Buying cheap train tickets.

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longers

Legendary Member
How please?

I'm not good at getting good deals for such things and would like to know how best to buy tickets in advance for the least money if I know a month or two in advance of when I want to go. Thanks.
 

theloafer

Legendary Member
Location
newton aycliffe
 

marinyork

Resting in suspended Animation
Location
Logopolis
It's very complicated. Sometimes you can get nearly as good deals a few days before, usually it's a 2-3 weeks.

Use something like http://tickets.eastcoast.co.uk/ec/en/JourneyPlanning/MixingDeck

and you click on the cheapest ticket option and just browse down through the times and you get an idea of the times.

Beyond that there are a few weird deals on from time to time like there was a deal doing £5 single here to London and if you get really geeky and browse split journeys you can save a bit of money too! The best way's just to use something like NXEC and browse lots and lots of tickets.
 

Beardie

Well-Known Member
Also try www.qjump.co.uk. Both it and trainline require you to set up an account, but once done, it is quite straightforward. I rarely buy long-distance tickets anywhere else now, though your local ticket office should really be able to get the same fares.

Thing is, neither Qjump nor Trainline will do cycle reservations for you. These can only be had at the booking office or direct from the relevant Train Operating Company. Time to practise your winning smile for the ticket clerk.
 

MacB

Lover of things that come in 3's
longers said:
Thanks all, there's some good stuff there to look into.

You're not alone, I've never been able to get the cheap fares iothers do as well. Think I'll try these links as well.
 

jonesy

Guru
Often worth looking for 'split fares'- i.e. you buy two tickets for your journey, the first being to an intermediate station where your train calls that is at the boundary of two different operators' fares, the second being from there to your destination. e.g. Bristol to Birmingham trains usually stop at Cheltenham; fares between Bristol and Cheltenham are set by First Great Western, but fares between Cheltenham and Birmingham are set by Cross Country, and often cost more than the total of the two different stages combined. Similarly, Banbury provides another useful breakpoint on the vastly overpriced Cross Country network. You can save a huge sum for journeys between say Reading or Didcot and Birmingham at peak time by splitting fares at Banbury. This website:
http://www.splitfare.co.uk/
was set up to help people find these sorts of savings, but it got stopped by ATOC apparently because the website was using the national fares data without permission. But it looks like they are trying to find another way of doing it.
 

Paulus

Started young, and still going.
Location
Barnet,
It is worth phoning the Railway company that you want to travel with as often they can give you special fares over the phone. One company can book through tickets even if your journey involves more than one TOC.
 

thomas

the tank engine
Location
Woking/Norwich
twentysix by twentyfive said:
But did he want too? :laugh:

Hover Fly said:
Is he a bit potty?

I would want more than a quid to go to Stoke. About £50 an hour, with a guarantee of leaving after 2 days.



Haha, she's from there, born and bred and seems to think it's the best thing since sliced bread. She keeps inviting us there....we've not yet been free :blush:

Though, their oat cakes filled with cheese and bacon are quite nice :angry:
 

BrumJim

Forum Stalwart (won't take the hint and leave...)
What is your route? You'll often get good deals if you are travelling with one operator. Go for a through ticket, and you'll loose that benefit. So if you do need to change trains, then get two tickets for the route instead.
 
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