Have you tried the 'Didcot Dodge'? Read expert MARK DUELL's ultimate guide to saving £100s on train fares, from split-ticketing to avoiding booking fees... and why NOT to use a contactless card on the Tube | Retrui News | Retrui
Have you tried the 'Didcot Dodge'? Read expert MARK DUELL's ultimate guide to saving £100s on train fares, from split-ticketing to avoiding booking fees... and why NOT to use a contactless card on the Tube
SOURCE:Daily Mail
As someone who has travelled from Thurso to Tenby and Portsmouth to Penrith by train over the years, here are my top tips for getting the best deal on your next trip.
Rail passengers received a small amount of good news in November when they were told fares would be unchanged in 2026 for the first time in 30 years.
But this only covers 'regulated' fares, including standard class tickets such as saver returns, standard returns, off-peak between major cities and season tickets.
The freeze until March 2027 does not cover 'unregulated' fares include first class, advance purchase and saver tickets - with operators still free to determine those.
As someone who has travelled from Thurso to Tenby and Portsmouth to Penrith by train over the years, here are my top tips for getting the best deal on your next trip.
Book in advance if your plans are fixed
Let's start with a common-known method that is probably the best way of saving on train travel - you can normally book a service up 12 weeks in advance.
Availability does vary between train operators, with LNER now offering tickets as far as 24 weeks in advance for certain routes north of York into London.
Advance booking can offer big savings, with Avanti West Coast saying this can be up to 42 per cent off eight weeks before travel or 70 per cent off if 12 weeks ahead.
This is especially important around Christmas time when the rail network is very busy and advance ticket prices will go up rapidly as you get closer to the travel date.
Passengers walk through ticket barriers as they arrive at London King's Cross station in 2022
Consider waiting until the day of travel
It's also worth remembering if your plans are liable to change that advance tickets are not refundable, unless the train is significantly delayed or cancelled.
Advance tickets can only be changed for a fee - normally a £10 administration cost plus the difference in the fare for the new journey, which could be far more.
You may therefore wish to wait until the day of travel to book if there is little difference in price between an advance ticket and a standard off-peak fare, for example.
You then avoid the risk of losing your money if your plans change, as you can book an off-peak fare on the day for a price that will not alter between now and then.
Another popular method, split ticketing involves buying multiple tickets for different parts of the same route which can offer be cheaper – even on the same train.
One notable example is the 'Didcot Dodge', which has been popularised by travel expert Simon Calder and involves a method when travelling from Bristol to London.
Great Western Railway passengers can save more than £50 when buying one ticket from Bristol to Didcot Parkway and a second from there to London Paddington.
Years ago travellers could spend hours online researching all the different possibilities and splitting their ticket at different stations to work out the cheapest method.
But now there are various tools that will do it for you, including one from Trainline called 'SplitSave', which the booking service says saved an average of £13 per trip.
The scheme is perfectly legal according to National Rail's conditions of travel – but you must always ensure that the train calls at all the stations named on the tickets.
The team at MoneySavingExpert point out that you can split as many times as you want, and the biggest number of tickets they have ever seen for one journey is nine.
Clever times of day to travel
Travelling outside of the weekday rush hour is a great way to save money, with passengers finding a significant saving from off-peak and super off-peak tickets.
Some passengers also prefer off-peak journeys because the trains are less crowded and there is often more chance of getting a seat, making it a more comfortable trip.
Off-peak tickets tend to be valid all weekend and on Mondays to Fridays from around 9.30am until about 4pm, and then after 7pm until the end of service.
There can also be more flexibility when travelling off-peak because you can normally travel on any train there and back as long as they are within the off-peak times.
Some tickets also offer a return journey on any off-peak service within a month - so are useful if you are heading somewhere and don't know when you'll be back.
You can even split tickets with some being in peak and others off-peak, if your journey is happening when the crossover from one to the other happens at 9.30am.
Passengers at London Liverpool Street station during an RMT strike in September 2025
Get a third off with one of ten railcards
Railcards normally cut a third off ticket costs and can be bought for £35 a year as an instant digital download in most cases. Some are available for £80 for three years.
