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How to save on your rail fares
With rail fares set to keep rising, we offer tips to minimise the impact on your pocket.
Image © PA Wire
Rail fares are set to soar 25% in the next four years if the government persists with its above-inflation hikes, a rail union has warned.
The Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) said fares would rise by 8% on average next week, followed by sharp hikes in the coming years.
As a result, an annual season ticket from Swindon to London would rise from the current £7,024 to £9,009 by 2015. Similarly, a season ticket from Manchester to Liverpool would jump from £2,536 to £3,253, the TSSA said.
The union is calling on the government to abandon such sharp hikes, which it described as an "unfair stealth tax". However, the coalition has insisted that the hikes are necessary to fund ongoing investment in UK rail infrastructure.
Protest over rail fares 'robbery'
How can you avoid rail rip-offs?
So with dramatic fare rises seemingly unavoidable, it's important to take whatever action you can to cut the cost of train travel. Here are our top tips to help you do just that.
1. Book in advance. If you can, book 12 weeks before the day of travel - this is when the tickets are released, and is the optimum time for grabbing a bargain. It may be difficult most of the time, but it's a must for holidays and travel around the festive season, when trains are busier and more expensive.
If you can be flexible with your dates then this could help you avoid peak times and weekends, which both bump up costs. If you are travelling at short notice or have not had a chance to book in advance it may not be too late. It's possible to get discounts online on the day of travel, and generally just about any option is cheaper than simply buying at the station on the day you travel.
2. Research prices. National Rail Enquiries is a good starting point to check schedules and prices first. But take a look at the site of the train operator you'll be using too, as they often have special offers. Most let you sign up for emails so you know when certain tickets go on sale, and you'll also be informed when promotional tickets go on sale for as little as £1.
3. Avoid charges. Before you book online, find out whether you will be liable for any fees. TheTrainLine and RailEasy sites both make booking charges and add on credit card fees. You might want to use them for research but buy elsewhere.
4. Invest in a railcard. If you are eligible, railcards can be a very wise investment that pays itself several times over. There are several different types, such as for 'Friends and Family', '16-25' and 'senior' travellers.
5. Split your tickets. It may seem like a lot of fuss and an unlikely way to save money but for certain trips, it can be as much as half the cost to buy different tickets for different parts of one journey. All you have to do is take the same journey with two tickets instead of one - and you don't have to break your journey at the middle station. For example, for a return trip to Edinburgh, it may be cheaper to buy a single ticket to York and then from York to Edinburgh, rather than a return for the whole journey.
Splitting works because different rail companies charge for different parts of the same journey. It's perfectly legal to split tickets providing the train you take stops at all the places you have bought tickets for and does not just pass through them. Once you know your route and date of travel, you can research options on the National Rail site. There is also an independent consumer site - SplitYourTicket.co.uk - which does the work for you.
6. Buy two singles. We are always led to believe that a return ticket saves us money but on some routes, at some times, two singles may be cheaper. Again, check National Rail and other sites before you travel.
7. Don't assume a season ticket is cheapest. With many overland stations now signing up to Oyster Card or similar schemes, you may save money by 'touching in and out' and topping up as you go. Hull Trains, National Express and Virgin all sell carnets - books of single tickets - which are a more flexible option for some travellers.
What's more, don't assume that you have to purchase a 12 month season ticket. If for whatever reason you know you won't be travelling in to work for a period at some point in the year, you can request a shorter season ticket.
8. Travel in packs. If you're travelling in a group, offers like Groupsave can help you cut costs. The size of the discount will likely depend on the amount of people you're travelling with, but it's certainly worth investigating.
On Bing: group travel discounts
9. Get compensated. If you get let down by a delay or cancellation then consider getting some money back. If your train is delayed by more than 30 minutes you may be due for a partial refund so keep your ticket and pick up a reclaim form from the station.
Bear in mind that train companies are only obliged to pay compensation for a delay if it is due to circumstances that are 'within their control'. Examples of things outside their control include acts of terrorism, severe weather conditions and line closures at the request of the emergency services (such as a lineside fire that makes it potentially unsafe to operate services).
