Rail Travel

33Lurcher · 11 October 2016 at 8:05AM

Looking at 4 adults (all 65) travelling to Southhampton Central from Manchester next May and instead of driving thinking about the train .
Can anyone point me in the right direction for best return fares , am I right in thinking I need a Senior Rail Card ?
Also is it advisable to book journeys early or a week or so before ?

Many Thanks

Hasbeen · 11 October 2016 at 9:17AM

33Lurcher wrote: »

Looking at 4 adults (all 65) travelling to Southhampton Central from Manchester next May and instead of driving thinking about the train .
Can anyone point me in the right direction for best return fares , am I right in thinking I need a Senior Rail Card ?
Also is it advisable to book journeys early or a week or so before ?

Many Thanks

Rail cards are £30 each, does anyone in group have cards? if not that's £120 spent to get 1/3 off.

Advance tickets would probably be the best way to go. Available usually 12 weeks before travel. If not the cards would probably pay for themselves for that trip.

luvchocolate · 11 October 2016 at 11:09AM

Sometimes there is a deal for 2 people traveling together, as said above book 12 weeks in advance to get the best price, I think you have to book the train times both ways

missile · 11 October 2016 at 11:37AM

Be careful. It cost me price of another 2 full price tickets, when we missed our return off peak journey.

cbsexec · 11 October 2016 at 12:25PM

If you check you can get a reduction under "three together" or "group save".

That worked out cheaper for us. You should get offered it at a booking office or if booking in advance (12 weeks is the magic number i believe) go to the "add railcards" bit and I think it comes up there.

33Lurcher · 11 October 2016 at 12:43PM

Thanks for replies .

Cezzy · 11 October 2016 at 2:22PM

If you consider going the Senior Rail Card route (£30 which as gives you a 1/3 off travel for 1 year) you can use Tesco vouchers. £15 worth of vouchers will double up to the £30 required. Go to the Tesco website, its really quick and easy to do and the card is despatched straight away to your home. I travel around a lot by train and it saves me a fortune. I also book online and get nectar points for the cost of my ticket. It also will show cheaper options or sometimes an upgrade to first class for a minimal amount extra. I also recommend that you try to book as early as possible however agree with Missile, only book specific time journeys if you can be absolutely sure you won't miss them or it can costly.

33Lurcher · 11 October 2016 at 6:16PM

Good tip re the Tesco vouchers .

Wicked_Lady · 11 October 2016 at 9:56PM

DH and I have always used Tesco reward points for our Senior railcards - very efficient service.
If you have an Oyster card then don't forget to link your Senior railcard to that to get cheaper Underground travel as well.

Savvy_Sue · 15 October 2016 at 1:46AM

If any of you would be entitled to a Disabled Railcard, that's a better option than the Senior, because a) it's a bit cheaper and b) two of you get the same discount even if only one of you has the card.

Having a hearing aid qualifies you, for example.

33Lurcher · 15 October 2016 at 1:51PM

Thanks Savvy_Sue , just applied for one as it applies:money:

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