Railcards available for purchase are the 16-17 Saver, 16-25, 26-30, Disabled Person's, Family & Friends', HM Forces', Network, Senior, Two Together and Veterans'.
Discounts for purchasing railcards occasionally pop up on the Railcard.co.uk website or apps such as TrainPal, so it's always worth checking for a code before you buy.
Three's a crowd for group travel
National Rail offers a scheme called 'GroupSave' offering discounts to people travelling in groups of three to nine people, which gives a third off some fares.
The discount is valid for adults travelling on a single or return journey at off-peak or super off-peak times – and no railcard is required to get the money off.
To get the discount, you simply add the number of passengers when booking a trip on a journey planner, and GroupSave will then be automatically added if applicable.
Got some spare time? Choose a slower train
Many of the UK's rail lines have a number of different operators offering services – and choosing a slower one can often be a money-saving option if you have the time.
For example, those travelling from London to Peterborough can get there in about 45 minutes when using LNER – but this is generally the more expensive option.
Thameslink is generally cheaper, especially when booking on the day, and runs trains along the same route - but the trip takes about 80 minutes, so almost twice the time.
You can also often get a far cheaper journey in and out of London Euston by travelling with London Northwestern Railway, a slower alternative to Avanti West Coast.
The independent website BR Fares is particularly good at allowing users to fully explore the variety of fares offered by the train companies across Britain.
Rovers v Rangers: What's the score?
Many train operators sell a selection of Rover and Ranger tickets, which offer unlimited travel within a specified area and time period and can be a good option.
Rangers are valid for one day, while Rovers are valid for more than one day in a limited time period – such as travel for any number of days within a certain period.
These include the 'Explore Wales' Ranger which offers unlimited travel in a certain area for Transport for Wales services for four days within an eight-day period.
You can also use a railcard to get big discounts on the tickets. For example, the seven-day All Line Rover costs £625 for adults which drops to £416 with a railcard.
An LNER Azuma train crosses the Lesbury viaduct in Alnmouth, Northumberland, in 2021
How singles often beat returns
One of the complexities of the UK ticketing system is that return tickets do not always offer better value – with cheaper fares often obtainable through two singles.
This is especially the case when booking ahead, because you can only buy advance singles and not advance returns - you just have to book two advance singles instead.
Most booking engines will give you all the options for singles and returns when searching for tickets, so it's worth taking some time to see how much you could save.
Beware being caught out by dynamic pricing
The dynamic pricing model applies for advance tickets which are released in price tiers that normally go up as the travel date gets closer and demand rises.
The price of the remaining tickets generally increases until the train is sold out, meaning that passengers booking fares earlier will generally get a cheaper one.
Some booking websites such as Trainline offer a 'Price Prediction' tool which gives an estimate of when the fare will go up – although this forecast is not guaranteed.
Beat the rush for seasonal special offers
Rail operators put on special discounts from time to time to encourage people onto the network, especially in months of the year when there is lower demand.
Recent examples have included a 50 per cent off deal from London Northwestern Railway and a Greater Anglia autumn sale with tickets starting at just £4.80.
If there is a rail firm that you regularly use, it's worth installing their app for push notifications or signing up to email alerts so you can get in first when a sale begins.
When luxury costs less in first class
Travelling in first class can be very enjoyable as you sit back in luxurious seats and await a trolley service delivering food and drink – but it can also cost a fortune.
However you may occasionally find that first class tickets are actually priced more cheaply than standard class for some off-peak journeys to help fill empty seats.
It's therefore worth ensuring that your ticket search is covering both standard and first class fares, so you can compare the difference and get the best price.
Consider a flexible season ticket for commuting
The rise of hybrid working during the pandemic led to the launch in June 2021 of one of the newest forms of tickets - flexible season tickets, or 'Flexi Seasons'.
They allow passengers to make a return journey on any eight days within a 28-day period by using a paperless ticket via a smartcard or phone.
You do not need to select when you want to travel in advance when purchasing it, and the ticket can be used for journeys at any time of day – peak or off-peak.
Analysis by MoneySavingExpert found those who travel only one day a week are normally better off buying a daily ticket - especially an advance ticket if possible.
But for those travelling two days a week, the Flexi Season was cheaper than a daily ticket on 34 out of 35 routes - and always beats an annual season ticket.
