Top tips to save on rail travel

(bgiles). Submitted on Tue, 24 Jan 2012

The UK has an extensive railway network that is of vital economic and cultural importance. However, travelling by train can sometimes be prohibitively expensive. Train fares seem to rise with every year that goes by, and in the current economic downturn, some people have simply been priced out of rail travel. However, while the price of buying train tickets on the day of travel may be wince-inducing, there are ways to save money on rail fares - here are a few top tips to bear in mind.



The handiest way to save on the cost of rail travel is to buy your tickets in advance, especially for long journeys. This may not always be possible, but if you're thinking about taking a trip from London to Edinburgh in June, you could find the cheapest fares as early as March or April. In some cases, booking train tickets two months in advance could mean the difference of over a hundred pounds.

If you've missed the cheapest fares, take some time to explore which routes offer you lower-cost tickets. This may mean buying two separate tickets for the same journey - for instance, a ticket from London to York and then another from York to Edinburgh may cost less than one London to Edinburgh fare. Thanks to the internet, it's easy to research and book these travel options online.

It's also important for you to be flexible in the times that you can travel. Rail fares are generally cheaper outside peak travel times; generally, this means after 9.30am on a weekday and all day on Saturday and Sunday. Some local commuter services may also impose peak ticket prices during the evening rush hour, usually between 4.30 and 6pm, so try to travel outside these hours if you want to save money on train travel. On the other hand, too much flexibility can also be costly. An open-return ticket for instance, will almost always be more expensive than two single tickets purchased in advance for specific services.

Furthermore, look out for any potential discounts for which you may qualify. There are also several types of Railcards that offer discount travel on train fares in the UK for the entire year. A 16-25 Railcard (previously known as a Young Person's Railcard) offers people between the ages of 16 and 25 and full-time students one third off train travel, while a Senior Railcard offers the same discount to people aged over 60. A Family and Friends Railcard offers discounts of a third off for adults and 60 per cent off for children, and can be used for up to four adults and four children on the same card. Paying upfront for rail travel may seem like a large outlay if you don't travel by train often but on long distances. However, even if you make just one round-trip journey, you can earn your money back in savings.

 

About the Author

Bruce Giles writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.

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