Back to blog Whether it’s out of necessity or a New Year’s resolution, many of us want to save money in 2018. We’re here with advice on how to save money on your train, bus and London Underground journeys this year. uk-trains-save-money It was sad news when it was announced that UK rail fares would be increased. Rail ticket prices are now up 3.4% in the biggest fare increase since 2013. If you’re a London commuter it’s not all bad news. TfL services are under a fares freeze that will last until 2020 and London Mayor Sadiq Khan has announced further improvements to the Hopper Fare so commuters can save even more money (learn more about it below). So what can we do to save money on travelling and commuting on trains, buses and the Tube in London? We’ve got plenty of tips and tricks to help you out in 2018.  

Save Money on London Buses

1. Take Advantage of the Hopper Fare

At the very start of 2018, Sadiq Khan confirmed changes to the Hopper bus fare. The original Hopper fare allowed passengers to take 2 buses within an hour for the price of a single bus journey at £1.50. By the end of January, the Hopper Fare will be updated to allow for unlimited bus journeys within an hour, even if passengers travel on the Tube or rail in the middle of the journey. So take advantage and save money. Use Bus Times London to plan and then relax, knowing that any journey that’s less than an hour will only cost £1.50!  

Save Money on the London Underground

2. Use the Pink Oyster Card Reader

Using the Pink Oyster Card readers is a little-known trick that can save you a lot of money on London Underground journeys. The way this work is if you are making a journey that avoids Zone 1, you tap on these readers with the same Oyster or contactless card you used at the start of your journey. The system will recognise that you haven’t used Zone 1 and charge you the cheaper fare. Obviously, this only makes a difference on journeys where Zone 1 is a potential option but an alternate route has been taken. TfL has a list of the stations that have the pink readers, so use this to plan ahead.

3. Walk the Tube Map

Why spend money on a Tube ticket if you can walk instead? The famous walking Tube Map tells you how long it takes to walk instead of riding the Tube. In fact, we wrote a whole blog about it!  

Save Money on Train Tickets

4. Use Railcards

Railcards can save you as much as a 1/3 on travel costs and there is a wide range of them available. There are 16-25 Railcards, Senior Railcards, the Two Together Railcard and in the future, we may even get the “millennial” railcard for under 30s. Even if you don’t think you qualify for one, it’s worth doing your research because you might be surprised by what you can get.

5. Buy an Annual Travel Card

While it can be a big expense up-front, buying an annual travel card can save you a lot of money in the long run. One option is to plan ahead and save up for one in advance. Alternatively, there are schemes like CommuterClub that let you pay for it monthly.

6. Split ticketing

This is a fairly new trend for savvy money savers. For some train journeys, it’s possible to save money by getting multiple tickets to cover different legs of a route. For example, rather than buying a ticket from Birmingham to Leeds, if you get tickets from Birmingham to Crewe, Crewe to Manchester and Manchester to Leeds, you’ll end up saving about 46% on the cost of the ticket! There are sites like TrainSplit that will let you check where it’s possible to do this.

7. Travel Loan

Though technically not a way to save money, this can be a valuable tool in dealing with the recent rail fare increases. Some companies can provide travel loans worth up-to £10,000 which then gets taken out of your wages on a monthly basis. So if you’re struggling to pay for that annual travel card, check with your boss.

8. Book in Advance

If you have any holidays or business trips to make, start looking for train tickets as soon as you know you’ll need one. By booking in advance you can save enormous amounts on longer train journeys.

9. Avoid Peak Times

While this may not be possible for everyone, if you have any flexibility in when you work or if you’re planning trips for fun, then make this the year you avoid Rush Hour. Not only are the trains more cramped, you pay more for your tickets as well. Off-peak tickets are typically valid all-day on weekends and bank holidays. Monday to Friday they’re valid between 10:00 and 16:15 then again after 19:15. This may vary for different rail providers (this example was taken from Southern Rail) so be sure to do your research.

10. Don’t Pay for the Extras

When you’re taking the train, there can often be additional costs that don’t have to be there. Do you need to buy a pricey coffee from the café on the platform or that sandwich on the train? Could you bring food from home instead? Are you paying extra to have your tickets delivered when you could be saving money by picking them up at the station? Think about the little places you spend money along the way and we bet there are opportunities to save money.  

You Can Save Money in Tube Map too!

Tube Map has some useful extra features and if you buy them all together, you’ll save money because of the special Bulk Saver price. Check the Unlock Features page in the app to learn more. Don’t have Tube Map? Download now on iOS and Android or visit our app page to learn more. bulk-saver-promo   Back to blog