Slash the cost of your train fare

If you're planning to travel by train over the festive period, you can save a fortune by booking ahead now. Here's how.

Brace yourself - I'm going to mention a dreaded word - Christmas. Yep, it's on its way. I've had a couple of clues - one was nearly crashing into a sky-high pile of Quality Street tins upon entering the supermarket the other day. The other was an invite to a Christmas party. Seriously.

Yes I know; with 14 weeks to go it's ridiculously early for anyone not in the retail business to be talking about yuletide festivities. Or is it? As many of us will be planning to hop on a train to visit friends and family over Christmas, it may soon be exactly the right time to plan the trip as this is when the cheap tickets can be booked!

Cheap train tickets

Many of the train companies are about to start releasing their bargain advance tickets - so if you want to save a fortune, you'd better be prepared. But where should you start?

Well there are a few websites you can use to search for the cheapest fares. In addition it's worth subscribing to them as they tend to send emails when special offers are available or dates can be booked.

TheTrainline.com allows you to search for and book bargain advance fares. However many people dislike it, and as it adds a £1 booking fee (plus an extra £2.50 to use a credit card) it may be wise to use the site to search for the fare you want and then book it directly through the train operator.

National Express East Coast website allows you to book tickets to all UK destinations, it often offers discounts and doesn't charge any booking fees.

National Rail is a great search tool, but unfortunately you can't book your tickets through it. However, once you've found the fare you want you can simply purchase tickets online through its linked ticket retailers, the train operator, or at the station.

Train operators

If you know who you'll be travelling with it's often worth cutting out the middleman and looking at the operator's website (most do not charge a booking fee and some offer online discounts).

Virgin trains best fare finder promises to do just that. And the Megatrain offers fares from just £1 each way (plus a 50p booking fee) for the lucky ones that book early enough.

Over 55s can travel anywhere on the Arriva trains network in Wales for just £15 return (Senior and Disabled railcard holders save a further £2) via Club55 (First Great Western has a similar deal for £25).

National Express East Coast offers a 10% discount on its lowest standard fares for online bookers (plus, if you know you won't get the time to make sandwiches for the journey, you can lessen the shock of the buffet car by buying discounted catering vouchers before you travel).

And Cross Country trains offers students an extra 10% off its Advance tickets with an NUS extra card - and that's on top of any railcard savings.

Railcards

Don't forget the humble railcard. They can save you a bomb (sometimes even if you only make one train journey a year).

Under 26's and full time students can snap up a 16-25 railcard. It costs £26, but gives a third off rail fares (min. £12) across the UK for a whole year. Apply online and you'll get free Youth Hostel Association (YHA) membership for a year (worth £9.95).

The Family & Friends railcard also costs £26 and lets you save on third on adult fares, and 60% off children fares (four adults and four children can travel on the same card). Kids must be aged 5-15 and you need to be travelling with at least one child to use the card. Cardholders can also get Family YHA membership (worth £22.95).

The Senior Railcard gives a third off standard and first class fares for the over 60s (costs £26). And if you have a disability that makes travelling by train difficult, the Disabled Persons railcard costs £18 and gives a third off fares both for you and a companion.

Regional offers

If you live in or around London, the Network railcard costs £25 and gives a third off fares in and around the South East. Up to four adults and four kids can travel on the same card (kids save 60%). And local railcards are available in many other areas so it's worth asking.

Groupsave

If three or four people (which can include children) are travelling together off-peak, with Groupsave you can all travel for the price of 2 adults. Plus another 4 kids can travel with you for £1 each.

Season tickets

And my top tip is aimed at season ticket holders - make sure you're aware of any extras you're entitled to. South West trains, for example, offers gold card holders six free train tickets a year, they can save a third on off-peak travel and children can travel with cardholders for just £1!

A few other tricks:

Years ago when I was a student I used to regularly travel up and down the East coast line to visit friends and family. And quite by accident, during one trip I discovered how by "breaking-up" my journey halfway and buying two return tickets, I could save a tenner compared to simply buying one return. Suffice to say this was my mode of action from then on. What's more, it was sometimes cheaper to buy two single tickets, than a return.

And you'll be pleased to know that things haven't changed much!

Of course, finding out whether you can save takes time. You need to work out where your train stops, and how much tickets are to each stop to see if a saving can be made. You'll therefore need to be keen, but the savings for a family could be huge.

Families

Finally, when you're actually on board keep your 3-6 year-olds amused on Virgin trains by asking for one of their free Kids Bags. And you can reserve seats in Family Carriages on First Great Western's High Speed trains free of charge (if available).

Finally, if you're planning a very long (and busy) train journey in standard class and fancy a bit of luxury, do what a friend of mine regularly does and see if you can dine in the first class carriage. You'll get the more comfortable surroundings, with fewer people and for far less than a first class ticket!

Happy travelling!

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