MoneySavingExpert.com Cheap Train Tickets Article Discussion

Former_MSE_Andrea

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sandraroffey

i have been travelling on weekly basis from bognor regis to canterbury for some years now. and until someone at the station (nice kind man) told me i was paying too much, i was paying what was then a five day return of quite a large amount. now i have a network card (cost £20 and lasts for a year), travel off peak or on a sunday and get a monthly saver return for just £12.60. absolute bargain!!! a few years ago when i lived in canterbury, my son was often paying £35 for a return to bognor which i thought was extortionate!! why dont people tell about the cheapest option as a matter of course?? mmm stupid question really. just wish the train times/length of time travelling on a sunday was as good as the fares. weekdays travel time normally 3.5 hours. sunday travel times could be anything up to 6.5 hours and never less than 4.5 hours. outrageous!!!

sandraroffey

it may also be worth remembering that if you can take your journey NOT via london it can knock a huge amount off the fare. for me, going to canterbury via London would add approx £10 to the fare!!:eek:

misterjohn

I would endorse the suggestion of the National Express website, for the reasons given by WashingMan, and because it has the best search engine for journeys, giving all the price options for each possibility. I did a First Class return from Tiverton to Sheffield for £62, for example, on Cross Country. Hardly more than the cheapest second class, sorry Standard Class.
First Great Western are also a better bet then the ones mentioned, as they also don't charge a fee for booking.

whashisface

The national Express East Coast site is by far the best and cheapest. I used to use trainline but have now switched for the reasons above. It also seems to be easier to find cheap deals for some reason.

The site should definitely be added to the article!

Bryony48

I also endorse this website for journey planning and ticket finding. It's the most user friendly one I've found, once you've got used to the radically different layout, and their customer services were also friendly and helpful when I had to ring with a specific query about bike reservations.

Restricted

The article mentions 'travelling short' is not valid on Saver tickets, but doesn't point out that it is allowed on unrestricted tickets. Savings can be made on season tickets in particular using this method depending on the routes involved.

Also, as well as 2 singles being cheaper than a return, sometimes a return is slightly cheaper than 1 single so it may be worth checking return fares even if you only require a single.

dzug1

I really can't believe that thetrainline and raileasy are mentioned at all (other than to steer people away from them). They are the only ones to charge booking fees and I can't see ANY point in using them.

There's also some slipshod terminology - eg the use of 'saver' fares in trick one to mean advance purchase singles rather than actual 'saver' fares. 'Saver' singles are quite commonly available - usually for a pound or so less than a saver return. Eg London Liverpool £61.60 saver single, £62.60 saver return. Advance singles which are the ones that give the real saving start at £13.

And it perpetuates the 'exactly 12 weeks' myth which causes many posters here to panic if tickets aren't instantly available then.

Oh the savers from North Wales via Chester trick can't be done any more - the validity times of the tickets from North Wales have been changed to match those from Chester.

But in general - good advice.

philkenning

I am surprised no one has mentioned this but if you use https://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk you dont pay a booking fee nor a credit card surcharge and the insurance isn't automatically offered. The site is identical as the trainline site so its as easy to use as that one and has all the same features.

woobrad

Hello
I regularly take my 8 year old daughter down to see her grandparents in Swansea and usually use the train from Chorley. The fare is getting more and more expensive all the time. Does anyone know any split tickets or money saving tips for the journey? It's costing at least 100 quid each which I think is extortionate....
I've looked on the websites but it won't give me any other fares apart from the standard ticket.
Thanks

TimothyEBaldwin

woobrad wrote: »

Hello
I regularly take my 8 year old daughter down to see her grandparents in Swansea and usually use the train from Chorley.

Get a Family & Friends Railcard.

Try splitting tickets where you change trains.