Railcards and other ways to save money
There are various ways to save money on your train travel. There are National and Local Railcards and group travel discounts that can cut 1/3 of your ticket, and if you want to explore the Cotswolds or Thames Valley then Day Ranger and Rover Tickets allow unlimited off-peak travel. If you want to use the train and bus during your journey a combined Plusbus ticket will make life easier and save you money!
[National Railcards] [Cotswold Line Railcard] [Rovers & Day Rangers] [Oxford Evening Out] [GroupSave]
National Railcards
If you are aged 16-25 or a full time student aged 26 or over, you could be saving save 1/3 on most rail fares throughout Great Britain.
A 16-25 Railcard (formerly Young Persons Railcard) will save you 1/3 on Advance, Anytime or Off-Peak rail fares throughout Great Britain for a whole year. You can even get discounts on First Class Advance tickets on most long-distance inter-city services, and can use it on Gatwick Express, Stansted Express, Heathrow Express and Heathrow Connect services too.
There are plenty of ways you can use your Railcard, for both long and short trips. Better still you can use it anytime on weekends, Public Holidays and during the week. The only restriction is that if you travel before 10am Monday to Friday (except during July and August) a minimum fare will apply.
Your Railcard will give you savings on more than just rail travel. More information is on the 16-25 Railcard website.
If you are travelling as a family or group with at least one child you could be saving 1/3 off the adult fares and up to 60% of child fares throughout Great Britain.
A Family & Friends Railcard (formerly Family Railcard) will save you 1/3 off adult fares, and 60% off kid's Advance, Anytime or Off-Peak standard class fares on travel throughout Great Britain, including some rail./sea journeys with Wightlink or Red Funnel Ferries to the Isle of Wight.
Where ever you're
going, take your Family & Friends Railcard with you to save on rail
fares. As long as you have at least one child travelling with you,
you'll qualify for Family & Friends Railcard discounts. Up to four
adults and four kids can travel on one card, and they don't even
need to be related. An easement allows Off-Peak tickets to be used
on the 0823 train from Kingham and the 0834 train from Charlbury
when travelling towards Oxford and London.
More information is on the Family & Friends Railcard website.
Aged over 60?
With a Senior Railcard anyone 60 years or over will save you 1/3 on most Advance, Anytime and Off-Peak rail fares throughout Great Britain for a whole year. What's more you can save on Standard and First Class tickets.
There are plenty of ways you can use your Railcard, for both long
and short trips. Even better you can use it almost anytime during
the week, at weekends and on Public Holidays. The only restriction
is morning peak period services, Monday to Friday (not including
Public Holidays) when journeys are made wholly within the
Network Area. However, an easement
allows travel on the 0823 train from Kingham and the 0834 train from
Charlbury when travelling towards Oxford and London.
To find out more, take a look at the Senior Railcard website
If you travel regularly in the South East of England, buy a Network Railcard and you and up to three other adults can save 1/3 off standard class Anytime and Off-Peak fares, including Off-Peak Day Travelcards. Up to four children, aged 5 to 15 can save 60% on the child fare (£1 minimum fare applies).
Discounts are normally available after 10:00
Mondays to Fridays and all day on weekends and public
holidays. However, an easement allows travel on the
0911 train from Kingham and the 0920 train from
Charlbury when travelling towards Oxford and London.
Each discounted adult fare is subject to a £10 minimum
fare, Monday to Friday (this does not apply at
weekends or on Public Holidays).
The Network Railcard can be purchased over the
telephone and at staffed stations. See the
Network
Railcard website for more details.
If you have a disability that makes travelling by train difficult...
You may qualify for
the Disabled Persons Railcard. The Railcard allows you - and an
adult companion with you - to get a 1/3 off most Advance, Anytime or
Off-Peak rail fares throughout Great Britain.
The Disabled Person’s Railcard not only saves you money on your train fare but offers holders a host of other discounts and benefits with some of the large hotel chains throughout the Great Britain.
More information can be found on the Disabled Persons Railcard website.
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If you are a member or a spouse of a member of the Regular Armed Forces.
Forces personnel and their spouses can save 1/3 on most Advance, Anytime or Off-Peak rail fares including Off Peak Travelcards by buying the HM Forces Railcard. The Railcard is valid for 12 months and it can make your off-duty travel much more affordable.
The Railcard also lets you take up to four children, under 16 years, for less with 60% off normal child fares, subject to a £1 minimum fare, anywhere in the country.
You can use it almost
anytime during the week, at weekends and on Public Holidays. The
only restriction is morning peak period services, Monday to Friday
(not including Public Holidays) when journeys are made wholly within
the Network Area. An easement allows
travel on the 0823 train from Kingham and the 0834 train from
Charlbury when travelling towards Oxford and London. To find out
more visit the HM
Forces Railcard website.
Cotswold Line Railcard
You can use the Railcard to obtain discounts on trains departing Worcester at, or after 0842 and Oxford at, or after 0840, Monday to Friday but there are no restrictions on weekends and public holidays. Discount tickets bought with a Cotswold Line Railcard are only valid for travel on First Great Western trains and apply to the named card holder only.
The Cotswold Line Railcard can only be bought at one of the staffed stations on the line.
Rover and Day Rangers
A Thames Rover ticket give you the freedom to go where you
want by train throughout the Thames Valley over a period of time and
is perfect for short breaks and holidays, being valid for 3 or 7
consecutive days.
If you want to explore the region by train in a day, then a Day Ranger ticket is your best buy. It gives you the freedom to make as many journeys as you like on First Great Western trains in an area of your choice.
The Thames Rover and Day Ranger tickets are valid for travel after 0930 Mondays to Fridays and any time on Saturdays, Sundays or Bank Holidays. There are restrictions when travelling from London Paddington and Reading during the evening peak.
Rover and Day Ranger tickets can be purchased at most staffed stations anywhere in Britain. You can also buy them from First Great Western telesales on 08457 000 125 (lines are open 0700 to 2200, allow three working days for delivery of your ticket).
Map of Routes for the Thames Valley Rover and Day Rangers
(PDF, 323Kb)
Oxford Evening Out Ticket
If you feel like
heading into the historic city of Oxford for an evening out in one
of the many bars, theatres or restaurants, or fancy exploring the
villages alongside the Oxford Canal, the Oxford Evening Out
Ticket is ideal for you
For only £3.00 the ticket allows unlimited evening travel on First Great Western, Chiltern Railways and Cross Country services in an area bounded by Kingham, Banbury, Bicester Town and Didcot Parkway. It is valid after 1850 on any day of the week, with an easement for journeys from Charlbury and Kingham, where it can be used on trains departing at, or after 1815.
Holders of Senior,
16-25, Disabled Persons and Network Railcards obtain a reduced price
of only £2!
GroupSave
Groupsave is an excellent, but often under-used
ticket that is ideal
if you are travelling in a group, or want a family day out.
With GroupSave, up to 4 people can travel together as a single group for just the cost of two adults during off-peak times. Additional children can accompany the main party, and travel at the flat fare of £1, single or return. Two children under the age of five can travel free of charge with each fare paying passenger.
Whether you travel as a group of adults, or in any combination of adults and children, your party of 3 or 4 people will only pay the equivalent of just 2 adult Off-Peak Day Returns, 2 adult Off-Peak Day Travelcards (for travel to the capital only from stations outside of the London area), or 2 adult Off-Peak Return tickets. If it's a real kids' treat, up to 4 more 5-15 year olds can travel for £1 each, single or return!
Next time you're travelling together as a party remember to ask for GroupSave when buying your tickets!
