With the rising costs of living, you may have noticed that your car is not going as far as it used to with the soaring costs of fuel here in the UK.
Fed up of going to the petrol station? The only way to make sure that you aren’t going to go over your budget at the moment is to plan ahead. If you're someone reliant on travelling each day, then another way of ensuring that your pounds last longer is by considering public transport.
You’d probably be surprised how much you can save by opting for a train or bus journey over your car. We expect to see these costs rise, too, over the next few years. But you can almost always snap up some great deals if you shop wisely. Find out more below!
For Train Travel
Save with a Railcard
Something that you may not be aware of is that there are around 9 or 10 different types of railcards available that can save you money on your travel.
We all know that there are railcards for 16 to 25-year-olds. But did you know if you’re 26 to 30 you can also get a railcard? You can actually save around a third of the cost of train fares! Check out Trainline and see if you’re eligible for a railcard and grab yourself one to save some money!
Just in case you’re wondering which you may be eligible for we’ve compiled a list of just a few below:
~ 16-25
~ 26-30
~ family and friends
~ two together
~ senior
~ disabled person
~ veterans
Travel Off-Peak
The easiest way to save a bit of money by travelling on the train is to travel “off-peak“. These fares are cheaper tickets for travelling on trains that are less busy.
They offer great value for money and you can buy them online from providers such as Rail Easy. They do have some restrictions and it may mean that you have to travel a little earlier than you would usually, but your train will be less busy and it will cost you less!
If you’re lucky enough to have a Flexitime job, then this may suit you down to the ground.
Buy Tickets In Advance
A great way to save money on train tickets is to book them in advance of your journey. The earlier you book your ticket, generally the cheaper the fare will be.
If you’re booking a train at a time when it is likely to be busy you’ll also stand a better chance of securing a seat. By booking a ticket early online with providers such as Chiltern Railways you’ll also skip the queues and be able to receive your ticket digitally, or you can print this out at the train station. So it’ll save you time and money!
Check Online for Discount Codes
If you’re late to the party and haven’t booked your ticket online in advance of your journey, then a great cost-saving exercise would be to have a look online and see if you can find some discount codes or promotions.
There are numerous sites offering various discounts on train travel whether you’re travelling on your own, or as a family. You could save up to 60% of the cost of travel by spending just 5 minutes online - check out all of our live transport discount codes.
Check Cashback Websites
If you’re struggling to find any valid discount codes or promotions online, another great place to look for cheaper train tickets is cashback websites such as Top Cashback or even through your bank.
They can save you up to 80% on the price of your ticket compared with buying at the station on the day of your travel. You can book these tickets up to 12 weeks in advance of your journey with providers such as Virgin, East Coast, Cross Country etc.
When booking with cashback you can actually get up to between 1 – 7% back on train fares which you can put back towards your next journey.
Split Your Tickets
You can make big savings by doing what is called “split ticketing“. This basically means that rather than buying a ticket from A to B if you buy for example a ticket from A to B to C you can actually save money.
For example, if you’re travelling from Manchester to Edinburgh rather than booking a ticket from Manchester to Edinburgh, split your journey and buy a ticket from Manchester to Chorley and then Chorley to Edinburgh. You’ll be surprised at the difference.
You don’t have to get off the train, in fact, you can stay sitting in the same seat for the whole journey, you just produce your ticket for each destination when the train conductor requests. Yes, it may take a moment to do your research but surely the saving is worth it.
Choose a Flexible Return Ticket
Obviously, you’ll be looking for the cheapest train tickets. but if you don’t want to be restricted on what journey you can take then a flexible return ticket is definitely the one for you.
If you know when you want to travel on your outbound journey, then simply select the cheapest fare that you want to take and then select flexible for the return.
You’ll then be able to travel at any time or any date within a certain period, usually within 28 days. This could end up saving you a huge amount of money if you buy an inbound train ticket that you miss, and then have to buy another one.
For Bus or Tram Travel
Save with An Annual, Monthly or Weekly Pass
If you travel to work, school, college, university etc on the bus/tram and are likely to take at least two journeys a day, then getting a ticket in advance such as a weekly, monthly, or annual bus/tram pass will save you tremendous amounts on your travel costs.
There are even options available if you travel on both a bus and a tram. It’s great for people who plan their budgets ahead of the month as you can get your ticket at the beginning of the month on payday and then don’t have to worry about it travel for the rest of the month.
Save with Student, Family, or OAP Passes
If you’re a student, then there are lots of discounts available on your bus and tram travel, or if you’re an OAP then you are entitled to cheaper travel.
You can even bag yourself family packages for days out from Mega Bus which offer massive discounts if you buy prior to your journey online rather than on the day. This means you’ll have extra money for your family day out and won't have to worry about parking!
Buy Your Bus Ticket Before You Get On
These days not many of us actually carry cash around anymore as most things are now contactless, or there is an app where you can pre-book tickets.
Buses and trams were quick to catch onto this and you can now buy your tickets via apps so that when you get on the bus, all you have to do is show the driver your phone and go and take a seat. Buying in advance generally always means that your fare will be slightly cheaper, too.
Gone are the days when you would be searching for coins for your bus fare or being told by the driver that you can’t get on because they have no change!