If a delay is deemed to be out of a train company's control passengers are not automatically entitled to compensation. However, many train companies will now offer a goodwill gesture if you have been significantly delayed so it is always worth asking for compensation.
If you are travelling on the underground and your train is delayed by 15 minutes or longer then you can make a compensation request via the TFL website.
Got any other top tips for cheaper rail travel that we've missed? Why not share them with other readers
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9Comments
23/11/2011 10:12
The rise in Train fares only really effects one segment of customer. Prize for the best guess ....
'The Commuter'.
This article fails to even acknowledge that and tackles an easy customer base who rarely even use the trains.
The commuter who travels regularly on over ground train is the cash cow of rail and will be massively hit. As they probably have no real choice to an alternative.
On their trains there is also a capacity utilisation issue with the under used 1st class cabins, so the customer now has to pay more and still there is an unpleasant customer experience during rush hour. Lose - Lose.
The only way a commuter can save their money is to buy a SEASON ticket NOW. Customer's travelling over ground with monthly rail cards need to invest in a year pass on the current price NOW. The inflated price to come will pose as the discount. Take the hit now to avoid the inflated price. A big investment but it's the only way. #itellnolies
23/11/2011 10:49
Just invested in a motorbike. I travel into the city everyday and save about forty pounds a week on my train ticket compared to the petrol I use. Got rid of my car as well so saving bundles on the insurance. Plus there are countless free parking bays for motorcycles in town and you are congestion charge free. Great decision.
23/11/2011 20:50
This is ridiculous. I travel weekly from Luton to West Hampstead in London, on the Bedford to Sutton route operated by First Capital Connect, and the return ticket costs me £21, a robbery. In addition most of the times during peak hours the trains are completely full even standing in the corridors and people are forced to travel like cattle, especially when the train is formed of only 4 coaches despite the rush hour. But even those lucky enough to find a seat don't have an easy travel experience. I measured the size of the seats in the train compartments (the blue ones), it is 45 cm (17 3/4") in their maximum width, then I measured the width, shoulder to shoulder, of my mates at work. Out of 24 only two of them could fit in those seats, and none of them is particularly big or obese. Whoever designed those seats, I really would like to know where they took their measures. Like on airplanes, they don't consider that people have arms, the seats are undersized! Obviously all this is done to save space in order to load more (paying) human commodity in fewer transport units and maximize the profits without any regards for people, who come always after the money. Everybody should rebel to such treatment.
23/11/2011 15:19
The only sensible thing to do is boycott the railways if you want the fares to come down, do as Someone (Stingray 6893) has done, find alternative transport, that's all it takes, it really is that simple, just do it, and lets put an end to all governments using the electorate as cash cows for their personal ideas and dreams, and start to do as we tell them to do.
23/11/2011 12:51
23/11/2011 11:23
23/11/2011 20:13
Having been a 'commuter' working in London in the 70's, let me assure you, nothing has changed in respect of who bears the brunt of fare increases. Those that do not use the trains will tell you, if you use them, you pay for them. I do not have a car, but the moans and groans over petrol increases from people who drive round the corner to get a paper, baffles me.
This year, 2011, I have made 7 journeys, 4 to London, 2 to Cardiff and one to the Midlands, and by booking early, as I do with my 60+ Railcard, the total cost has come to just about £200.00 - I live in the North West.
Sadly, the major 'cash cow' in this country is the tax payer, always has been, and always will be. Just think of the massive expenditure being given for that 2 week event in London next year, which the mass majority of British people are unable to afford to go to, but they pay their taxes?
02/12/2011 04:57
MSN THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN HERE FOR 10 DAYS, ALONG WITH MANY OTHERS.
THE LAST COMMENT WAS POSTED 9 DAYS AGO.
YET THERE ARE FAR MORE IMPORTANT STORIES THAT WE ARE UNABLE TO COMMENT ON
WHY??????
OF COURSE YOU WILL NOT GIVE US ANSWERS.
MAYBE IF WE SENT YOUR ADVERTISERS OUR COMMENTS ON MSN YOU WOULD TAKE NOTICE.
I DON'T EXPECT YOU TO READ THIS AND ALTHOUGH YOU HAVE OUR EMAIL YOU WILL JUST IGNORE EVERYONE.
07/12/2011 07:03
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