the same.
The theory is simple but the problem is finding which station and when it works. Luckily, there already exist some online tools that providing such service, such as TrainSplit and Trainpal. TrainSplit will charge you some service fee but Trainpal is totally free and ads-clean. Trainpal is an Android application. According to my investigation, Trainpal is accredited by National Rail, so it is safe to use it.
Here is an example of using split tickets with Trainpal. I tested the journey from London Kings Cross to Durham, and Trainpal saved me £82.20, which is 37.3% compared to a regular price. Here are the screenshots of it.
1. Book earlier & avoid booking fees
It is known to us that the earlier you book, the cheaper the ticket. Advance fares are limited in number, so you must book in advance (around 12 weeks before departure). You can check details here.
If you register with Trainline, you can set email alert for advance ticket. However, do NOT buy it on Trainline since you will pay some extra money in booking fee. Other online booking services such as VirginTrain and TrainPal, do not charge any booking or credit card fees.
2. Railcard discount
If you are eligible for a railcard, you will have a chance to save about 1/3 on most rail fares. Here is the list of some common railcards in UK.
Click here to check more railcard information.
A few things need to be clarified before we talk about it:
A. Split ticketing might not be successful for each route, but do save money if succeed.
B. Split ticketing is legal.
C. Your journey stays the same if you choose split tickets.
When you want to travel from station A to Station B, you only need to buy one ticket for the whole journey, which, for example, might cost you £319. Assuming that there is a station called C between A and B, then your one ticket can be split into two tickets (Ticket 1: from Station A to C; Ticket 2: from Station C to B). Your journey still stays the same, but the only difference is that you need to carry two or more tickets instead of one ticket.
The theory is simple but the problem is finding which station and when it works. Luckily, there already exist some online tools that providing such service, such as TrainSplit and Trainpal. TrainSplit will charge you some service fee but Trainpal is totally free and ads-clean. Trainpal is an Android application. According to my investigation, Trainpal is accredited by National Rail, so it is safe to use it.
Here is an example of using split tickets with Trainpal. I tested the journey from London Kings Cross to Durham, and Trainpal saved me £82.20, which is 37.3% compared to a regular price. Here are the screenshots of it.
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