Avoid unnecessary booking fees
Trainline is generally a great and clear website and app for booking rail tickets, but it comes with a huge catch – a booking fee that is added on before you buy.
This fee is generally between 59p and £2.79 when you're booking a journey in advance for any ticket type – although there is no booking fee if buying on the day.
If booking in advance, the LNER website and app is clear and well-designed – and crucially does not charge a booking fee for any journey, so I'd advise using that.
But Trainline does still have an advantage in that it offers split-ticketing options, while LNER does not - so it's always worth checking the price from both providers.
A South Western Railway train at a platform at Basingstoke station in Hampshire in 2023
Use your railcard to save big on the Tube
A little-known trick that can save you decent money when travelling around London is adding a railcard to an Oyster card to get discounted travel.
This will get you a third off off-peak travel on the Underground, Overground, Docklands Light Railway, Elizabeth line and National Rail services within the capital.
The discount only works with the 16-25, 26-30, Senior, HM Forces and Veterans railcards – and not the Network, Family & Friends and Two Together railcards.
To add the discount, you first need to buy an Oyster card, register it online and then ask a staff member at a Transport for London station to add your railcard.
A journey on the Northern line from High Barnet to Euston normally costs £3.60 off-peak – but it would be £2.35 if you load a railcard onto the Oyster.
Why it's best to use Oyster rather than contactless
Transport for London lets passengers travel with an Oyster card or a contactless bank card - and they charge the same fares, with the same daily and weekly cap.
There's no doubt that using a contactless card is easier, because you don't have to top up and never have to worry about your Oyster card running out of money.
But any passengers who have an eligible railcard that can be loaded onto Oyster will miss out on a discount, because this cannot be loaded onto a contactless card.
I'd also advise using an Oyster card because it will always flash up on a ticket gate to confirm how much the journey cost – so you instantly know if there was an issue.
For contactless cards, you normally have to wait until the following day in the TfL Go app to check the journey history and confirm you were charged the correct fare.
Travel further on the Tube before taking the train
When travelling through London to somewhere outside the capital, most people will use contactless or Oyster on the Underground to travel to the mainline terminus.
They then use a paper or e-ticket from that terminus to get to their destination – but have you considered starting your National Rail journey further down the line?
Here's how you do it to save money. Say you're travelling from Osterley in West London to Peterborough, using the Thameslink train we mentioned earlier. This runs from St Pancras to Peterborough and crucially calls at Finsbury Park, which is in Zone 2.
A Thameslink super-off peak day return from St Pancras to Peterborough for an adult on a Saturday is £28.20, while taking the Piccadilly line from Osterley to King's Cross St Pancras is £3.40 off-peak each way, so £6.80 total. This gives a £35 total.
If, however, you take the Piccadilly line from Osterley through to Finsbury Park, the cost is still £6.80 total on the Tube. But a Thameslink ticket from Finsbury Park to Peterborough is only £25.90. That's a total of £32.70 – so you've saved £2.30.
Try a 'platform tap-out' if you dare!
Those trying the above method who are feeling even braver can attempt a 'platform tap-out' when reaching the final stop within the Transport for London fare zone.
This only works at certain stations which have yellow platform readers, but one example is Upminster station in Zone 6, served by the District line and c2c trains.
Let's look at a journey from Ealing Broadway in West London to Southend-on-Sea in Essex – which, incidentally, you could do direct by the District line until 1939.
Such a trip on a Saturday nowadays would require an Elizabeth line train from Ealing Broadway to Liverpool Street and then a c2c train to Southend Central. You can do the whole journey with a contactless card – not Oyster – for £13.90 off-peak.
But if you only use contactless or Oyster between Ealing Broadway and Upminster, this costs £3.80 off-peak. You can then buy a single ticket from Upminster to Southend Central on c2c for £7.90 - a total of £11.70, therefore saving £2.20.
Upminster has a yellow platform reader towards the rear of the train, so if you get on at the right door at Liverpool Street, you can jump off, tap out and then jump back on the same train - having already bought a valid c2c ticket to continue your journey.
Avoid Zone 1 in London if you can
Rail passengers in London are charged far more when travelling in Zone 1, which is understandable given this covers the busiest area of the whole country.
