We may be a small island, but cheap UK travel isn’t always easy to come by. Here’s my local’s guide to making the best of your travel pounds for affordable travel in and around Britain.
Revised and updated July 2019
Planning your trip? Why not pin this for later!
Contents
- 1 Cheap UK Travel: Taking the Train
- 2 Choosing Your Train Tickets
- 3 Chosing Your train company and route
- 4 Split Ticketing on Trains
- 5 Railcards on Trains
- 6 Buy a Ticket, get a 2 for 1 offer
- 7 Tracks then Two Wheels
- 8 Cheap UK Travel: Coaches and Buses
- 9 Other public transport options
- 10 A quick Word about Cheap UK Travel In London
- 11 Great British Train Journeys
Cheap UK Travel: Taking the Train
As is often the case, you’ll pay more for your ticket if you simply walk up to the counter or ticket machine on the spur of the moment. Even by buying online the night before, you can often achieve a discount. The UK is served by a number of different train companies, all with their own routes and discounts (and all in trains bearing their own livery). You might find that some meet your needs better than others.
Collecting Tickets You Buy Online
If you buy online, you can collect your tickets at a nominated station by punching in an alpha numeric code that is supplied by a confirmation email. You’ll need the credit or debit card on which you purchased your tickets. Simply use the touchscreen machine at the station. Tell it you’re collecting your tickets, slip in your card for verification (don’t worry, it won’t charge you twice) and punch in the code from your email when requested. You’ll hear your tickets printing away inside the machine. Depending on your route, it might give you rather more pieces of card and paper than you were expecting, so be sure it’s finished all its handiwork before you collect your tickets and go.
The ticket machine at our local train station. You can buy or collect your ticket here if you have a debit or credit card.
Choosing Your Train Tickets
If you want to explore the width and breadth of the UK, we strongly recommend the train network. There’s a whole art to traveling cheaply (or at least less expensively) by rail in Britain. Firstly, if you can possibly avoid it, don’t travel in peak times, usually before 9.30am and between 4.30pm and 6.30pm. That’ll help, although there are some exceptions to this rule. Secondly, try and plan even a little bit in advance. If you are able to commit to specific train services, you can normally save at least a little and often a lot of money. Also don’t be surprised if two single tickets work out better than one return ticket. That’s not unusual.
Be aware that if you are travelling in the evening from suburban or rural stations, the ticket office may not be staffed. You’ll need to use the machine, or buy your ticket on the train if there is no machine available. Most machines will take contactless cards or cards using a pin, and some may also take cash.
It’s All About The Timing
Let me give you an idea of the savings you can make by booking in advance. Train ticket bookings normally open 12 weeks in advance of the day of travel. When I first looked for a ticket from Birmingham to London at the start of this time window, I would have been paying three times as much as I actually paid closer to the due date. Fares start to rise again near the travel date. This is, of course, affected by demand, so it’s a bit of a gamble to know when best to book.
My advice? Book early, or book late. Browse incognito online, and when the price reaches a level you can live with, book then. And if you absolutely must travel on a specific date, lock in your ticket reasonably soon after bookings open. Don’t forget to check if two single fares are cheaper than one return. And if you are ok to travel later in the evening, you can find your fares to be a bargain. It’s not unusual to find a ticket from London Marylebone to Birmingham for less than £6 after 2000 hours.
If you want to be alerted when the cheap tickets for your journey go on sale, you can sign up here at the Trainline ticket alert service.
Cheap Tickets at the Last Minute
Some UK train companies allow you to buy advance (and cheap) tickets right up to the last minute. Always remember to check this out before going to the ticket machines at stations. Currently the following companies offer this service:
On the day of travel (sometimes three hours before the time of travel, so check your options beforehand)
- Abellio Greater Anglia (up to 10 mins before)
- CrossCountry (up to 15 mins before)
- Grand Central (up to two hours)
- London North Eastern Railway (up to two hours before)
- Stansted Express (up to two hours before, online only)
- Virgin Trains (up to one hour before)
On the day before travel to 2359
- East Midlands Trains
- Northern
On the day before travel to 1800
- Chiltern Railways
- C2C
- Great Western Railway
- Hull Trains
- ScotRail
- Southeastern
- Southern Rail
- TransPennine Express (majority of tickets)
- Transport for Wales
On the day before travel to 1200
- Caledonian Sleeper
Three days before
- Enterprise
Chosing Your train company and route
Let’s talk about London and Birmingham as an example. It’s actually not that simple. You can choose three different train companies and two different routes for this journey, meaning a little research is needed to find the best cheap UK travel option. They have very different prices.
