Rail Travel: Tips on Cheap Tickets

wickywocky

Here's a trick to try if you're buying more than one ticket...

I went onto the GNER website to buy two tickets for travel next week but it wasn't coming up with cheap enough tickets when I searched for two. When I searched for one a couple of trains showed cheap tickets.

So, added one at the cheaper price, went back, searched again and it was still showing one at the cheaper price on the same train. Added that thinking that at some point it was going to tell me that the seat wasn't available, but it's all gone through!

I run the risk that the seats won't be together, but I'll pick them up a few days early and ask at the station for new reservations if they're not.

I was getting annoyed that I was not offered the one seat at the cheap fare plus one more expensive one when searching for two, but it's worked out in my favour.:j

wigglywoozle

I'm hoping that someone will be able to help me. I need to travel from Redruth, Cornwall to Kendal in the Lake District in the middle of May and return a week later. I'm not 100% on the dates yet but know it will be the middle of May. The cheapest fare I can find (if I purchase a student rail card) is £92 something return. Is there a way of splitting the tickets so it'll be cheaper? Unfortunately I don't know any stations past Plymouth because I don't venture out of Cornwall very often so wouldn't have a clue how to split tickets.

Any help very gratefully received.

Kate x

PS. I will have my 2 year old daughter with me, and although I know she doesn't cost me any extra, I would prefer a route with as few changes as possible

dzug

wigglywoozle wrote: »

I'm hoping that someone will be able to help me. I need to travel from Redruth, Cornwall to Kendal in the Lake District in the middle of May and return a week later. I'm not 100% on the dates yet but know it will be the middle of May. The cheapest fare I can find (if I purchase a student rail card) is £92 something return. Is there a way of splitting the tickets so it'll be cheaper? Unfortunately I don't know any stations past Plymouth because I don't venture out of Cornwall very often so wouldn't have a clue how to split tickets.

Any help very gratefully received.

Kate x

PS. I will have my 2 year old daughter with me, and although I know she doesn't cost me any extra, I would prefer a route with as few changes as possible

You can on the right trains do the journey with one change - into the branch line train to Kendal and Windermere. Either at Preston or Oxenholme.

The cheapest possible fare for the through journey (ignoring rail cards) is £24.50 single on a Virgin advance ticket - few and far between but you might get lucky particularly if you can jiggle your dates a day or two.


To split your journey experiment with Bristol Parkway, Cheltenham Spa and Birmingham New Street as ticketing points.

Littlemum_2

Have just spent a useful few minutes on the trainline site and successfully knocked ££ off train fares for myself and my son. Thanks Martin for the tips.Really enjoy the website.: ::T

shezza3105

i have to travel by train from scarborough to manchester on the 5th of may which is a bank holiday weekend. i never travel by train so i have no idea which is the best tickets sites or anything. i am returning the next day and stopping off at leeds both ways for a couple of hours. do i get a ticket for leeds and then another for leeds to manchester or can i get one for all the way but where i can stop off in leeds for a bit and then get back on the train with the same ticket? please help!

dzug

shezza3105 wrote: »

i have to travel by train from scarborough to manchester on the 5th of may which is a bank holiday weekend. i never travel by train so i have no idea which is the best tickets sites or anything. i am returning the next day and stopping off at leeds both ways for a couple of hours. do i get a ticket for leeds and then another for leeds to manchester or can i get one for all the way but where i can stop off in leeds for a bit and then get back on the train with the same ticket? please help!

If you get a saver ticket (which is the cheapest walk on ticket) you will not be able to break your journey in Leeds going out. You would need to get two savers, Scarborough to Leeds and Leeds to Manchester. The good news is that that's actually a few pounds cheaper anyway.

For the Scarborough to Leeds sector there may be TPEX tickets available if you book in advance for specific trains. There's nothing similar Leeds to Manchester.

Snoopy06

Cool Group booking Cheap deals Promotional Codes pls
Hey all, Just wondering if anyone knew of the cheapest way to get a group booking from crewe to lancaster via virgin trains, if there were any promotional codes etc.

Its for the 2nd and 3rd of June ages away but everywhere so far is quite expensive or doesn't have a group booking option...anyways any information would be great..

Keep posting

trubster

Is there any tricks to getting cheaper tickets to newcastle from sheffield? I normally get the 9.50 saver singles with railcard, just wondering if there is any promo codes that work

Cheers

Kev

jinkssick

Hiya, I plan to go to bournemouth from the 5th may, no return needed.

its from london. I found a £12 ticket from megatrain, and thats not too bad but I found one with better timing but its called APEX train single fare at 17.80.

Whats Apex? and do you know any cheaper journeys?

dzug

jinkssick wrote: »

Hiya, I plan to go to bournemouth from the 5th may, no return needed.

its from london. I found a £12 ticket from megatrain, and thats not too bad but I found one with better timing but its called APEX train single fare at 17.80.

Whats Apex? and do you know any cheaper journeys?

Apex means advance purchase excursion.

You might find megaBUS cheaper and maybe National Express, but you won't get a cheaper train fare.