So it's good to try to avoid it if you can – and one trick is to make a journey that only gets up to the last station in Zone 2, to avoid paying the Zone 1 premium.
There are four stations on the border of Zone 1 and 2, meaning they are in both fare zones - which are Earl's Court, Elephant & Castle, Notting Hill Gate and Vauxhall.
For example, if you're travelling on the Central line from Northolt in West London in Zone 5 to Queensway in Zone 1, the price will be £5.60 in peak time.
But if you end your journey one stop before at Notting Hill Gate, it is only £3.20 peak -- a decent £2.40 saving – because the journey is deemed to have finished in Zone 2.
A person holding an anytime day return ticket from Eltham at London Waterloo station in 2023
The cheapest way of getting to and from Heathrow
Plane tickets are an expensive business, so it's good to cut down on travel costs to the airport if you can – and here's a good tip when it comes to London Heathrow.
Peak fares apply all day, every day, for the Piccadilly line to Heathrow, if they start, end, or pass through Zone 1. So it's worth checking if you can begin in Zone 2.
If you travel from Earl's Court on the Zone 1/2 border, it will cost £2.40 off-peak to Terminal 5. The cost from Gloucester Road, one stop further back in Zone 1, is £5.80 at all times – so you could save £3.40 by walking to Earl's Court and starting there.
Compare this to the Elizabeth line which costs £12.80 from Paddington to Terminal 5 at any time - £10.40 more than going on the Piccadilly line from Earls Court at off-peak. You can use Transport for London's 'single fare finder' to check all the pries.
Ensure you get the right compensation
Something to be aware of when booking tickets is that you might effectively end up with a cheaper journey when things go wrong, thanks to the Delay Repay scheme.
This offers different levels of compensation based on the length of the delay, which starts at 15 minutes or 30 minutes depending on the operator.
You can usually get at least 25 per cent of a fare back, but this rises for longer delays - and if there's a cancellation, you can get a refund if you no longer wish to travel.
LNER operates a scheme for those who have bought a ticket through their website where they email people with a link to claim compensation if there has been a delay.
Get cashback through your card provider
Many banks and card providers offer cashback when booking train tickets with certain operators over a certain time period, so keep an eye out for this.
For example, American Express have been running deals this year for 10 per cent cashback on LNER – meaning any UK journey booked on LNER was eligible.
Amex has also put on a 5 per cent cashback deal with Avanti West Coast, while banks such as Barclays have offered cashback on bookings through the Trainline website.
Switching to coach travel for a big saving
Taking the coach might not be an option you've considered before, but it can be extremely good value and often only slightly longer than getting a train.
For example, a single on a National Express coach from London Hammersmith to Bristol Coach Station can be as little as £3.90, taking two hours and 35 minutes.
On Great Western Railway, a super off-peak single from London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads is £45 and takes two hours – meaning you could save £41.10.
This can also be a cheaper way to travel by public transport to airports, while other coach operators such as Megabus and Flixbus are also worth checking out.
And don't forget the PlusBus scheme, which allows you to add bus travel onto a train ticket at a cheaper price for getting around within the area of your destination station.
Shop around – and even consider Uber
While most people might find it easier to buy their tickets through the same website each time, it's always worth comparing prices with different outlets.
For example, LNER may have a promotion on their route which isn't available by Trainline – or Trainline might find a split-ticketing save that LNER doesn't offer.
You can also consider booking through Uber, with Uber One members getting 10 per cent credit back every time they buy train tickets through the app.
Don't unnecessarily pay for children's tickets
Children need their own ticket to travel on National Rail services when they reach the age of five – but in London, they get to travel for free until the age of ten.
Those aged between 11 to 15 can also get a 'Zip Oyster' photocard which gives them free bus travel in London and child fares on Tube and Overground services.
Some operators outside London also offer year-round deals for children, such as Southeastern which charges £1 each for up to four children with an adult off-peak.
Passengers wait for information at London Euston station last December just before Christmas
Maximise your savings with half-price attractions
The '2 For 1' scheme, also known as the Days Out Guide, has been running since 2002 as a National Rail programme offering deals on visits to attractions.
