Money Saving Tips

There's a number of methods you can try to save money on rail travel, some of these even apply if you want to purchase a flexible ticket.

1. Book as soon as the low cost fares become available. Most rail companies release fares up to 10 weeks in advance, if the fares are not available yet keep checking back because once they become available the lowest fares go quickly
2. If your journey involves multiple operators (you can get a breakdown of your journey if you enter the details on thetrainline) try splitting the journey into its components. This will make available operator specific fares. e.g. Guildford to York would involve two operators South West Trains for the first leg and GNER for the second. Compare the price with booking the legs separately to the price of an all-in ticket. Which is cheaper depends what fares are currently available.
3. If you're buying a flexible ticket on a peak time journey (e.g. Standard Open or Business Saver) it may save money by splitting your ticket into two. The more expensive part of the ticket to cover the journey inside the zone where peak time restrictions apply and a cheaper ticket to cover the remainder of the journey. e.g. when travelling London to Berwick during peak time you could save money buying one ticket London to Peterborough and a cheaper ticket Peterborough to Berwick, there's no need to change trains, the regulations allow combination of tickets as long as the train stops at the station on your ticket
4. If you have an annual season ticket for either the tube or a train service in the south east your ticket doubles as a 'Gold Card' (Oyster card holders should have a gold record card to show eligibility). The gold card provides 33% discounts for up to four people on train services in the south east and discounted first class upgrades. For those without an annual season ticket the Network Railcard also provides the 33% discount in the south east. Under 25's (and students), over 60's, the disabled and families with children are able to purchase railcards valid on the whole of the UK rail network. These can quickly pay for themself if you buy flexible tickets.
5. Know your ticket rules. Many flexible ticket types allow break of journeys on the return leg and the fully flexible Standard and First Opens also allow break of journeys on the outward leg too. The conditions can be viewed by clicking on the ticket type when booking online. Being able to break your journey can be very useful if you need to visit more than one place on the same line. The journey can be spread over multiple days as long as you're back before the ticket expires
6. Travelling in a group - book together. Some train companies have tickets where 4 people can travel for the price of 2 or other similar deals for small groups. For larger groups of 10 or more then most rail companies offer further discounts but these large group booking can't be done online, they need to be done with the train company directly.
7. Not in a hurry, consider slower services. There's numerous routes where an intercity service competes with a slower local service on a section of the line. In many cases it's possible to buy tickets that are only valid on the slower local service which are almost certainly cheaper.
8. Never buy tickets on the train - very few train operating companies will offer the full range of tickets on board. Most just offer the most expensive open tickets. However, if you board at a station that has no ticket issuing facilities or the ticket office is closed then they have to offer the full range of walk up tickets on board.
9. In the event of a long delay (usually over 50 minutes on intercity services) train companies will give you compensation for delays (these are usually issued as vouchers that can be used off your next journey and the percentage of your refund depends on the length of delay). To make a claim ask your ticket office for a form to claim compensation. Include the ticket and details of the train you were travelling on including time and length of delay.
10. On a weekend many train operating companies allow you to pay a 'weekend first' suppliment to upgrade from standard to first class at a fraction of the normal price. The exact rules of the scheme vary between the different companies so check with the one you're travelling with