Cheap train ticket hacks – ‘trap’ to avoid, useful websites and how to take advantage of ‘fare anomalies’




It’s always better to buy train tickets as far in advance as possible – or is it?


The answer isn’t always simple, as rail companies can be inconsistent when posting tickets online.


But Mark Smith, who set it up The man in seat 61 blog to help people travel cheaper and better, has some solid advice, especially when it comes to long-distance travel.


He told Money that people should buy in advance to save money, but they should watch out for a ‘trap’ they should avoid falling into.


Tickets are normally released about 12 weeks in advance, but initially you may only see more expensive Off-Peak and Anytime tickets.


It often takes a week or two before reservations open and the much cheaper Advance rates go on sale.


It’s usually foreign travelers who pay more this way, says Smith, as 90% of Brits book their tickets in the month of their trip.


“They could end up paying £149 for an off-peak trip, when they could get it for £25 if they waited a few weeks,” says Smith.


Smith says you can save money by buying a ticket anytime before the day of travel – an Advance fare of £30 or £40 will then convert to an Off-Peak one-way of £68.60 or an Anytime of £ 184.70.


If you need to travel during peak hours, consider split ticketing.


If you’re traveling at 5pm on a Monday, instead of taking a Peak ticket all the way from London to Manchester, you can buy a Peak Anytime ticket to Milton Keynes and then an Off-Peak ticket from Milton Keynes to Manchester.


Split ticketing also works for many journeys where ‘fare discrepancies’ have arisen – when, says Smith, a route may be overseen by different fare managers, so one ticket from A to B and another ticket from B to C cost less then costs a ticket from A to CC


An example could be this: instead of buying a ticket from Torquay to Scarborough, see if it is cheaper to get a ticket from Torquay to Birmingham and then on to Scarborough. If you’re willing to put in the time, you might be able to save even more if you buy tickets from Torquay to Bristol, then from Bristol to Birmingham, then from Birmingham to York and finally to Scarborough.


“This can save you quite a bit of money,” says Smith. There are websites that will do this for you, such as www.ticketysplit.co.uk And trainsplit.com.


Other tips Smith offers are to look at train maps; these are not just for the young and old.


The Network Card allows people of any age to save a third on tickets in London and the South East, there’s a Family and Friends Railcard and the Two Together Railcard – saving you money when you and a friend or partner travel together.


In our articles you can read about all the different types Basically… function here…




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