Rail Travel: Tips on Cheap Tickets

Stewartjp

gner_ex wrote: »

Stewart - according to the rules for advance tickets, you must be on the train for the complete length of journey - whether you can get away with it is another matter, however.

Looking at fares, the cheapest Euston-Glasgow ticket I can see is £10.00 single, the cheapest Kings Cross-Glasgow is £16.50, the cheapest Milton Keynes is £10.00, cheapest Stevenage is £16.00, and the cheapest Bedford-Glasgow single ticket is £16.50 - I'm not sure of the routing of this without looking further - could possibly be either along the branch to Bletchley, up to Derby, or maybe even down to Euston - the trick will be finding these cheap tickets.

Thanks for your help.
I had used the trainlines best fare feature to find the london to Glasgow prices as they don't do it for MK or bedford to Glasgow.
I did look for those fares you quoted but couldn't find them. Could you tell me what website you used to get these fares? Was you looking 12 weeks in advance?

Thanks

Stewart

eBayaddict_2

No problem, found tickets - many thanks

dzug1

eBayaddict wrote: »

I have even had to become a new user because I can't get my usual name/details to work :mad:



People who want to travel:

3 adults(aged 50, 41 and 16)and 2 children aged 14 and 7

When: Friday 29th May
Return: Sunday 31st May


Can be flexible with times there and back (not dates)


Journey

Leicester to Letchworth


We have a Family Railcard.

The cheapest I can find is £134

I really don't want to pay that - especially as we are going to see friends and the men will be watching the Cup Final while the women look after all the children!!! (7 between us!!!!!) :mad:



Many thanks for any help - I have looked for 3 hours and can't find a better price

It's not a journey that i would want to travel throughout by rail for - it's just too much of a long way round.

I'd look into getting the train to Luton then a local bus to Hitchin (they are frequent - 2 or 3 times an hour) and then either another local bus (don't know much about them or even if they exist) or the train to Letchworth.

nazli319

Hi I have been waiting for tickets to be released for 12th July and the timetables are now available but no tickets on offer only about 3 or 4 options.
I want to travel from nottingham to Luton on Sunday 12th July (we fly on the 13th of July and will be staying in the easyjet hotel)
Can anyone tell me how to get this cheaper or if the cheap tickets will be released later. I thought that they were available at 12 weeks but doesnt seem to be the case!
Help or its National Express :rolleyes:

Nazli

dzug1

nazli319 wrote: »

Hi I have been waiting for tickets to be released for 12th July and the timetables are now available but no tickets on offer only about 3 or 4 options.
I want to travel from nottingham to Luton on Sunday 12th July (we fly on the 13th of July and will be staying in the easyjet hotel)
Can anyone tell me how to get this cheaper or if the cheap tickets will be released later. I thought that they were available at 12 weeks but doesnt seem to be the case!
Help or its National Express :rolleyes:

Nazli

Yet another poster who has been taken in the 12 weeks myth about cheap tickets - it's rarely true and even more rarely for weekend travel.

Just wait for the cheap tickets - could be a while as 10 May is the latest date for Sunday tickets on your route.

Martin should really reword his article.....

sandydog_2

I'm wondering about this 12 week rule, too. I would like to travel one way with my 2 children (both 7) from Hinckley to Barnstaple on Saturday, 11th July. I will have a Family Railcard by then (waiting for a new discount code). The cheapest I can find is an Anytime Single for £77.45, which is a good price, I can't complain! But could I get it any cheaper? Is it likely that there won't be Advance tickets available for this route?

Thanks for any help!

Sammie_

Well, well well!

I want to travel from Portsmouth to Stafford first class.

Portsmouth to Southampton no problem, but there are no advance fares from Sotton to Stafford!

But there are from Brockenhurst to Stafford.

A return day trip first class is £60 on an advanced fare but must catch the actual timed train from Brockenhurst, it calls at Southampton..

Tell me, do I have to go to Brockenhurst to catch this train, or can I board at Southampton?

Thanks

gner_ex

Stewartjp wrote: »

Thanks for your help.
I had used the trainlines best fare feature to find the london to Glasgow prices as they don't do it for MK or bedford to Glasgow.
I did look for those fares you quoted but couldn't find them. Could you tell me what website you used to get these fares? Was you looking 12 weeks in advance?

Thanks

Stewart

Don't use thetrainline - they charge a booking fee. I got these fares out of the ticket office program. They _will_ be available online, its just you'll have to do a lot of searching to find them (and there may literally be one or two of these tickets a day). You could also try a ticket office - tell them that a friend of yours can see a £16.50 ticket Bedford to Glasgow single, and can they help you book it.

gner_ex

eBayaddict wrote: »

Leicester to Letchworth


We have a Family Railcard.

The cheapest I can find is £134

That is the "via London" fare, £134.10 (for all those people). There is a "not London" fare of £91.90 off-peak return (for all people). This would entail going Leicester-Peterborough, Peterborough-Hitchin, and Hitchin-Letchworth. Probably quicker too.

Advance tickets wouldn't help you.

gner_ex

Sammie_ wrote: »

Well, well well!

I want to travel from Portsmouth to Stafford first class.

Portsmouth to Southampton no problem, but there are no advance fares from Sotton to Stafford!

But there are from Brockenhurst to Stafford.

A return day trip first class is £60 on an advanced fare but must catch the actual timed train from Brockenhurst, it calls at Southampton..

Tell me, do I have to go to Brockenhurst to catch this train, or can I board at Southampton?

Thanks

For advance tickets, you must travel on the complete journey. Whether you could get away with it is another matter (but its expensive if you don't).

There ARE first class advance fares from Southampton Central to Stafford - £56 and £71.50 single (aswell as groupsave fares). These are on Cross Country (i.e. via Birmingham).

There are standard class advance fares from Portsmouth to Stafford starting from £11.50 single (Virgin West Coast) and £20.00 (Cross Country).