Whether you are a university student or a business commuter, or perhaps you just like the odd weekend away every now and then, train travel can prove to be very costly. When booking your train fare online there are lots of hidden ways to save on your travels and get the best price for your journey.

Before Booking

  1. Get a Railcard

If you haven’t already, make sure to get a Railcard online and save 30% on all train tickets. Whether you travel daily, weekly or monthly it is worth the one off £30 cost to save on your journeys. There are seven types of railcard including those for young people aged 16-30, families travelling with kids (who can enjoy a 50% discount on kids fares) and people aged 60 and over.

  1. Book Early

The early bird gets the worm, and this is certainly true for saving money on your train fare. Online you can book up to 12 weeks in advance, and save up to a massive 80% on your tickets. If you have left it late to book, then booking in advance is can still give you a significant saving. Save up to 30% when you book before 6pm the night before, compared to booking on the day, so bear this in mind whilst finding the best price for your journey.

Getting your Tickets

  1. Use Voucher Codes

Many online promo code companies offer extra savings on train fares, including no booking fees. Websites such a offer discounts on singles, returns, last minute booking and much more. Get discounts at Trainline and save on fares, and you can even save money on your railcard to get a long term discount.

  1. Buy Single Tickets

For many journeys, if you buy two single tickets instead of a return ticket, your fare works out cheaper. For certain trainlines such as Virgin trains, you can get even you can save up to 50% compared to getting a return when you choose two off peak single tickets.

  1. Travel Off Peak

Whether booking in advance or on the day, off peak journeys are always cheaper than travelling on peak. If you can avoid travelling during the early morning and rush hour, then choosing their off peak and super off peak is a great, money saving option. These tickets are less flexible and require you to travel at certain times of the day, but are ideal for weekends away.

  1. Split Ticketing

This technique involves splitting your journey up and getting different tickets for each part of your journey. This doesn’t even involve changing trains in many cases, and is a good way to save if you have left your booking until the last minute. Split your journey into two or more parts, and make saving of up to £80 on your journey!

  1. Compare & Save

Booking your journey online also means that you have the advantage of being able to find the best price. With comparison websites such as MyTrainTicket offering a best fare finder tool, you can look at the price of your journey from many different providers. Choose the best price for your entire journey, and choose the right fare for you.

  1. Book Train & Tube Together

Whilst the Oyster card is great if travelling by tube or bus around central London, booking the Train and Tube together is great is travelling further afield. With Virgin Trains there are a number of inclusive ticket packages available to save you money if you are taking more than one train or mode of transport in the South East.

  1. Holiday Packages

Going on a short break or a weekend away? Booking hotel and train fare at the same time offers great savings on your entire break. Although these packages can often have an added cost due to their convenience, if you find daily deals and added discounts often available such as those discussed in the Save Money on Vacation article, you can find a great deal on your entire break.

Before Checking Out

  1. Avoid Booking Fees

When you have secured your train tickets, the booking fees are the one thing which can trip you up and have you spending more. Search for providers who don’t have booking fees such as Cross Country Trains, or check out the voucher code websites to see that they don’t have any of the regular “free booking fee” deals on offer.

Extra Money Saving Tips

– Students can also get 12% off the 16-25 Railcard when they use their NUS card

– Look out for train-lines which have group bookings as some offer a 20% discount

– Don’t forget the refunds – some providers such as crosscountrytrains.,co.uk provide cashback for customers if their train is delayed.

For frequent travellers, some of these tips will no doubt already be saving you a fortune such as a railcard and booking your tickets early. However, there are many secret savings to be had every time you book train travel, no matter what trainline you book with. From browsing voucher codes to find savings on your specific journey, to comparing deals and ensuring you get the best one, there is no need to overspend in order to get from A to B. Save time and money on your train travel by keeping these top tips under your belt!

indian railway

Trains have always been a popular and integral part of India. Whether you talk about office goers, students, professionals or traders, they travel by train in their day-to-day life. It might interest you that Indian Railways need reservations on all the classes of travel excluding general class. There are a couple of ways that you can go about making a reservation: online, or in person at some travel agency or counter of Indian Railways booking.

There are different facilities provided by Indian Railways today that can instantly get you information about everything. If you want to know about the seat availability on trains, you can instantly visit their official website, or you can even check the availability through apps. Various options like PNR and live status keep the passengers contented with their experience with railways.

Talking about online reservations, these are carried out mostly through the slow and cumbersome   IRCTC Online Passenger Reservation site. Similarly, there are alternative websites too that can get your booking done. These alternative websites are much user-friendly; though they do charge a service charge and not all the trains are displayed.  The simplest way would be to go to the IRCTC website and register.

Are you doing the counter booking?

In case, you are booking over the counter, print out your reservation form. Just finish the form and take it to a reservation office. Otherwise, you can also obtain a reservation form at the office and finish it there. In case, you are a foreign tourist, try to visit one of International Tourist Bureaus in main cities. These spots are much more efficient, and of course, customer-friendly.

Important points

  • All the reservations, done both over the counter and online, are assigned a ten digit PNR number. In case, you are in RAC or WL line; you can check status of your booking on IRCTC website by clicking on the “PNR Inquiry”, next just enter your number and click on the “Get PNR Status” button.
  • The IRCTC is closed for maintenance every day from 11.30 p.m. to 12.30 a.m. IST.  Services are not available during this time.
  • Cancellations take place quite often right? It is particularly in 24 hours up to the time of departure. In case you are waitlisted, you will have the best chance of fetching a bed in sleeper class as the majority of the beds (and consequently cancellations) are in this particular class.
  • Bookings have to be made as far in advance as possible (up to one hundred twenty days before departure), mainly during the times of busiest travelling. Otherwise, you will have to be prepared to get flexible about your travel times and dates, and of course class of accommodation. You might even find yourself on waitlist, as demand significantly exceeds supply

The bottom line is that railways are progressing at a pace that is commendable. The crowd found in trains volumes the importance of railways in India.  Once you are well-informed about everything, you can make the finest journeys of your life by trains.