7 . From delays to strikes, trains aren’t always the smoothest way to travel. 1 Just a few months ago, they went up on average by 4.9% in England. Fortunately, there are ways to bring down the cost of your ticket.
First up, think about how you book your tickets. Some third party sites will charge you for most bookings. 2 Some official booking sites and apps have loyalty programs, such as LNER which offers 2% back on journeys on its routes. Uber also sells train tickets and until the end of June it offers 10% back in credits.
3 With most rail operators, the earlier you book your ticket, the cheaper it’s going to be. You’ll usually be able to pick up advance fares 12 weeks before you travel, and prices gradually rise the closer you get to your departure date. Some routes will have advance prices up until the day before and even on the day.
A split ticket shouldn’t work, but it can. Don’t buy a direct ticket from A to B. 4 At its most basic, you’ll go from A to C, then from C to B, though it could easily be a longer chain. It works best on long journeys.
If you’re regularly travelling on the same route most days, then a season ticket will save you money. Of course that will involve a larger upfront cost, so it’s worth seeing if you can get an interest-free loan from your employer for this which you’ll pay back via your salary. 5 Just make sure with the latter that you pay at least the minimum amount each month and that you clear the full balance before the year is out.
| A．They’re also not that cheap. |
| B．Booking in advance also helps. |
| C．They are not as fast and convenient as planes, either. |
| D．However, with careful calculations, you have a lot to gain. |
| E．Instead, buy multiple tickets that break the journey up, and pay less. |
| F．But if instead you go direct with a rail company, you can avoid this. |
| G．If not, you can try a zero-percent interest purchase credit card which will do the same thing. |
