Rail Travel: Tips on Cheap Tickets

5finger

If you're a frequent Monday-Friday traveller on a rail route and buy season tickets, here's how I believe its best to get the optimal value. It certainly works for me on my commute and I have no reason to see why it shouldn't on any other route, though this cannot be guaranteed. It's probably worth a try nevertheless!

Season ticket prices can be calculated at: http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/en/pj/sts

The best period to get a season ticket for is, in my opinion, 5 working weeks, i.e. 33 days inclusive, starting on the first Monday of the five weeks and finishing on the last Friday. The basis for this is as follows:

There are three levels of season ticket increasing in value: weekly, monthly (and monthly plus) and annual. Annual is the most cost effective, but once you account for annual holiday it generally doesn't work out the best deal (just divide the cost by your annual number of working days to give you the daily rate). The next best offer is monthly travel or anything between a month and a year. These are both calculated on the same basis of monthly cost times number of months plus a cost for the number of additional days (if any) which is slightly above the daily rate in the monthly cost (any discrepancy you notice is probably because the final price is rounded to the nearest 10 pence). Hence there is no saving in purchasing a month plus ticket for a longer, rather than shorter, period. It is therefore best to buy for a 5 week period as defined a above (a month plus one or two days depending on which month you purchase in) thereby gaining the saving of not paying for unwanted weekend travel every five weeks. Getting a ticket for a longer period reduces the frequency of this 'no pay weekend' thus reducing the overall saving obtained. Getting monthly tickets back to back means you are not getting any 'no pay weekends' (unless your ticket happens to finish on a Friday which won't be that frequent) and weekly tickets are more expensive altogether.

Therefore, always buy in 5 week blocks (from a Monday to a Friday) unless your next holiday or other time off is less than 10 weeks away. Then it is probably better to buy a longer term ticket to take you up to that time. However, if you can plan ahead a little more carefully, and you are taking time off in 12 weeks, say, tickets for 6+6 weeks may work out slightly cheaper than 5+7. Both will be cheaper than a single 12 week ticket.

This also raises the point that buying in a month with more days (i.e. 31) is best and the 5 week ticket will be approximately one third of a daily return fare cheaper than the same ticket bought in a month with 30 days. It's therefore worst to buy a monthly season ticket in February!

The above may fall down when season ticket prices are annually revised in January when it may be worth 'buying ahead' in December for a much longer period depending on the rises which will be introduced.

All theoretical, I know, given the existence of bank holidays and any unforeseen absences or work elsewhere but nevertheless it will hopefully allow you to plan ahead as optimally as possible!

isasmurf

5finger wrote: »

There are three levels of season ticket increasing in value: weekly, monthly (and monthly plus) and annual. Annual is the most cost effective, but once you account for annual holiday it generally doesn't work out the best deal

Where's this job that gives you 12 weeks holiday?

Altarf

5finger wrote: »

If you're a frequent Monday-Friday traveller on a rail route and buy season tickets, here's how I believe its best to get the optimal value...

Sorry, I don't believe this is cheaper in real life than an annual ticket for most people. A quick check with some example figures from my route, with a 'perfect' 5 week pattern, ignoring bank holidays, and including 6 weeks holiday as a single block, comes out £50 than an annual season ticket. However anything other than the 'perfect' 5 week pattern comes out several hundred more expensive than an annual ticket.

Also you obviously lose the benefits that come with an annual 'gold' card.

However although the cost may be more expensive than an annual ticket, for those people who cannot afford to buy an annual ticket, it is a good tip to buy 33 day tickets on a Monday rather than a normal monthly ticket.

nutty1

yorkie2 wrote: »

Book as far in advance as possible[1] and you can get very cheap Advance fares.

[1] Bookings are generally released approx 10-12 weeks in advance.

i want to go to wigan to exmouth 12 july return 19 july, 4 adults,2 kids. will there not be any advance tickets now

dzug1

kathrynt wrote: »

i want to go to wigan to exmouth 12 july return 19 july, 4 adults,2 kids. will there not be any advance tickets now

It looks as though there are no cheap tickets on the West Coast mainline at weekends.

You'd need to split tickets - a saver return to Birmingham New Street, and advance singles (which are available) from then on if you are flexible about times

shewhoguards

Which company was it offering 10% off advance fares until today? I was looking at it last night and now I'm ready to book have forgotten!

nutty1

dzug1 wrote: »

It looks as though there are no cheap tickets on the West Coast mainline at weekends.

You'd need to split tickets - a saver return to Birmingham New Street, and advance singles (which are available) from then on if you are flexible about times

can't see advance single prices what times was these,please

dzug1

shewhoguards wrote: »

Which company was it offering 10% off advance fares until today? I was looking at it last night and now I'm ready to book have forgotten!

http://www.send-data.net/firstscotrail/lifestyle_prebooking.asp?magic=E6A36B3683AE&magic2=032775F6

dzug1

kathrynt wrote: »

can't see advance single prices what times was these,please

£32 on 1610 from Brum out (plus some early morning ones); £20.50 on 1550 and 1650 back

dzug1

kathrynt wrote: »

can't see advance single prices what times was these,please

Actually there are some cheap singles from Manchester to/from Exmouth, which might be cheaper for you than the Brum route. Same sort of times though - early or late.