Option 1: London Euston to Birmingham New Street by Virgin Trains
Fastest, likely to be most expensive, most comfortable trains
Option 2: London Euston to Birmingham New Street by London North Western
Likely to be slowest with the most station stops, moderately comfortable seats, but with the option of first class sections for a modest extra fee, less expensive.
Option 3: London Marylebone to Birmingham Moor Street with Chiltern Railways
Likely to be the least expensive, with more comfortable carriages than London North Western, but also slow.
My recommendation if time is less important is to lock in the savings by choosing a slower route.
Don’t forget to check out Virgin Trains’ Best Fare Finder. Local knowledge or persistence can sometimes find you cheaper options, but this is a very good choice to keep your rail costs low.
Our Top Tip: Try all your options. There are vast differences in price between routes and train companies. If you can spare an extra hour to travel a slower train, you could save lots of cash. You can also save substantial amounts by committing to a specific train time and booking in advance.
A typical regional train in Birmingham UK.
Split Ticketing on Trains
This painful sounding, but entirely legitimate option can help you save money. If, and only if, your train stops at an intermediate station, you may be able to buy two cheaper local tickets to cover the whole journey instead of one long distance ticket.
Ticketing sites have been created to help you work this out, and will charge you a small fee (much less than you are saving) to work out the options for you.
Read more: Split Ticketing
In my experience, this is more likely to work for journeys over two hours. If you are heading north from London, or travelling cross country, this is well worth checking out. I just tested out a sample single fare from Birmingham to Manchester, which resulted in a 33% saving.
Railcards on Trains
There are a whole selection of railcards designed to reduce your journey cost, normally by a third. Currently I’ve spotted the following:
- Two Together Railcard, for you and a travel companion who must travel together
- 16-25 Railcard for everyone between those ages
- Senior Railcard for people aged 60+
- Family and Friends Railcard, for up to four adults and four children with at least one adult and one child traveling at any time ,which gives 1/3 off adult fares and 60% off child fares
- Disabled Persons Railcard, for a person with disabilities and their travel companion.
All cost £30, except the Disabled Persons Railcard which costs £20. I’ve also seen reference to over 50s discounts on ScotRail, so be sure to check out that option if you are north of Hadrian’s Wall.
You might also find unexpected local discounts to boost your cheap UK travel savings. Four of us traveled from Birmingham to Stratford-upon-Avon and found ourselves on a group ticket, saving 20% over the published fare.
Buy a Ticket, get a 2 for 1 offer
At many stations you’ll see a stack of leaflets with 2 for 1 offers. By filling in a small form in the leaflet and showing your train tickets, you can save money on admission to various attractions. If you are heading to Stratford-upon-Avon, for example, you can get discounted entry to Shakespeare’s Birthplace and four other Shakespeare-focused attractions, two different river cruises and the MAD (Mechanical Art and Design) museum.
In London, the 2 for 1 offers would probably need a post all of their own, but include the Churchill War Rooms, the Cutty Sark, HMS Belfast, Kew Gardens, the London Transport Museum, London Zoo, the Tower of London and the Wembley Stadium Tour.
Tracks then Two Wheels
Many cities now offer bike hire for the day: London’s “Boris bikes” (actually Santander Cycles) for example, and foldable versions in Birmingham outside Snow Hill Station. Santander Cycles have a number of docking stations, so you can just rock up, tap your card (at a minimum cost of £2) and later deposit the bike back at another docking station. There’s even an app to guide you. Adding your own pedal power is definitely a great way to achieve cheap UK travel, while doing your bit for the environment.
Many cities also offer good options of cycle paths. Sustrans gives you an overview of what is available, such as the traffic free Rea Valley route in Birmingham, ideal for getting some fresh air and a spot of countryside.
Cheap UK Travel: Coaches and Buses
If you are happy on more than four wheels, then coaches and buses often offer a cheaper alternative to trains. The Check My Bus website gives you the opportunity to compare fares from companies such as National Express and Megabus. Cheap UK travel indeed, especially with fares ranging from a bargainous £1 to less than £10 on some buses. Many routes offer a variety of destination endpoints, so if, for example, you are headed to or from London, you’ll have plenty of choice. Buses are generally cheaper than trains, and may be particularly useful for journeys of around 3-4 hours. For longer journeys, it really depends on your liking for long distance bus travel.
