Train travel may be one of the most sustainable, speedy ways to get around in the UK, but tickets don’t come cheap. The Independent’s travel correspondent, Simon Calder, reported that train fares have risen by around 4.6 per cent. But, unfortunately, for many, the cost is unavoidable.
To help you save a little bit of cash on your all-important travel, we’d recommend a railcard, but also booking your tickets via Trainline, which guarantees its offering the best price, with no booking fee when you buy same-day tickets using the app. But it’s not just UK train journeys that you can book using Trainline. It is Europe’s leading train and coach app, pulling together routes, timetables and prices from more than 270 rail and coach operators, in 40 countries.
The platform offers great deals on advanced bookings, split fares, and when you use a railcard. Our team of money-savers have used their skills to find ways to help you save up to £22 per trip, and enjoy 60 per cent off advanced bookings. Here’s how.
Like with many other things, train tickets are often cheaper when you book them in advance. Advance train tickets are single fares that go on sell a long time before the day of travel. They’re non-refundable and non-flexible – which is what makes them a lot cheaper than on the day, full price fares. Advance train tickets from Trainline can save you up to 60 per cent on the full price fare, but only a limited number of tickets will be available, so don’t hang around. Most of the advance tickets will be released 12 weeks before departure date, but sometimes, you can get them as far as six months in advance.
Search for split tickets using Trainline’s search engine and save on average £22 per trip. When you split your train journey into multiple tickets, rather than buying a single ticket, you can save a big chunk of cash. Most of the time, you won’t have to change trains, the train just needs to be stopping at your split ticket section.
Save a third on your travel with digital season tickets and make the commute to work a bit more bearable. You won’t have to queue for a paper ticket, and will have everything you need safe on your phone. Season tickets come in four options – weekly, monthly, annual and flexi tickets. When you buy an annual season ticket you’ll also get a free Annual Gold Card, which will save you an extra £93 a year, on average.
How we find the best Trainline discount codes
We have an incredible team of deal hunters here at The Independent, who are skilled in curating the best offers on products that we know you love. We put best-selling products through their paces, work with in-house teams to secure the best deals, and bring you the latest news on new launches. We work closely with rail providers and ticketing platform teams to help you save money on your future journeys.
Why you can trust us
Since 1986, The Independent has been a trusted consumer champion, reporting on behalf of our readers to find the best of all discounts out there. Whether bringing you the latest deals on train travel or fashion, our team is always searching for the cream of the crop. Rest assured, we only bring you deals from brands that we trust, and would buy from ourselves.
To keep up to date with the best savings, check out our dedicated deals section
