Ticket Type

The price of a ticket for the same journey can vary depending on its type. Train fares fall into three categories - Advance, Anytime and Off Peak. Are you buying the right ticket at the best price? To find out more about what each type means, take a look at our ‘fares made easy’ page.

View ticket types

Ticket alert

Is your travel date more than 3 months away? Then this is a clever way to be first in the queue for cheap tickets without having to keep checking ticket availability.Tell us when you want to travel and we'll email you as soon as cheap advance tickets are available to buy for your journey.

Sign up for Ticket Alert.

Best Fare Finder

Quick and easy to use, Best Fare Finder lets you view cheap tickets for your journey by week & month. Just select your destination, tell us when you're thinking of travelling and Best Fare Finder will show you where cheap tickets are available around these times. There are over 130 journey options to choose from with even more to be added soon.

Use Best Fare Finder.

Buy in advance

You could save an average of 43% if you buy in advance on thetrainline compared to buying at the station on the day. For more details of how to make savings click here. Advance tickets are cheaper single fares available from 12 weeks in advance.

Last minute savings

Even if you are travel dates is less than a week away you could still make savings on your ticket. Cheap Advance tickets are limited but if they haven’t sold out you can still buy them right up until the night before your journey.

Buy single tickets

Two single tickets are often cheaper than a return. Our website displays single and return fares on one page so you can compare prices to see if you can save. ‘Mix and match’ single fares in one easy transaction.

Don’t forget your railcard

Railcards can be used when buying tickets online and you could save 1/3 off rail fares. Go to www.railcard.co.uk for more details on which railcard you may be eligible for.

Be flexible

Some routes are operated by more than one train company. We'll automatically show you the fastest and most direct route but you can try selecting alternative routes which could be cheaper.

Travel off peak

Avoid the more expensive, busier times of days. If you can, travel after 9am weekdays and try to avoid the evening rush hour (between 5pm & 7pm). Not only will it be cheaper, it will also be quieter.