How to find cheap train tickets

A set number of reduced-price advance tickets are allocated to specific trains and sold on a first-come, first-served basis, so you'll need to be quick to find the best choice of deals.

Advance fares are typically available to buy up to 12 weeks before you travel. But there are exceptions, so if you've planned a trip more than three months away, it could still be worth checking for tickets.

While advance seats are traditionally sold up to the day before travel, some rail operators now sell advance tickets on the day, available up to 10 minutes before departure.

You can ensure you're first in line for the cheapest advance fares by visiting the National Rail website, which has future release dates for advance bookings and the latest time you can book.

What's more, some train companies, including Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry and LNER offer ticket-alert emails, meaning you'll be the first to hear about any new ticket releases. You can also sign up for these releases from Trainline.

How much can you save?

We found an advance single ticket* for a journey from London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly for £44, which was 76% cheaper than the cost of an anytime single ticket which was £184.70.

2. Travel off-peak

Off-peak and super off-peak tickets apply during quieter times, such as early afternoon. They're not as cheap as advance fares, but they give you some flexibility (unlike advance tickets, you don't have to get one specific train). Plus, you avoid the high cost of fully flexible anytime tickets.

Train companies can set their own peak and off-peak hours within a window defined by the Department for Transport. This has resulted in confusion, as the terms apply to different times across the train network and even for different routes with the same train company.

A a general rule, you might expect to see peak hours at morning and evening commuter times. If you buy your ticket online or in person at a train station, you'll be able to see which types of tickets are valid for a particular service.

In Scotland, it's been confirmed that ScotRail won't have peak fares between October 2023 and March 2024 as part of a six-month pilot. 

How much can you save?

It's worth knowing when the off-peak clock chimes for your journey. 

For example, an anytime ticket from London to Swansea departing at 6.18pm costs £159, but just half an hour later you could get the 6.48pm for £81.20, which only gets into Swansea 14 minutes later – saving £77.80 compared with peak prices. 

If you wait until 7.18pm, you can get a super off-peak ticket for £58.70, which is a saving of £100.30 compared with peak prices. 

3. Split your ticket

Instead of buying one single 'through' ticket for your journey – same journey, same seat, no changes – you can buy multiple tickets to cover its component parts.

This ticketing hack allows you to pick up the cheapest fares for different parts of your route, capitalising on advance tickets and off-peak fare changes. The only rule is that your train must stop at the stations named on your ticket.

Oddly, unless you know to ask for a particular split ticket, train staff are unlikely to tell you about it. However, once you know what journey to ask for, you can buy these online or at the station.

Your best bet for finding split routes is to use a split-ticketing website such as Trainsplit or Split Ticketing.splitticketing.co.uk

How much can you save?

We were able to save £10.39 on a ticket from Shrewsbury to Liverpool by splitting the ticket at Chester. 

The ticket would have cost £32.80 for an anytime single, but just £22.41 for a ticket with this split – a saving of 32%.

4. Get cashback on your ticket purchases

A number of train companies and train ticket websites are listed on cashback websites such as Quidco and TopCashback. 

If you buy your train ticket via a cashback website, you should get a small percentage of each purchase you make credited back into your cashback account.

For an even bigger payout, consider paying with a cashback credit card.

You could also consider purchasing through Virgin Trains Ticketing app, where you can book for journeys across the UK and earn points for every £1 spent if you're a Virgin Red Member. Virgin Red is free to sign up to and points can be swapped for Greggs sausage rolls, concert tickets and Virgin Atlantic flights.

How much can you save?

In May 2023, TopCashback offered 7.35% cashback with Trainline on some set routes for new customers, including London to Edinburgh and London to Newcastle. 

5. Get a national Railcard

If you're eligible for a Railcard and make a few off-peak train journeys each year, the amount you save will mean it more than pays for itself.

Most Railcards cost £30 for a year, and get you a third off both standard and first-class tickets. Notable exceptions are the Disabled Persons Railcard, which costs £20 a year for one-third off tickets, and the 16-17 Saver, which offers 50% off for £30.

