MoneySavingExpert.com Cheap Train Tickets Article Discussion

chippy37906

Im no computer whizz kid or owt but ive been baffled on trying to get cheap rail tickets im looking for 3 adults day return leeds to kings cross on the 18th of october traveling after 8am and returning after 19.00 hrs any help will be much appretiated

thanks chippy

dzug1

chippy37906 wrote: »

Im no computer whizz kid or owt but ive been baffled on trying to get cheap rail tickets im looking for 3 adults day return leeds to kings cross on the 18th of october traveling after 8am and returning after 19.00 hrs any help will be much appretiated

thanks chippy

Go to http://www.nationalexpresseastcoast.com/ put in details of your journey and hey presto fares will appear.

You do NOT want a day return - there's no such thing anyway. You want advance purchase singles each way. It won't be startlingly cheap - maybe £25 to £35 a head each way depending which trains you choose.

If you really can't fathom it out then you can buy the same tickets at Leeds station though without the online discount.

kittykitty_2

Looking ahead a little bit but my boyfriend and i were hoping to go to London from Newcastle on 28th December and returning on 31st December. Anyone have any idea if i'll be able to get cheap train fares if I book on the day that they're released or if it'll be impossible to get cheap train fares with it being christmas/new year period?

RIDEJON

I need to get to Preston Lancaster by 12.00 noon from Watford Junction on Saturday the 27th September - can anyone advise how to get a cheap ticket!

dzug1

RIDEJON wrote: »

I need to get to Preston Lancaster by 12.00 noon from Watford Junction on Saturday the 27th September - can anyone advise how to get a cheap ticket!

At the moment cheap fares for that particular Saturday have not been released - presumably because whatever engineering work is taking place has yet to be finalised.

So the best advice is to wait - it could be as late as the Monday before.
Should they not materialise at all then you are no worse off - the ticket you buy on the day is the same price as what's available now.

One horrible thought though - there may be no trains that would get you there in time if the timetable turns out different than that currently planned.

I'd be a bit wary of split ticketing on a day where the service is disrupted. Trains may run on different routes and call at different stations to normal and it would be easy to get caught out

dzug1

kittykitty wrote: »

Looking ahead a little bit but my boyfriend and i were hoping to go to London from Newcastle on 28th December and returning on 31st December. Anyone have any idea if i'll be able to get cheap train fares if I book on the day that they're released or if it'll be impossible to get cheap train fares with it being christmas/new year period?

I've got cheap tickets in that period before now without much trouble. But YMMV.

The main thing to worry about is engineering work and maybe the cheap tickets not being released simultaneously for each date.

andrewbolt

I have no idea about the legality of travelling short, but if it bothers you you could book the ticket from a different station, and then do whatever it takes to get yourself to that station: that way you are taking the train journey that matches your tickets. Even if the initial journey to the station costs more, it can pay for itself in the savings.

For example, recently the difference between Ely-Glasgow versus Cambridge-Glasgow was about £60 -- even considering all combinations of journey splitting and singles vs returns. Enough to be worth travelling to Cambridge to legitimately use the cheaper ticket.

Oliashby

Hi guys,

I need to get down to London King's Cross to get the Eurostar (2pm to Paris- woo!) on the 27th. I'm coming back on the 1st but that's probably to Sheffield. I've looked through the boards but can't really find a definitive answer. I've heard all about splitting but not sure where to split. Also I heard that "travelling short" on this route can save money and I reckon although it's banned I could blag it! ;-)

Any ideas would be hugely appreciated, I'm not really a seasoned traveler and am totally baffled by the whole thing. Many thanks in advance,

Oli

Oliashby

Oliashby wrote: »

Hi guys,

I need to get down to London King's Cross to get the Eurostar (2pm to Paris- woo!) on the 27th. I'm coming back on the 1st but that's probably to Sheffield. I've looked through the boards but can't really find a definitive answer. I've heard all about splitting but not sure where to split. Also I heard that "travelling short" on this route can save money and I reckon although it's banned I could blag it! ;-)

Any ideas would be hugely appreciated, I'm not really a seasoned traveler and am totally baffled by the whole thing. Many thanks in advance,

Oli

:embarasse sorry I forgot to say it's the 27th of December, coming back on the 1st of Jan

dzug1

Splitting is usually a last resort, not a first one. You do it when you can't get cheap tickets any other way.

First resort is cheap advance purchase singles - when they come out. They are not available for your dates yet and I doubt if they will be for a while.

It might also be worth you looking at the Wrexham and Shropshire railway - they run a cheap if slow service from Wrexham to London Marylebone

For Sheffield you can also try megatrain. You can only book 45 days in advance. Not sure if they run on Bank Holidays though