Rail fare hikes: expert tips on how to save on your commute

It’s that time again for another rail fare hike, with the average increase of 4.6% for fares across England and rail card prices going up by £5 for most of the UK coming into effect on Sunday 2^nd March.

Elsewhere, Scottish fares will be rising by 3.8% in April while Northern Ireland have yet to announce any of their price changes this year.

While this is the lowest increase for English and Welsh rail fares there’s been in the last three years, that isn’t much consolation for commuters who will be paying more for both peak and off-peak journeys.

But there are ways to reduce the cost of rail journeys, whether you’re a daily commuter or occasional trip-taker.

MoneySuperMarket’s personal finance expert Kara Gammell shares her tips on how to make travel cheaper.

Kara's tips to save on public transport costs

Split your tickets

It can work out cheaper to buy two or more train tickets for separate parts of your journey, rather than a singular one – and you don’t have to change trains.

This little-known trick is called ‘fare-splitting’, and there are several websites, including Trainline, that can help you find the cheapest way to split your tickets. The only caveat is that you must call at all the stations for which you buy tickets.

Use a rewards credit card

If you’re paying hundreds each month on your commute, using a rewards credit card to pay for your train tickets can allow you to earn cashback, air miles or loyalty points, rewarding you for your spending.

Make sure you pay the balance on your card off on time and in full every month, or you may be charged high interest rates or lose your rewards.

Earn cashback on your travel

Cashback sites are another great way you can get some free money back on your railcard and train tickets. Several cashback sites offer cashback on Trainline and Railcard, as well as some train providers such as ScotRail, Chiltern Railways and Northern Trains.

Travel outside of peak hours

Many companies’ work policies have changed since Covid, with more offering flexi-hours and the ability to work from home several days a week.

If your job permits, you can make the most of flexible work policies by working from home in the morning and travelling into the office slightly later in the day to avoid paying for more expensive peak-time tickets.

Planning is key

It’s easy to put off booking your train tickets or applying for refunds you’re owed from previous journeys.

Set aside time each month – this could be when you do all your financial planning – to book train tickets for any upcoming journeys you have planned and to claim any refunds you’re owed from Transport for London or other train operators.

In most cases, passengers are entitled to a 50 per cent refund if their train has been delayed by an hour, and a full refund if they are two hours late.