Cheap train tickets: Simple way to save money as fares rise – ‘Saves £199’ | Personal Finance | Finance

The experts said: “With this achieving an average annual saving of £199, often the railcard will pay for itself within the first two or three journeys. For instance, at the time of writing, a single fare from Birmingham to London is around £15 cheaper using a 16-25 railcard. The railcard costs just £30 so it pays for itself within two trips.”

Travel during off-peak times to save up to 34 percent

The cheapest tickets are available when people choose to travel during off-peak times.

Split My Fare experts said: “Generally, any time post 9.30am in large towns and cities, and 9am for other locations are considered off-peak, while weekends and bank holidays are always off-peak. A single journey from Oxford to London Paddington drops by just under ten pounds when the departure time is after 9.30am, approximately a discount of 22 percent.”

So, those who can be flexible with their departure time could delay a journey by just a few minutes to prevent having to spend extra money on anytime travel tickets.

The experts said: “Some train operators provide super off-peak tickets which can be even cheaper, and all railcard holders get 34 percent off all off-peak fares, proving again that railcards are incredibly worthwhile.”

Get refunds when entitled to them

Different train operators have different compensation schemes, but all allow people to claim when trains are delayed – even by as little as 15 minutes.

While most delays are very minor, between 30 percent and 40 percent of railway trips suffer some form of delay, and with 84.2 percent of claims being compensated, it’s always worth people checking if they’re entitled to a refund.

Information on compensation and refunds for all operators can be found on the National Rail website under ‘Compensation for Delays’.