It’s easier than you think to save a bit of money on your train journey. Unfortunately, unless you regularly ride the rails you probably don’t know a lot of the tips and tricks that really save customers a lot of money. We’ve listed five of them down below, to try and save you a few pennies (or pounds) on your next train journey.
The Railcard
When you mention the term “railcard” to someone who isn’t a train connoisseur they can turn their nose up, not understanding the major savings you can make when you purchase one. You only need to travel 3 times a year to make back the money you spend on purchasing it, and these days, there’s a railcard for more or less everyone! Oh, and you can link your railcard to your oyster card when you travel around London, and save up to a third on fares there too.
Book in advance
We’re sure you’ve heard this one time and time again, but book train tickets in advance if you want to make some serious savings. The best time to book your journey is 10 – 12 weeks before you travel, but you can make some serious savings when you book a week before. Some advance operators will even sell you a ticket for an advanced price up to 10 minutes before the departure time. It pays to be prepared.
Claim your refunds
We all know that trains are notorious for being delayed or cancelled, especially when you’re travelling at peak time. Some companies will start provisioning compensation when your train is as little as 15 minutes late. If you are delayed for 30 minutes or more, you can get 50% of the cost of a single ticket or relevant return ticket, and if your train is cancelled altogether, you’ll get 100%.
Look for discounts
These days, there’s a discount code for everything, including your train travel. If you’re a student, you can use your NUS (Totum) card to knock some money off, as well as using your railcard. Anyone on a jobseeker’s allowance, universal credit or similar can get JobCentre Plus Travel Discount (up to 50% discount). Children under 5 travel for free, and continue to get a 50% discount until they are 15. TFL services are also free for children under 10.
Beware of booking fees
Having a good browse online can help you find a cheap deal, but be aware that a lot of websites slap on cheeky booking fees at the checkout. RedSpottedHanky charges 31, Trainline between 25p-£1.50 and Raileasy charges a whopping £2.50. Remember, you can research your train journey on one site and purchase it on another!
We hope you have learned a trick or two from this blog post that you will be able to put into practice the next time you visit a new destination by train. The key to train travel is research and knowing your options. Once you’ve mastered that, you’ll be travelling far and wide without feeling a tug on your purse strings.
