Page 21 - PA_Enterprise_September-2023

PAE
Personal finance website Money Saving
Expert says that London North Eastern
Railway (LNER) often releases advance
tickets up to six months ahead for routes from
stations north of York to London.
Some ticket purchasing apps can send
alerts to your phone as soon as tickets for a
specified journey go on sale.
2. Split your fare
Split ticketing means you can take the same
number of trains you normally would for your
journey, but can save money by splitting your
journey into multiple tickets between the
stations the service stops at on the way.
Some websites like Split My Fare and Split
Train Tickets do it for you without you having
to work it out.
Split My Fare says on average, customers
save 26% by doing this - although it’s not
always possible on some journeys.
Also, checking to see whether it is cheaper
to buy two single tickets rather than a return
might save you money.
3. Use a rail card
Rail cards can offer discounts when booking,
though they cost money to purchase in the
first place, so benefit those who travel often.
There are several types of rail card available:
national, regional, those for students and
those for pensioners.
For example, the regional Cotswold Line
Railcard costs £9.95, is valid for one year and
gives you a 34% discount on off-peak single
and return tickets.
September 2023
4. Travel in groups
You can get up to a third off the ticket price
when travelling in groups of three to nine
adults.
The group must be travelling together, and
individual rail cards cannot be used when
booking a group ticket.
Groups of over 10 people can also get
discounts - contact the train company directly
for those. Group off-peak day travelcards
for London are also available, but the origin
station on the ticket needs to be in fare zones
one to nine.
5. Take advantage of flexible commuting
National flexible rail tickets could save
passengers hundreds of pounds, says
watchdog Transport Focus.
The flexible season tickets will allow travel
on any eight days in a 28-day period, with no
need to select the days of travel in advance.
Train companies have also introduced a range
of flexible tickets aimed at commuters and
workers who have seen their travel patterns
change post-pandemic.
The Flexi Season ticket will offer a minimum
of 20% discount on an equivalent monthly
season ticket, according to National Rail.
For those making the same journey multiple
times in a week regularly, monthly or season
tickets can be cheaper. Check with your
employer to see if they offer a season ticket
loan to help you spread the cost, interest free.
BBC News
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