The Tower of London and Westminster Cathedral are among the venues included in the scheme in the capital, while there are many other options around the UK.
You just need to travel by rail to the attractions and also either take a printed voucher with you from the Days Out Guide website, or book online through a special link.
Also take note of Transport for London deals which are available from time to time for those travelling by Tube to attractions such as Kew Gardens and the Cutty Sark.
Sign up to loyalty schemes such as LNER Perks
Certain rail operators have loyalty schemes which are worth joining in order to get money off in future, such as Avanti West Coast's Club Avanti and GWR Rewards.
Another is LNER Perks which offers £5 credit to spend on its journeys to new members and 2 per cent credit back when you travel on its services after that.
You also get access to monthly competitions, on-board discounts and food and receive £10 credit for both you and a friend when you refer them to the scheme.
Family tickets
Travelling with children can be expensive even with a Family & Friends Railcard, but it's also worth looking at specific family tickets which are offered by some operators.
For example, LNER family singles start at £30.50 between Peterborough and London and between York and Newcastle – and cover up to two adults and four children.
Avanti West Coast meanwhile offers a family advance single for up to one adult and four children or two adults and three children – for £50 from Euston to Birmingham.
Try your luck with a secret ticket
If you don't need to depart at a precise time, it's worth trying the Seatfrog secret fares scheme, which allocates you a train in the morning, afternoon or evening.
Passengers can save up to 50 per cent through the platform, which will provide you with confirmed train tickets and an allocated time 24 hours before departure.
As an example, a single from Paddington to Cardiff on Great Western Railway costs £15 each through Seatfrog – if you're happy to take a chance on when to travel.
Combine your rail and ferry tickets
National Rail and its partners offer ferry combination tickets, often called 'Rail and Sail' or 'SailRail,' which combine train and ferry travel into one booking.
These include routes for destinations such as the Isle of Wight, where you can book a ferry or hovercraft within one ticket that also covers you on the train.
The key benefit of this is that you can also normally use your railcard when buying such a ticket – and therefore get a further saving on the ferry journey.
You can also use 'Rail and Sail' for travelling from London to Ireland, by getting a train from Euston to Holyhead in Wales before travelling across the Irish Sea by ferry.
Sign up to ticket release alerts
If you know your plans well in advance of 12 weeks, it's worth setting up a ticket release alert either on the Trainline website or via the operator's website.
This will give you an email reminder when tickets go on sale for a specific route so you can buy an advance ticket at the cheapest possible price.
The savings could be massive if you get in first. For example, travelling from Euston to Carlisle, the cheapest advance ticket is £33 – compared to a £110.80 off-peak single.
Breaking your journey for two or three trips in one
One good option if you're planning to visit somewhere en route to your destination is to look at whether you can break your journey on the same ticket.
Anytime, off-peak, and super off-peak tickets generally allow you to break a journey, as long as there are no specific restrictions on the ticket that prevent it.
However this is not the case with advance tickets which do not permit a break, because they are only valid for travel on the specific train or trains booked.
Another is London Victoria to Broadstairs with stops at Whitstable and Margate; and a third is Oxford to Worcester with stops at Charlbury and Moreton-in-Marsh.
Get a free Gold Card if you're eligible
Read on if you've purchased an annual season ticket for a route starting and/or ending in the Network Railcard area – which covers most of South East England.
Those who have a TfL annual travelcard should also be interested – because anyone fitting either of those criteria is eligible to get what is known as an 'Annual Gold Card'.
This gives a third off off-peak travel within the Gold Card area – and can also give a third off TfL travel when linked to an Oyster card, using the railcard method above.
Those with a Gold Card can also get a 16-25, Disabled Persons, Family & Friends, Network, Two Together or Senior railcard for just £10, for you or someone you know.
Travel on a 26-30 Railcard when you're 31
There's a decent trick to use a 16-25 Railcard until one day before you are 27, by buying a three-year card the day before your 24th birthday – the last possible day.
With the 26-30 Railcard, you can use it until one day before you turn 32 – but you can only buy this as a one-year card, so just do it on the day before your 31st birthday.
Such a method can save you huge amounts of money by giving you an extra year of savings – and then you have to wait until you're 60 years old for a Senior Railcard!