Click for savings on the train
But book a Christmas bargain as best deals are going
IF you are not planning to spend Christmas Home Alone this year, chances are you will be paying out for a trip by train or car to visit family or friends. The Mail on Sunday shows how you can cut the cost of your pilgrimage.
TRAIN TICKETS
TRACK down a festive bargain on the trains by booking now for the deepest discounts.
It is less than eight weeks until Christmas and the best train deals are already being snapped up.
Virgin Trains says: ‘Customers increasingly know it makes sense to buy their tickets well before they travel.
‘On some routes, the East Coast for example, we have been selling tickets 24 weeks in advance to give people more time to arrange their journeys.’
The cheapest train tickets are advance fares – they can more than halve the price of turning up on the day of travel to buy a ticket.
Tweaking travel times can also save a fortune. Buy an advance ticket to go from Birmingham to Cardiff on December 21 leaving at 2.05pm and it costs £55.20. But choose the train departing eight minutes later and the price is slashed to £26.90.
Booking through a ticket website usually offers the best discounts, but do not forget to take account of booking and credit card fees.
Trainline, for example, charges a booking fee of up to £1.50 plus a charge for customers who use credit cards. Redspottedhanky charges a £1 booking fee.
Companies that do not add these fees include the Virgin Trains website and TravelSupermarket.
ADD A RAILCARD
BUY one of the clutch of National Rail annual railcards for £30 (£27 if bought online using discount code LEAFLET3) and get a discount of a third on most rail tickets, including advance fares – plus money off days out or trips to the theatre.
The
Family &
Friends Railcard card allows two named adults to travel, individually if they wish, with at least one child. The party may include up to four adults plus four children aged five to 15. All options must include a child.
The Two Together Railcard is a concession for pairs of friends, family members or partners. The
16-25 Railcard is for anyone in this age group – or older if they are in full time education. It makes sense to buy a new 16-25 card just before you turn 26 for an extra full year of discounted rail travel. Find out more at railcard.co.uk.
The Network Railcard, costing £30, offers a third off the price of journeys for the cardholder and up to three adults i n the Network Rail area in the South East, usefully including stations at Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton and Stansted airports.
Up to four children aged between five to 15 can also travel at a 60 per cent discount.
CASHBACK SAVINGS
FOR extra savings, try buying tickets and railcards through a cashback website.
At TopCashback, buyers of the 16-25 and Family and friends railcards get 5.25 per cent back on their purchase.
Travellers buying tickets through website Trainline also get a minimum 1 per cent cashback if they click through from website Quidco.
BE SINGLE MINDED
WHILE buying a return ticket might seem the most economical option, two singles can often work out cheaper.
Booking last week on thetrainline, for example, the cheapest return from London to Edinburgh, leaving on December 21 and returning a week later, was £134. But opting for two singles for the same trains was cheaper at £118.
MOTORING
THOSE who prefer to drive to their Christmas destination can also shave costs. The easiest saving is to fill up at one of the best value petrol stations.
According to website PetrolPrices.com, which highlights the cheapest fuel in a given area, prices vary dramatically with the cheapest currently £1.08 for a litre of unleaded and the most expensive at £1.25.