The major players in UK coach travel are:
- National Express
- Eurolines
- Megabus
- Easybus
Megabus: Not Just On Wheels
It’s worth knowing that Megabus provides Megatrains as well as Megabuses. Sadly the wonderful travel hack of catching the Megatrain from Birmingham New Street to Edinburgh for pennies is no more, as this was a favourite overnighter of ours. Instead, Megabus is now partnered with East Midlands trains, offering routes from London via East Midlands Parkway and onwards to the North East and Yorkshire via connecting bus services.
Local Buses
Be aware that some bus companies only accept either Travelcards or the use of a contactless debit card (e.g. London, Birmingham) or Travelcards/exact change. Check this before you board. Many local buses offer cheap day tickets (called Daysavers in the West Midlands, or One Day Travelcards including train services), where you can travel all day on the network for a flat fee. Some travelcards need to be bought before you board (London) while others can be purchased from the bus driver. This could just be a normal ticket, so have a pocket to hand to stow it away safely, lest it be a crumpled scrap within an hour.
Local Bus Routes In Rural Areas
Don’t write off the idea of finding bus routes in rural areas. Often these are subsidised by local councils, giving you access to some splendid isolation. They can also be designed to meet leisure needs, such as the minibuses that meet the trains on the Yorkshire Dales routes to convey walkers to trail heads. Check out the local tourist website for your destination to see what is available.
Other public transport options
It’s not all trains and buses. In addition, many UK cities are now covered by a tram network. You can pick up a tram in:
- Manchester (Metrolink)
- Sheffield (Supertram)
- West Midlands between Wolverhampton and Birmingham (Midland Metro)
- South London (London Tramlink)
- Nottingham (NET)
- Edinburgh (Edinburgh Trams)
They may not always be the cheapest local service (the Midland Metro is often more expensive than the train between its termini), but they give an interesting option for your journey.
The Midland Metro tram in Birmingham City Centre
A quick Word about Cheap UK Travel In London
Visitor Oystercard
This is a smartcard that you can only buy outside London, and enables you to pay as you go on most London public transport such as the tube, buses, Docklands Light Railway and even the Thames Clippers. The daily amount you pay for travel is capped. The card costs £5 plus postage, and can be topped up with the amount of your choosing from £10-£50. Transport for London suggests £15 for a two day trip.
Most tube stations can add an accompanying child to your Visitor Oystercard. Anyone under 11 travels free, and the child fare applies to 11-15 year olds.
You can top up your card where needed at tube and rail stations, plus some shops. Remaining balances can be retained until your next visit, or else returned to you in cash (under £10) at tube stations or by returning the card to a visitor centre or Transport for London
You can find out more about Visitor Oystercards here.
Traveling Without An Oystercard
You don’t have to buy an Oystercard. If you have a contactless bank card, you can use this on the tube and buses. Just tap in and out on the tube, and in only on the bus, and you’re sorted. We’ve been using this for several years now, and have found the tapping totally reliable. When you tap in and out, your daily spend is capped to the maximum for a Travelcard over the time period you’ve used the services. If you don’t use all the Travelcard value, then you pay less, and you won’t ever pay more than the Travelcard cost.
Insider Tip: And if you’re taking the bus, try routes 11 and 453 for many of the top tourist attractions.
A Local’s Guide to Affordable Travel in Britain
Great British Train Journeys
Don’t forget that there are plenty of classic railway journeys to enjoy in Britain, such as the Snowdon Mountain Railway to the rooftop of Wales. You can read about our trip on the overnight sleeper train to the Scottish Highlands here, and our journey on the beautiful Settle Carlisle line. Let someone else do the driving, while you marvel at the beauty of this small island.
Read More: 10 Day UK Trip Itinerary – a choice of itineraries including some options by public transport
Further Afield: Great Rail Journeys Of The World Waiting To Be Discovered, as shared by travel writers
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We have been thinking of visiting UK recently. One of the main problems that arises is always the cost of transportation. It can get quite daunting when you are on a budget. Thanks for the tips. Pinning them for further reference.
