Split Ticketing: Report successful routes here

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  • purplemargy
    purplemargy Posts: 7 Forumite
    This route takes approx 3 hrs each way. Ilford is in NE London, whilst York is in ..errr..Yorshire. I want to travel in February leaving at 7am in the morning (peak) and returning from 2pm in the afternoon (off peak)

    I found that buying two single tickets (outward journey and return) was cheaper than buying a Return AND also cheaper than doing the split ticket thing.

    Note - 'Saver' Return ticket was £77.80, but none available for the departure time. Next best thing was Business Return at £117.50.

    Ilford to York Return = £117.50
    Ilford to York Single = £20.50; York to Ilford Single = £27. TOTAL = £47.50

    SAVING = £70!!!!
  • Domthemon
    Domthemon Posts: 329 Forumite
    First Anniversary
    One to watch is travelling in peak time. Eg Wrexham or Ruabon to Birmingham cheapday returns not available before 0830. However they are valid from Gobowen (I have no idea why). So buy SDR Wrexham/Ruabon-Gobowen and then a CDR from Gobowen to Birmingham. Same train. Its about £12 instead of £20 if you buy the two tickets.

    Similarly Chester to London or Shrewsbury to London, saver returns not valid early in morning so you buy a standard open which is over £100 in both cases. The Chester or Shrewsbury booking office won't sell you a return (from the stations where savers ARE valid from) early in the morning but you can get round it if you buy the ticket the day before (assuming no cheap advance tickets available) eg Shotton-London (if from Chester) or Welshpool/Gobowen to London (if from Shrewsbury). If they query it you just say you are going in the car to Shotton/Gobowen as applicable and travelling in the morning. However, ensure the journey is possible, eg if you catch the first train from Shrewsbury at 0554 and you hold a ticket from Gobowen and no trains have yet arrived from Gobowen, an enthusiastic 'gripper' might delight in deeming your ticket invalid. However you could catch the 0640 or later trains. From Chester you have more scope as there are early trains from Shotton.
  • alanrowell
    alanrowell Posts: 5,365 Forumite
    First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    purplemargy wrote:
    Note - 'Saver' Return ticket was £77.80, but none available for the departure time. Next best thing was Business Return at £117.50.

    Ilford to York Return = £117.50
    Ilford to York Single = £20.50; York to Ilford Single = £27. TOTAL = £47.50

    SAVING = £70!!!!
    But if you'd booked on the GNER website that £47.50 would have been £18.25 + £24.05 = £42.30

    SAVING = £75!!!!

    And you might have been able to get the return trip at £18.25 as well

    SAVING = £80!!!!

    BTW the London to York trip would be £9.50 each way (£19.00 total). I suspect you could get the bus/tube from Ilford to KX for a lot less than £18 and still make the trip in 3 hours
  • u2o
    u2o Posts: 349 Forumite
    Manchester to London

    Not quite splitting but alternative route (and doesnt take that much extra)

    Many people tend to think that Virgin Value direct train is the cheapest at something like £12, but can get much cheaper by going via Sheffield using Transpennine Express and catching a Midland Mainline, cheapest combined fare £6 (MML + Connections)
  • Gina_Blue
    Gina_Blue Posts: 3 Newbie
    Ely is one of those prised places which acts as a crossover point and can cheapen your tickets.

    I often travel from Norwich to Manchester with a Railcard so this as a saver open return comes to £54.50 on the day.

    With the break at Ely, buying 2 return tickets, this comes to £47.55.

    The saving would be a larger one if you didn't have a railcard, but i have been told that the ely stop works for cheapening all journeys!

    Hope this helps!

    Gina
  • billybond
    billybond Posts: 1 Newbie
    I don't have the exact figures but when travelling from Cambridge to Cheltenham or Gloucester getting two returns (Cambridge - Birmingham and Birmingham to Chelt/Glouc) instead of paying about £60 with a railcard I pay about £50.

    Also if going from Bath to Birmingham get two returns with Cheltenham as the central station. At certain times of day this can almost half the ticket price.

    I was also told by a rail employee that going from Bath to London can be cheaper if you get two returns with Swindon as the central station.

    Sorry I can't be more specific but hope it helps
  • lg06111985
    lg06111985 Posts: 1 Newbie
    On the Bath to London front the following are all possible:

    Saver Return (most trains, return within one month): £45 (£30 railcard)

    2x 'ValueAdvance' Tickets (travel on specific trains): from £9 each way; first class from £20 each (no railcards)

    ###Best option for day return trip buy on the day- saves £23##:
    Split the journey in Didcot Parkway- any time travel (not specific trains):
    Cheap Day return Bath-Didcot: £10 (7.90)
    Didcot Offpeak TRAVELCARD- includes zones 1,2,5&6 on tube: £16 (£13)

    Note: Only half of the trains stop at Didcot from Bath (every hour)- but if you miss the didcot train, get on the next London train then wait at swindon for the next train that goes to paddington via Didcot!


    Also would be valid from bristol, presume cheap day returns are available from there too.

    Note these are all the pre price-rise values so I think saver and cheap day returns have gone up a bit.
  • mackay78
    mackay78 Posts: 25 Forumite
    I often travel this route - depending on how far in advance I book it can cost between £12 and £72 for a single.
    Read the email and with a trip up in a few weeks went to have a look. The best single up there was

    ... £50.50

    I've gone for Leamington to Birmingham New Street £5.70
    Birmingham to York £9.00
    York to Newcastle £9.00

    Over half price :) (Plus if I can get these prices when the fare is only available at £70 then that's even better)

    The return was available at £12 (no changes) - so I'll just enjoy the nap on the way home!

    The only downer is it's possible I'd have to move seats on the way up twice (I'm one of the annoying laptop users) - I wonder if you can buy a split ticket on the phone and ask to have the same seat all the way up. Perhaps that's pushing my luck!
  • Mojo29
    Mojo29 Posts: 40 Forumite
    Birmingham - Bristol
    Birmingham - Cheltenham (Open Return)
    Cheltenham - Bristol (Day Return)
    [*] If doing a return more than one day, get the open return and buy 2 singles

    Bristol - London
    Bristol - Didcot
    Didcot - London

    Chiltern line stations south of Bicester - Birmingham
    Split your ticket at Banbury
  • Hip_Priest
    Hip_Priest Posts: 3 Newbie
    Tickets out of London attract a premium price so it essential to split your journey unless you are travelling on the old Southern Region (basically south of the Thames) of from Fenchurch Street where Network Card discounts apply throughout apart from morning rushhours.
    For other directions buy a ticket to the edge of the Network Card boundary if you can.
    From Paddington buy a ticket to Reading/Didcot/Oxford/Banbury then other ones to your destination
    From Marylebone best deal are "Just £15" tickets all the way to Birmingham and back although these are time restricted
    From Euston buy to Milton Keynes, or if time is not an issue via Northampton.
    From St Pancras buy to Luton/Bedford
    From Kings Cross buy to Stevenage or if time is not an issue to Huntingdon
    From Liverpool Street buy to Manningtree

    By following this rule my day trips from the Capital to all points to watch football are generally halved in price.
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