Jump to:<\/strong><\/p>\n Now, for the main event: how to get cheap train tickets.<\/p>\n There are a few sure-fire ways to bag discounted train tickets, like purchasing a Railcard or a season ticket, and opting for websites without a booking fee. There are also a few nifty tricks you can try to reduce the cost, like splitting the journey and booking in advance.<\/p>\n If you can, it\u2019ll save you money to travel \u2018off-peak\u2019. When we say \u2018off-peak\u2019 we mean any time outside of the busiest times of travel, so commuting hours and weekends.<\/p>\n For example, a single train ticket from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston during peak commuter time will set you back \u00a3184.70. However, if you travel an hour and a half later, it\u2019s \u00a339.40.<\/p>\n Over \u00a3140 difference for one train ticket sounds like a fib (and we wish it was!). However, when we looked on Trainline at the time of writing this article (Tuesday 8th November), it was unfortunately there in black and white for a train for the following day.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re visiting London this year, we have some great activities for you to try, like the best immersive experiences<\/a>, the best West End shows<\/a>, and the best London walking tours<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n Train operators publish the timetables 12 weeks in advance, so 12 weeks before any trip is the best time to book tickets.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re a regular traveller, Railcards are a brilliant way to save money on your train fare. On average, a Railcard user saves \u00a3140 per year, as they can get up to \u2153 off the cost of travel.<\/p>\n You\u2019ve probably heard of the 16-25 Railcard, but there are lots more Railcards, too, like the Senior Railcard, Two Together Railcard, Disabled Persons Railcard, Veterans Railcard, and more.<\/p>\n Save up to \u2153 with a Railcard<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n This deal is best suited to commuters.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re travelling multiple times per week, you\u2019ll more than likely save money with a weekly, monthly or annual season ticket. If you can afford to, an annual season ticket will save you more overall, but if that\u2019s a stretch, don\u2019t worry; the monthly and weekly passes will still help you put away those pennies. Money Saving Expert handily has a season ticket calculator<\/a>.<\/p>\n Check out the season tickets on Trainline<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n In our opinion, this next hack is worth the extra bit of effort to save those all important pounds.<\/p>\n Instead of making one trip, split the journey in two. For example, if you\u2019re travelling from London to Durham but the train stops at York, you could buy a ticket from London to York, then York to Durham.<\/p>\n You\u2019ve confirmed your trip, you\u2019ve got your debit card out, and you\u2019ve just been met with a \u00a31.75 booking fee. It\u2019s not the biggest sum in the world, but when you\u2019re about to spend a decent amount on train tickets, it\u2019s annoying at the very least.<\/p>\n Some online train companies do charge a booking fee, like Trainline<\/a> and Raileasy<\/a>, and some train companies don\u2019t, like East Midlands Railway<\/a> and Avanti West Coast<\/a>.<\/p>\n You can use sites, such as East Midlands Railway, for example, to book any journey across the UK \u2013 it wouldn\u2019t have to be in the East Midlands.<\/p>\n A quick Google search of booking fees on individual sites should tell you whether you\u2019ll be met with a charge or not.<\/p>\n In theory, return train tickets should be cheaper than paying for two singles. In practice, this isn\u2019t always the case. Be sure to check on your chosen website which costs less.<\/p>\n Usually, first class seats are more expensive, but on rare occasions, they\u2019re the same price as standard tickets or cheaper. This may be luck of the draw when you\u2019re on the site ready to purchase a seat. Or, they\u2019ll work out cheaper in comparison depending on your time travelling. For example, an off-peak first class seat may be cheaper than a peak standard seat.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re wanting to treat yourself to a first class seat, be sure to purchase it 12 weeks before your trip, as this will be the cheapest price. With websites like ScotRail, you can save up to 30 per cent on first class travel if you book an \u2018Advance\u2019 ticket.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking for a saving (aren\u2019t we all?), then take a look at our how to get cheap cinema tickets<\/a> and how to get cheap theatre tickets<\/a> articles.<\/strong><\/p>\n The Caledonian Sleeper is an overnight sleeper train which has services between London and Scotland. It\u2019s almost definitely going to be comfier than the trip one of the RadioTimes.com<\/a> team took to Edinburgh this summer, where they spent 12 hours on a Megabus. However, the Caledonian Sleeper will be a bit pricier.