In fact, online rail fares can often work out cheaper if you’re purchasing an advance ticket.
Money Saving Expert said: “There are a few ways to search for cheap train tickets online, and bizarrely, different sites sometimes list different tickets, so for a belt ‘n’ braces check try a few.”
If you know the journey and dates of travel in advance, signing up to sale alerts – such as the Trainline ticket alert system – is one of the best ways to access the lowest fares.
This works by sending emails with the current price for your journey as well as the predicted rate on the day of travel.
Using these simple price comparison tools won’t always give you a significantly cheaper deal than what you can get at the station, but it does allow you to shop around for the best deals ahead of your journey.