There’s so much variation in price that it really helps to shop early and shop around. Hope you have a fab trip! 🙂
Very helpful! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks. 🙂 I thought that if even we Brits find it confusing…
I used to live in the UK and loved travelling to different cities via train… but the prices were pretty frightening at times! I ended up saving a heck tonne of money using the 16-25 Railcard – you can buy it right up until the day before you turn 26 and from recollection, it takes a third off the price, which is nice. Unfortunately too old now, so good tips for future reference.
Great tip about the pre-birthday purchase; I think I remember doing that. I’m closing in on the 60+ railcard now. 😀
Wow! Super helpful tips… It’s always great to know travel hacks such as these when you are traveling somewhere new! 🙂
Thank you. 🙂 If anyone knows the Belgian version of this info, I’d love the link. All I’ve managed there so far are the cheaper at the weekends tickets.
This is so informative! I think this is a must read for anyone thinking of travelling to England. Coaches all the way – you can end up saving so much money!
Thanks! 🙂 Coaches are such a bargain, aren’t they?
This is a great piece to bookmark for later. We stayed in Berkshire for 8 weeks and got ourselves a rail pass into London for only £27 return and it worked on the buses, tubes and trains at off-peak hours. Not only that but we got deals on 2 for 1 on Thames cruises, the London Eye and other activities which is brilliant. However a warning for tourists at Stansted airport the British Rail advice counter won’t tell you about this pass – they try to sting you for a full £58 2 way ticket which is a royal rip off.
Advice centres here are a bit variable. So glad you managed to bag yourself a decent fare, and all those 2 for 1s – love the Thames cruises. I’d highly recommend the Money Saving Expert website I’ve linked in the article for other savings too; the guy who runs it is a real consumer champion, and there is loads of information on there about great deals in the UK.
I went to London back in 2001 and took the tube, but have not travelled within the UK! So helpful though, because I know we do things different in the states and I always try to research articles like this before going abroad!
Hope it’s useful if you head back. 🙂 It seems so wrong to me that we welcome visitors by not telling them how to get the best prices, especially as the system is a bit complicated.
Wow – I had no idea there were so many options, nor that it could be so complicated! Thanks for sharing all of these tips. I’ve not been to the UK, but when I go this will definitely come in handy.
I’m sure someone sat down and wondered just how complicated they could make it. 😉 But I like a challenge…
This is so good to know. I was lucky that I had friends in England to help me but it can be very confusing – I’m sure they don’t even know all of this information! Anywhere you can save money in England is definitely a plus!
I have an eye problem and don’t drive, hence my dedication to doing public transport cheaply. 😉 I try to think that the peak price is like the rack rate in a hotel, then see what I can do to cut it back. It must be really difficult as a non-UK traveller to pick up some of the information, so I was determined to do my best to make it more available.
Very useful guide, thank you!
Very informative! Thanks for sharing all this info @backpackingkiwis
Thanks for creating such a comprehensive guide to transport in the UK! I never realised how affordable it was to get around – we visited London a few years ago, but never had the chance to venture out of the city. After reading this, we’ll definitely need to explore more when we visit again!
Ah, come back and visit again. 🙂 Within a couple of hours (and for under a tenner each way with good timing), you could be anywhere from Birmingham to Cambridge or Oxford to Bristol. There’s so much waiting for you!
This is such a useful and detailed guide! I had no idea train tickets were so complex in the UK…I assumed you could just walk up to the ticket window and get on a train. Will definitely save this for my trip there.
You absolutely can walk up to the counter and buy. But unless it is a very local journey, it will could cost more without a little planning upfront. I hope you get to have some fun here without spending lots!
I love reading locals guides because they’re so informative! I had no idea there were so many options, and for the trains, specifically. I’ve heard that transportation in Britain can be expensive if you don’t know what you’re doing, but having never been there myself, I wasn’t sure what that entailed. Now I know what to look back to if I get the chance to visit 🙂
Deregulation of public transport to a series of different private companies has made it all more complicated here than it used to be. But I am determined to pay as little as possible for my trips, and even more determined that anyone visiting shouldn’t be stung by unnecessarily high prices. 🙂
Awesome info here! Thanks :]
Thank you. 🙂
This is so helpful! I’ve always found the train system to be confusing so I love how you’ve laid out all the options so I can save some money next time.
Wishing you a fab next visit, and lots more £s in your pocket.
