Cheap train tickets tip.

r_nasey

Hi

Don't know if this is the general rule with the advanced rail ticket purchase, but I've just purchase a ticket to travel from Bath to Gatwick Airport on 20th August. Following the advice to get the cheapest tickets, you should book 12 weeks before travelling, I duely loggend on to nationalrail.com last Tuesday. I had been monitoring the prices beforehand and had worked out that I should be able to purchase the ticket for around £14.50, so imagine my dismay, when the cheapest super saver ticket came out at £44.50! I'm not paying that I thought, and logged off.
Anyway, a couple of days later I thought I'd check the price again, in case I'd made a mistake and discovered that a new "firstminute.com" fare had now appeared at, guess what £14.50. I then thought I'd check the price for 12 weeks from that date and the cheapest price was again £44.50 and of course when I checked again 2 days later they were down to £14.50.
As I say, don't know if this always the case, and who knows they may be even cheaper next week, but it looks as though exactly 12 weeks before travel isn't necessarily the cheapest time to buy.
Hope this info is of some use, and saves someone a bit of cash.

Rich

alanrowell

r_nasey wrote: »

Following the advice to get the cheapest tickets, you should book 12 weeks before travelling

Normal tickets become available 12 weeks before date of travel, cheap tickets generally appear 4-6 weeks before date of travel