Commuting cost - south east

woolgar.c

I'm looking for advice on train tickets for my commute; Folkestone to London. So far, even if I went in 3 days a week, it seems the annual season ticket would be cheapest. This seems crazy compared to buying only 3 return tickets.
I am thinking of the annual highspeed & travelzones ticket (via a 0% credit card) but wondering if there are cheaper options to cover this same route?

KeithP

Perhaps consider buying monthly season tickets.

Tickets can be bought at the monthly rate for any period from one month to one year.
Using this fact you can reduce the number of days you actually pay for.

For example, let's assume you work Mon, Tues, Weds each week.
You could buy a monthly ticket starting on Monday 15 January and ending on Wednesday 21 February. Then buy your next ticket for around five weeks starting on Monday 26 Feb and ending on a Wednesday.

Using the same principle, try and ensure you are not paying for annual leave, bank holidays etc.

That could well work out cheaper than a yearly ticket and of course without the initial outlay on a yearly ticket.

The second point to consider is that train fares rise on 02 January 2018.
If appropriate, you should buy your next ticket before that date, be it a yearly one or a monthly one, to take advantage of this year's prices.

Browntoa

From the Medway towns a weekly is cheaper than 3 day returns for some reason

Check that for where you live and then work out how many weeks you actually need to travel during the year . Compare that against the yearly season

scones

Bear in mind that trying to stagger monthly / weekly tickets around holidays, etc. may actually cost more than just biting the bullet and buying a year-long season ticket.

I believe the price of an annual season is traditionally fixed at equivalent to 40 weeklies? So effectively you get a cheaper per-day rate even after accounting for a few weeks' leave.

Also, you do get extra benefits with the annual ticket. It usually counts as a "Gold Card" which gives you - and anybody else travelling with you - a third off the cost of any other journeys you make at weekends or after 0930 on weekdays pretty much anywhere across a huge swathe of South East England.

KeithP

scones wrote: »

Bear in mind that trying to stagger monthly / weekly tickets around holidays, etc. may actually cost more than just biting the bullet and buying a year-long season ticket.

I believe the price of an annual season is traditionally fixed at equivalent to 40 weeklies? So effectively you get a cheaper per-day rate even after accounting for a few weeks' leave.

Also, you do get extra benefits with the annual ticket. It usually counts as a "Gold Card" which gives you - and anybody else travelling with you - a third off the cost of any other journeys you make at weekends or after 0930 on weekdays pretty much anywhere across a huge swathe of South East England.

No-one was suggesting comparing weekly tickets with an annual ticket - nor ever buying a weekly ticket.

Do you know the price comparison for monthly versus yearly tickets?
My understanding is that a yearly ticket costs around the same as ten months' worth of monthly tickets.

My post started:

Perhaps consider buying monthly season tickets.

Clearly it is for the OP to do that 'considering'.

I agree with your 'Gold Card' point, and again the OP should also consider that, but a Gold Card does not have value for everyone.

robpw2

commuter club might be worth looking into -you pay 11 /12 months and its essentailly a loan to buy the annual ticket but paying monthly

andrewf75

KeithP wrote: »

Perhaps consider buying monthly season tickets.

Tickets can be bought at the monthly rate for any period from one month to one year.
Using this fact you can reduce the number of days you actually pay for.

For example, let's assume you work Mon, Tues, Weds each week.
You could buy a monthly ticket starting on Monday 15 January and ending on Wednesday 21 February. Then buy your next ticket for around five weeks starting on Monday 26 Feb and ending on a Wednesday.

Agree. I just bought a 3 month up to Easter hols, but afterwards trying to crunch some numbers I realised I could get a cheaper daily rate by getting a month and a bit working out exact days I would need it. Will do that from now on.

scones

KeithP wrote: »

No-one was suggesting comparing weekly tickets with an annual ticket - nor ever buying a weekly ticket.

Which is why I said "monthly / weekly". Monthlies were being suggested in the main, but weeklies were mentioned in passing so I was covering all bases.

KeithP wrote: »

Do you know the price comparison for monthly versus yearly tickets? My understanding is that a yearly ticket costs around the same as ten months' worth of monthly tickets.

Actually I think it's less than that. I have 40 weeks in my mind and trying a random example on the National Rail calculator seems to confirm this.
I wasn't dismissing your suggestion, just pointing out that there's no point faffing about with trying to fit odd-period and monthly tickets around leave, etc. if you're going to need more than 40 weeks' worth of travel in a year anyway.