You might think it is too early to start thinking about Christmas shopping – but don’t let that stop you buying train tickets for the festive period. If you’re heading home or visiting relatives you need to act now to get the cheapest deals.
Train operators have released their cheapest “Advance” price tickets, which thetrainline.com says can be almost £150, or 92%, cheaper on some routes compared to walk-up fares on the day.
It found an Advance single ticket from London to Manchester costs £12.50 now, compared to £160.50 if bought at the station on the day – a massive £148 more. Other savings, it claims, include travelling from Bristol to London for £15 instead of £96.50; Leeds to Edinburgh for £17 as opposed to £96.50; and Nottingham to York for £9.50 compared to a walk-up fare of £49.
Be aware that the number of the very cheapest Advance fares is limited. For example, on the London to Manchester route we found only a handful of the £12.50 tickets over the Christmas period. But there were plenty more at a still very cheap £19 or £27. This is because companies release their cheapest tickets 12 weeks in advance. Other tickets follow in tranches, which become increasingly expensive until all these have sold out and you are left with the standard fare.
One way potentially to save yourself a lot of money is to buy two single tickets rather than a return. For example, we found that the cheapest return from London to Hull going out on 23 December and returning on 28 December was £91.70 via train ticket website redspottedhanky.com. Yet two singles for the same journey totalled £57.50.
However, whether you are buying singles or returns, be sure of your plans. Buying an Advance ticket means committing to a specified train on a certain day and no refund – although in most cases you can change your journey, up to departure, for a £10 fee plus any difference in the fare payable.
The general rule is the more you pay, the more flexible your ticket. After Advance, the next cheapest option is Super Off-Peak, then Off-Peak. You’ll need to check either an aggregator such as thetrainline.com, RailEasy.co.uk or redspottedhanky.com or the rail operator’s website to see which trains off-peak tickets are valid for. The most expensive, but most flexible, are Anytime.
If you decide before the day of travel not to use a Super Off-Peak, Off Peak, or Anytime ticket, you can get a refund but this will be subject to an admin fee of up to £10. Even if you do then need to buy another ticket, the price may not be as high as you think. You can sometimes buy Advance tickets the night before – or even on the day, through some train operators. Obviously, the likelihood of getting one of these is considerably reduced over the Christmas period, but don’t pay the walk-on fare until you have checked. And always shop around.
Some of the lowest Advance fares are only available on the train operator’s website. For example, the cheapest from London to York on Christmas Eve is £14.60 on thetrainline.com but £13 on Eastcoast.co.uk for the same train.
Another advantage of using a rail operator’s site is they don’t charge booking and credit card fees. Thetrainline.com’s booking fees are up to £1.50 with a credit card fee of 2% (a debit card is free).
Rail operator sites also all sell other rail companies’ tickets – so you don’t need to know which companies operate which routes before you book.
In general, planned engineering works are announced 12 weeks in advance – the same as cheap tickets – so engineering works planned for Christmas should have already been announced. Visit nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions and you’ll be able to see whether your Christmas travel plans are going to be more nightmarish than you thought.
HOW TO CLAIM
What happens if leaves, snow or anything else ruin your plans and your train is delayed or cancelled? When it comes to cancelled services, you can get a refund. You can also get a refund if a delayed train means you change your mind about travelling.
However, claiming compensation for delay can be more complicated. Some companies use a scheme whereby passengers can claim 50% of the cost of their ticket back after a half-hour delay, or 100% if it’s by an hour or more.
Others use a scheme where the compensation varies. The minimum for a delay is 20% of your single ticket price if a train is late by more than hour.
Which? has a handy train delay tool at which.co.uk/money which covers every company and length of delay and tells you the compensation you’re entitled to.
However, the delay must have been within the train company’s control. Those due to security alerts, poor weather conditions, a fatality, or vandalism, are generally excluded.
Compensation is paid in National Rail vouchers, which can be used with any train company but not online.
