UK Rail users = help wanted here please

[jimbo45]

Hi there
Can anybody from the UK please explain to me why it's often CHEAPER getting TWO tickets to cover your journey rather than one to your final destination -- I did recently London to Manchester - TWO tickets LONDON==>Birmingham Birmingham==> Manchester cost me 11 + 9 = 20 GBP whereas the Through ticket(London ==Manchester) was quoted at 43 GBP FOR THE SAME TRAIN !! (Ok I know not all Manchester trains go via Birmingham but the time difference was only 15 mins ). There are loads of similar examples like this -- you need a Ph.d in Mathematics to work out some of these combinations - but I'm sure it's done to totally confuse the customer.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[Everlong]

Ticket splitting is a known way to get cheaper rail travel.

You don't always have to switch trains as well. You could go on the Manchester -> London train, but buy multiple tickets for the same train. You could get a ticket from Manchester to Stoke-on-Trent, and then a ticket from Stoke to London on the same exact train, and it could still be cheaper.

Why it's cheaper, I don't know. Just one of the many things wrong with rail travel in the UK, especially with Virgin who pretty much have the monopoly on the rail network.

I use my rail card religiously when travelling. Anywhere North of Manchester to travel to London costs a fortune. It would cost me £86 or a return ticket, yet with my rail card, which costs £28 a year, I pay £54 for a return ticket now. Pays for itself in a single journey.

 

[Joan Archer]

Rail cards can make a difference also pre-booking tends to work out cheaper as well. I know my neighbour just saved by pre-booking a journey to London from here in South Wales, she went on the Thursday and came back on the Sunday, she had a senior rail card and it cost just over £50. I think she save about £30 - £40 on that trip.

 

[boohbah]

yeah the earlier you book quite often the cheaper it is, Buses/coaches are even cheaper jimbo, and not always but often it pays to check airline prices too.

 

[Joan Archer]

Forgot about the coaches, it's usually that mode of transport she uses when she goes up to Yorkshire to visit family.

 

[tom982]

I always split my ticket for my journey back from uni in Oxford as it saves me about £10 (25% of the return price). There's a great article on MSE about cheap train tickets which you might want to read:

Cheap Train Tickets: Hidden fares, split tickets - Money Saving Expert

Especially this part:

Finally, off-peak and super off-peak tickets require you to travel at specific times of day. If you split your tickets at a station where you change, and the delay takes you outside the off-peak time, you'll have to pay again.

I know someone who's been caught out this way, so be warned!

Tom