Some Railcards can't be used for certain journeys during peak times on weekdays. These restrictions don't apply to weekends or bank holidays, though.

You can see which types are available and buy them on the Railcard website.

6. Look for a regional Railcard

These are less well known than national Railcards and they're usually cheaper, too. They also give sizeable discounts, typically between a third and 50%, but only for trips within certain areas.

They include:

• Cambrian Railcard
• Cotswold Line Railcard
• Dales Railcard
• Devon & Cornwall Railcard
• Esk Valley Railcard
• Highland Railcard
• Pembrokeshire Railcard
• Valleys Senior Railcard
• Valleys Student Railcard.

You can find more details about these Railcards on the relevant rail operator websites or at local train stations. You may have to buy them in person from a ticket office as opposed to online, though.

7. Use season tickets

If you're a regular commuter, an annual season ticket will almost certainly be your cheapest option.

There are also weekly and monthly season tickets, which tend to work out cheaper if you're making multiple repeat journeys over those periods. Season tickets covering more than one month but less than a year are also available.

How much can you save?

When we checkeded you could save £1,013.50 by buying a seven-day season ticket between Bristol Temple Meads and London Paddington, as opposed to buying five anytime return tickets.

8. Try a Flexi season ticket

If you're travelling into the office for only part of the week, you may benefit from a Flexi season ticket.

These are meant to save passengers at least 20%, although the savings may be less on some routes.

Flexi season tickets are only available in England, but other networks offer discounts for those only travelling into the office a couple of days a week.

ScotRail, for example, sells a Flexipass where you can save 15% by making 10 single journeys or five return journeys on the same route within 60 days.

How much can you save?

An annual season ticket from St Albans to London costs £4,440. But if you were only travelling twice a week, a year of Flexi season tickets would cost £2,194.80. That's £2,245.20 cheaper, or a saving of 51%.

9. Travel in groups

Many train companies offer a discount if you're travelling in a group.

Groups of three to nine adults can save one third on off-peak tickets when they travel together through the GroupSave discount.

You can find more detail on the National Rail website.

10. Check price caps vs travelcards

With the Transport for London (TfL) pay-as-you-go system, you'll only be charged for the journeys you make, up to a daily or weekly cap, when using public transport in London.

You can tap a contactless card or Oyster card whenever you take a bus, Tube, Overground, DLR or Thameslink within Zones 1-9, and TfL will calculate the cost of your combined journeys and charge you the money afterwards. 

Depending on how many journeys you make in one day, daily capping could be cheaper than buying a day travelcard ticket. 

You can check whether a cap or a travelcard is best with TfL's tool.

11. Add your Railcard to your Oyster card 

Some Railcards can be linked to your Oyster card, to save you money on travel around London.

Forr example, the 26-30 Railcard can be added to your Oyster and get you a dicount of a third on off-peak pay as you go travel. 

Check the TfL website for information on the Railcards that are elibile. To link them, just ask a TfL staff member at a station.

12. Look for special offers

Check to see whether train companies have any special offers. 

For instance, Avanti West Coast has introduced a trial for discounted tickets, offering cheaper fares on certain routes for those who can be more flexible with what time they travel. 

Its 'Superfare' scheme involves customers buying a ticket for a particular date between seven and 21 days in advance, and specifying whether they want to travel in the morning, afternoon or evening. Then, 24 hours beforehand, the train company will match ticket holders to quieter services and inform them of their departure time. 

Fares are fixed between £12 and £22, and the trial is set to run until the end of July 2023.

*All fares correct as of 5 May 2023.

Know your rights on compensation

If your train is cancelled or delayed by 15 minutes or more, you may be able to claim compensation.

Delay Repay is a nationwide scheme that makes it easier for travellers to get compensation for delayed rail journeys.

The delay is calculated against either the normal timetable or an amended timetable that is published in advance. 

The process will involve you uploading the ticket, entering details and you can choose how you want to receive the compensation – some providers even allow you to donate it to charity.

You can find out more about compensation for delays on the National Rail website.