I didn’t realize there were so many different train services in the UK! These tips are great for saving money as transportation is often a major expense when traveling (especially in Britain!) Thanks for sharing!
There are quite a few! 🙂 And sometimes the franchises change hands, and your train changes colour and livery. But quite a few of the train companies sell one another’s tickets, and at the station counter or its machines you can buy tickets from any operator.
This is actually so helpful! I would have spent hours trying to google all of this myself, so thank you for such a comprehensive resource! I will be in the UK next month and have pinned so I can revisit and plan my transport 🙂
Ah, that’s great news. 🙂 Hope it helps save you some pounds on your journeys. And welcome for next month!
I’ve laways wondered the best ways to travel through the UK! I’ve never been, but hope to go sometime soon! Thanks for the insider’s scoop 🙂
Do come and visit the Brits; we’re friendly! 🙂 Hope this is useful when you do.
What a helpful guide! I just got gouged on a last minute ticket I had to change due to a family emergency, so I’m not ready to bank on last minute discounts any more… But I loved the example about choosing your route and the hint on split ticketing!
Ah, emergency changes are always difficult – I hope everything is ok with you and yours. If you have a long way to travel, the split ticketing really is magic.
What a helpful article!! I’m going to visit Britain next year!!
Ah that’s great! Hopefully you won’t be spending too many pounds on getting around this beautiful country. 🙂
Wow – this is a wealth of info. Pinning it for reference. I didn’t realize that a 2 for 1 deal even existed! Thanks!!
Most welcome. 🙂 Always happy to find a way to save money ready for the next trip!
This is a great post! I’ve been planning a trip to the London area and this is very helpful!
I’m heading that way myself on Friday. 🙂 Hope you find some bargains for your journey.
We have been thinking about heading to Britain to visit family. These tips will definitely come in handy as we travel on a budget. I sometimes forget you can buy train tickets online.
Online is great for the tickets, particularly as you often have the option to get them posted (for free via some operators) if you have time, or to collect from a machine at the station. Hope you get to visit your family soon. 🙂
I totally agree with you, it’s all about timing! Traveling my train throughout the UK is something I enjoy SO much. Thanks for sharing your tips 🙂
Timing is all, isn’t it? I have an unexpected trip to London on Friday, so just off to see what I can do to make the price less painful. 😉
I completely agree with buying tickets in advance and picking them up at a machine! My boyfriend lives in Northampton and it’s always a nightmare buying tickets to and from London. Great article!
Thank you. 🙂 I’ve got a (fairly) last minute appointment in London on Friday, so I’m on the search for tickets today.
Southern Rail is my local railway train that I use nearly everyday and I have an app to check it all. If I am going long distance then I do buy the ticket online and collect my tickets at a nominated station. Which what you also suggest it is definitely a great option and hassle free
The apps are really useful, aren’t they? I use Chiltern Railways mostly, and collect from the station machine. It makes things a whole lot easier.
I love traveling by train on Britain, and fare costs do vary considerably. This is a great guide.
Thanks. 🙂 I’m on the train a lot these days, hence my interest in finding the best deals I can.
Thanks for the very helpful post. I am a very frugal person and would look at all the options. It sure seems that split ticketing (although it may require a bit more time and effort) could lead to some great savings.I don’t think I could be patient and wait for last minute deals. I like to plan too much in advance.
I’ve generally done better planning in advance when we can. Split ticketing used to take a while, but with the Money Saving Expert site (not sponsored or connected, just a fan!), it’s very quick and easy.
You make the train travel sound so much fun. I think I could take your guide and just have a blast exploring surrounding suburbs/cities around the area. I’ve never taken any transportation in London (the only place I’ve been in Britain) other than a cab so this will definitely be helpful on my next visit.
Ah, it really is fun! 🙂 Well, most of the time, anyway. If you end up on a bus in London, they have audible and display screen narration of where you are, which is really helpful (especially on dark evenings).
Those are such helpful tips to save money on travel while in Britain. Did you pick up all these along the way? It can make such a big difference to the overall budget, if one learns some of these tricks. Great post.
Thanks. 🙂 Yes, it’s all picked up along the way. I have an eye condition and don’t drive, so I’ve had to work out the best options for my journeys. You can travel so much more cheaply with a bit of local knowledge, so I thought I’d share what I’ve found out over the years.