Starting to go back into the office more often? Or maybe you’re travelling to see an old friend for the weekend? If you plan on taking the train anytime soon, there are plenty of ways you can save a bit of money doing so and they are so easy, you shouldn’t miss out! Here are a few tips:

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1. Buy Tickets In Advance

The easiest way you can save money on train tickets is to buy them in advance. You may not always be able to do this, but if you’re heading into the office every Wednesday, or planning a trip for a couple months’ time, then you can definitely take advantage of this.

Tickets will usually go on sale around 12 months before the date of travel so bear that in mind. Also, ticket prices tend to increase the closer to the travel date, so the further in advance you can book, the better. The Trainline have also recently implemented a handy new feature that predicts when the price of a ticket will increase by analysing pricing trends from previous sales so keep an eye out for this when researching! 

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2. Buy a Railcard

There is a railcard out there for pretty much everyone, so with this tip, there is no excuse to save a bit of cash. Railcards are split into different age categories as well as if you usually travel solo, in a couple or with family, so you should be able to find one that suits you. A 16-25 railcard costs £30 for the year and you will save up to ⅓ on individual ticket prices, so if you travel relatively often, you’ll make your money back fairly quickly. Buying a 3 year railcard is even better value at £70. 

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3. Travel Together

If you happen to be travelling as a group, then it’s good to know that you can buy tickets together and get up to a third off the ticket price. Using Group Save can save you all money if you are travelling to and from the same destination. This is also available on railcards for day travel in London. 

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4. Split Your Fare

Are you taking a trip that requires you to change trains? For example, you may be travelling from Brighton to Nottingham and having to change at London St Pancras half way through your journey. Well, instead of searching for the trip in its entirety and booking it altogether, it usually helps to book each leg of your trip separately. By splitting it up into two (or more), you tend to get a cheaper price. 

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5. Be Specific

Often, choosing a specific time to travel will work out cheaper than buying a flexible ticket, so if you can guarantee you won’t be late, try choosing that option when you can. Keep a lookout for off-peak travel times to maximise savings too. 

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6. Use Cashback Apps

Apps like Airtime Rewards and Cheddar offer cashback whenever you're booking train tickets with selected train operators. All you need to do is sign up, connect all of the bank cards that you use to make purchases and purchase as normal. Using the power of open banking, these apps will identify your transactions as well as how much was spent and issue you cashback straight to your account. This money can either be withdrawn into your bank account or be redeemed as money off your phone bill - it's a win-win!

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• Download AIrtime Rewards here and code 'YKXRJVP7' for an extra 50p on signup
• Download Cheddar here and use code 'BKFUQEV' for extra £££ on signup

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