MoneySavingExpert.com Cheapest Train Fares Article Discussion

elliewelly_2

sawanderer wrote: »

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The date up to which the tickets are available (the booking horizon) seem to change quite randomly and can often be quite close to the current date.
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London to Manchester
Virgin Trains e-ticketing
£7 - £9 each way
http://www.mobitix.thetrainline.com/VT/advancePurchase.aspx

Does anyone know if they are likely to extend this offer into July? It would save me a small fortune if it did as the tickets I need to buy are £62 return at the moment & I'm buying for 2 adults.

KeithP

This offer now extended - see here. Not yet to July though.

elliewelly_2

mooseshapedfrog wrote: »

My first post here! Was passed this link by a friend (http://www.bargaintrains.co.uk). It's promising something very good for train fares (I've signed up to the newsletter with baited breath)

I am such an idiot, desperate for some cheap train tickets I just signed up to this bargaintrains site before I read the 'spam' post underneath.

What will happen?! I am usually so careful about what I sign up to...momentary lapse.

dzug1

elliewelly wrote: »

Does anyone know if they are likely to extend this offer into July? It would save me a small fortune if it did as the tickets I need to buy are £62 return at the moment & I'm buying for 2 adults.

The 'normal' advance purchase tickets haven't been released yet either beyond 11 July - weekdays only. Weekends even further behind.

That £62 fare can be bought on the day - no point in booking it in advance.

So worth waiting in any event

WishI'dReadSooner

Can any of you advise? Gatwick-Newport, S.Wales.
I think I have my single outward trip 28th may sussed at £23. 1 Ticket already bought DUH - I needed 2. (Yes, maybe I should have bought open return!)

I'm in the process of thinking of booking the return flight to Gatwick.
I was going to come back on 18th June in early hours BUT looking at single fare to Newport S.Wales it seems the single will be £49+ soooo I might come back Sat 21st about 6am - when fares seem to be cheaper £15-£18 online.

Question - IF I didn't book but just turned up at rail station at Gatwick what are the fares likely to be?

1. I'm frightened flight will be delayed, rendering prepurchased ticket useless?
2. I'm wondering whether to leave booking flight until a day or 2 before I return, hoping to get it cheaper.
3. Could I book online at overseas airport once I know the 4hr flight is going out on time - or is this likely to be too late for a good deal fare?

HELP! I was going to drive until I found out the price of carparking at Gatwick - minimum of £135 for 3+ wks. I'm a train novice!

gner_ex

PMurray wrote: »

A trick I haven't seen mentioned is to use Saver Return (maybe yours are a different name) tickets backwards.

You can buy this ticket at any time before you travel and you must specify the date, but not the time, of the outward portion. The return is valid for a month. The cost seems to be about the same as a standard single fare. The only significant restriction is that you can't use them on peak services.

I travel up to London every couple of weeks or so leaving early in the morning during the peak period. I return the following day and, as mentioned in the article, have a nice meal in First Class on an off-peak service.

The trick is that I always buy my ticket in London for the off-peak journey home and travel into London on the return portion on a peak morning train. If you buy a ticket to London for the morning train it would be full fare.

Only really of use if you travel regularly and during peak periods but I do like not has to specify which service I'll be on or even which day I'm going to London.

This is specifically forbidden. To use the outward portion of a ticket, the return must be unused. Be warned; guards are getting wise to this trick, and are asking to see both portions of your ticket.

Also I can think of very few return portions of saver tickets that are valid into London in the morning peak - are you sure the ticket is even valid?

gner_ex

feralkitten wrote: »

Another useful point if you hold a London Freedom Pass and need to travel to Gatwick is that the Pass allows free travel as far as East Croydon. You can, therefore, buy a ticket for East Croydon/Gatwick at the London Terminal and, as long as you travel on Southern, which stops at East Croydon, and NOT the Gatwick Express, the fare will only be about £4. Even less if you hold a Railcard! Sorry if that's no good for our younger readers.

Ditto if you have a London travelcard. You can in fact ask for a "boundary zone 6" to "Gatwick" return, or whatever zone you have, this is often a little cheaper.

gner_ex

bonzer wrote: »

Having just read my latest money tips emails I was coming here to post about the same thing.

Hasn't Martin made a mistake or are we all missing something? Why is RailEasy better than National Express East Coast or the others? Are the ticket prices different or something? Different availability of seats? What's the catch? I don't get it.

Bonzer

All train fares are booked from the same big database, that is what raileasy use, what your local station ticket office use, and what all the websites use. The difference is that some present the information differently, for example some will only tell you the cheapest available fare on the train you want, others will say what the cheapest fare is, and when it is available.

Mat_Money_saver_wannabe

Hi,

Wonder if anyone can help.

Looking to book a single ticket to Stansted Airport from Nuneaton for Friday 15th August. Have looked at thetrainline and rail easy website and can find a ticket for £8.50 for the 14th August but (infuriatingly) the only ticket price available for the 15th is £40.50 (quite a big difference I am sure you will agree).

Does anybody have any tips or advice.

Many Thanks

dzug1

Mat_Money_saver_wannabe wrote: »

Hi,

Wonder if anyone can help.

Looking to book a single ticket to Stansted Airport from Nuneaton for Friday 15th August. Have looked at thetrainline and rail easy website and can find a ticket for £8.50 for the 14th August but (infuriatingly) the only ticket price available for the 15th is £40.50 (quite a big difference I am sure you will agree).

Does anybody have any tips or advice.

Many Thanks

Yep. Wait. The cheap tickets are not released beyond 14 August. The worst that can happen is that you'll have to pay that £40.50 on the day. The best is an £8.50 fare.

And save a bit more buy NOT using the trainline or raileasy with their booking fees. Any TOC site will sell you the same tickets without a fee. (I just checked on Chiltern for example)