Act fast to get on right track for rail savings

IT is possible to buy cheap — and in some cases very cheap — train tickets. You just have to know where to look, and act quickly when you spot a deal. That’s not always easy, despite the fact that earlier this year tickets were “simplified” to help customers find the cheapest fares.

Tickets bought in advance have now been grouped into new names: Anytime, Off-Peak and Advance.

Last month, walk-up fares (the ones you buy at the station) were also grouped into Anytime or Off-Peak tickets.

Research shows an overhaul of the system was badly needed.

Fewer than half of passengers are confident of getting the best-value ticket and a similar proportion do not understand the range of tickets and fares available, according to Passenger Focus, an independent consumer organisation.

If you are planning to travel by rail over the Christmas period this year, you should book as soon as possible, according to ticket ­website Thetrainline.com.

Ben Pearson, the site’s commercial director, says: “The number of cheap Advance tickets is limited and to save money, people planning to travel by train this Christmas need to act fast.

“For example, Advance single tickets are available from London to Manchester for £8 now. Once these have sold out, the price will be more than £60.”

But the prices of train fares continue to rise and there are fears the new ticket systems will increase fares still further.

Some rail companies put up their prices by as much as 20 per cent last year, according to a report from the National Audit Office. With that in mind, it is more important than ever to get a bargain on your ticket to ride.

Getting started

It takes time to search for the best deals and a lot of these are snapped up long before many passengers even think about buying their tickets.

“The most important thing to remember is that buying in advance means you get the cheapest tickets,” says Martin Lewis, creator of consumer website Moneysavingexpert.com.

“Leave it too late or, even worse, buy your ticket at the station just before you catch the train and the fares will be at their most expensive.”

Train companies release time­tables 12 weeks in advance and that is often when the cheapest tickets are on offer.

But, however short the time in advance you can buy, try to get a ticket before you reach the station — even if that means buying it online just before you leave the house, says Lewis.

For example, his research shows an Advance single for a trip from Manchester to London at 1pm was still on sale as late as 1am the same morning. “As soon as you know when you want to go, do not leave it until the station. Check the price out straight away,” he says.

Get online

National Rail’s website (National­rail.co.uk) is a good place to start planning your trip. It gives details of routes and train times.

But when you are searching for the cheapest tickets, try going directly to a train operator’s website to check out special offers.

For example, once a month Virgin Trains (Virgintrains.co.uk) offers tickets you need to print yourself at home for certain routes, priced from £1 to £10.

First Great Western has also been offering £5 off the price of a ticket — and it need not be for a train it operates. You can book for any journey through the website.

The National Express East Coast offers a 10 per cent online discount on its advance purchase fares if booked through its website.

There are also sites such as Thetrainline.com that allow you to buy tickets. There are booking fees to pay, however, so going directly to the train operator might work out cheaper. But they can help you find the cheapest tickets, if you use the ticket alert systems.

For example, Thetrainline.com has a free system that emails you as soon as cheap Advance tickets for a specific journey go on sale. It also offers a fare-finder search, which it calculates saves customers 39 per cent on a ticket price compared with the typically expen­sive option of buying at the station on the day of travel.

Pearson, at Thetrainline.com, says: “The Best Fare Finder tool tells customers when they need to travel to get cheap fares such as Lon­don to Bristol for £10, Edin­burgh to London for £15.70 and Bir­mingham to London for £10.50.”

See Farefinder.thetrainline.com for details.

Moneysavingexpert.com also offers email alerts when the cheapest tickets become available.

If you do not have access to the internet, you can call Thetrainline.com on 0870 010 1296, or look for your train operator’s number in the phone book.

Book single tickets for a return journey

Mixing and matching single fares means you can get a much cheaper trip, than if you pay for a return ticket.

“The thing to remember about train tickets is that logic does not apply,” says Lewis.

As an example, Lewis says a search for a seat on the midweek 9.15am Manchester to London train, coming back the next day, brings up a standard open ticket costing a whopping £230; a quick check instantly found that, for the same journey, an outbound Advance (single) ticket was £26, returning also on an Advance at £13, a total of £39.

Get a railcard

A railcard — you qualify if you are aged 16 to 25, disabled or over 60 — can save about one-third of the cost of each ticket. See Railcard.co.uk.

The website also has details of the Friends & Family Railcard, for use when you are travelling with a child, and the Network Railcard that can give discounts on off-peak journeys in the South-east of England.