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how you can get Caledonian Sleeper tickets for less.<\/p>\n Use your National Railcard. Selected Railcards \u2014 the 16-25 Railcard, the Senior Railcard, the HM Forces Railcard, the Veterans Railcard, the Friends & Family Railcard, the Disabled Persons Railcard, and the Two Together Railcard \u2014 offer up to 34 per cent discount on Club Solo or Classic Solo Rooms and seated products.<\/p>\n Also, choose a website that doesn\u2019t have a booking fee. For example, you can book Caledonian Sleeper seats on ScotRail<\/a> and Trainline<\/a>; ScotRail doesn\u2019t have a booking fee, whereas Trainline does.<\/p>\n Book Caledonian Sleeper tickets at ScotRail<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Buy a Digital Railcard from \u00a330 at Trainline<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Buy a Railcard from \u00a330 at Railcard<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n The earlier you book, the better the chance of getting the lowest cost tickets. To get the best price, book 120 days in advance. We know that\u2019s quite early for a lot of people, but you can now change your booking as many times as you\u2019d like with no exchange fee up to seven days before departure.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also worth noting that you can buy train tickets from London to Paris on Trainline, and yes, you can add a Railcard.<\/p>\n Travel from London to Paris with Trainline<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Travel across Europe with Eurostar<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Needing some inspiration of where to visit this autumn? Take a look at the best UK Christmas markets<\/a> and the best UK Christmas days out<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p><\/body><\/html>\n By Laura Wybrow Published: Wednesday, 09 November 2022 at 12:00 am Chris Rea may be driving home for Christmas, but we\u2019ve opted for the more eco-friendly form of transport this year: catching a train. Now, we just need to secure cheap seats and find the most efficient way of packing our Christmas presents. We\u2019d always […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":25418,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/11\/how-to-get-cheap-train-tickets-save-on-your-commute-and-trips-away.png",620,413,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/11\/how-to-get-cheap-train-tickets-save-on-your-commute-and-trips-away-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/11\/how-to-get-cheap-train-tickets-save-on-your-commute-and-trips-away-300x200.png",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/11\/how-to-get-cheap-train-tickets-save-on-your-commute-and-trips-away.png",620,413,false],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/11\/how-to-get-cheap-train-tickets-save-on-your-commute-and-trips-away.png",620,413,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/11\/how-to-get-cheap-train-tickets-save-on-your-commute-and-trips-away.png",620,413,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/11\/how-to-get-cheap-train-tickets-save-on-your-commute-and-trips-away.png",620,413,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Laura Wybrow Published: Wednesday, 09 November 2022 at 12:00 am Chris Rea may be driving home for Christmas, but we\u2019ve opted for the more eco-friendly form of transport this year: catching a train. Now, we just need to secure cheap seats and find the most efficient way of packing our Christmas presents. We\u2019d always…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/25417"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}How to get cheap train tickets<\/strong><\/h2>\n
What day is cheapest to travel by train?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
When are cheap train tickets available?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Best cheap train tickets and deals at a glance:<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Best cheap train tickets and deals for November 2022<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/11\/how-to-get-cheap-train-tickets-cheap-eurostar-tickets-uk-e78709b.png?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> Save up to \u2153 of the fare with a Railcard<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Swap to a season ticket<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Split the journey<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Avoid the booking fee<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Single vs return train tickets<\/strong><\/h3>\n
How to get cheap first class train tickets<\/strong><\/h3>\n
How to get cheap Caledonian Sleeper tickets<\/strong><\/h3>\n
How to get cheap Eurostar tickets<\/strong><\/h3>\n
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"