Train fares rise by 4.9% TODAY – here’s how to still save £100s on tickets with hidden hacks

TODAY millions of rail travellers will have to pay more for their train tickets – here are our top tips to save £100s.

Train fares will rise by 4.9 per cent from today costing regular commuters hundreds of pounds more to travel.

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They’re are several ways travellers can cut costs to help soften the blow.

Regular commuters can save a lot by purchasing a season ticket instead of buying for a journey each day.

A seven-day season ticket will likely be cheaper if you do the same journey three or more days a week.

However, this can be difficult to work out and it is worth checking the season ticket calculator on the National Rail website to see if it’s worth it.

For those commuting at least five days a week, buying an annual season ticket could save you hundreds.

For example, a daily return trip between Rugby and Birmingham would cost the average commuter £17.50.

Annual season ticket holders would spend as little as £5.47 for the same trip, with a whole year’s fare coming out at £1,420.

Anyone looking to get their hands on an annual season ticket should buy them before the end of today to lock in the lower price for the next 12 months when prices are higher.

Rail travellers can also buy a flexible season ticket which covers eight days of travel within a 28-day period.

Regular commuters could save up to 60 per cent on each ticket when using a railcard.

Those with a 16-25, senior (for over 60s) and “two together” (you and a friend or family member) railcards get a third off train fare.

Adults with the family and friends card also get third-off tickets and a whopping 60 per cent off child fares.

These cards cost £30 a year but Tesco Clubcard holders can get it for £15 by exchanging their points for vouchers.

The savings can outweigh the costs after just a few trips, depending on the journey.

Travellers should book directly through the train company to cut rail costs even more.

Sites like Trainline and Raileasy are popular among commuters but charge fees of up to £1.75 per journey.

You can’t buy tickets on National Rail’s website – but it does show the cheapest options for your route and takes you directly to the operator’s site.

Commuters taking lengthy train journeys could save hundreds of pounds by splitting their tickets.

A single ticket from London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly costs £47.

But if you purchase two tickets from Euston to Crewe and then Crewe to Manchester the ticket comes to just £30.60, saving a mega £16.40 for one trip.

Passengers won’t need to change trains and National Rail lets you split your ticket as long as the train you’re on calls at the station you buy the tickets for.

Some rail sites, like Trainpal, splits your ticket for free and won’t charge a booking fee.

Finally, commuters can cut costs by booking their rail tickets in advance.

Operators usually make their rail fares available up to 12 weeks in advance, when Network Rail releases its timetable.

Similar to plane tickets, the earlier you book the cheaper it will be.

Travellers can set up alerts via the Trainline app to get notified when cheap advanced tickets go on sale.

But remember to book your tickets directly with the operator to save the most cash.

Commuters can also use the National Rail’s future travel chart which shows the furthest advance date you can buy tickets.

RAIL HIKE

Rail fares usually rise annually, but the government capped them amid soaring inflation.

It means this year’s hike does remain significantly lower than July’s retail price index (RPI) rate of 9 per cent – which is used to up fares.

Last year saw the biggest price hike in a decade when they increased by 5.9 per cent, however, this was far below the July 2022 inflation rate of 12.3 per cent.

This year’s 4.9 per cent increase will see millions of commuters paying significantly more for their rail journeys.

The current cost of a weekly commute from Oxford to London is £6,096, which will rise to £6,394 from March – £298 more.

Meanwhile, a season ticket from Tunbridge Wells to London will increase by £372 costing commuters £5,827.

It comes after five rail operators voted to continue strike action in a row over pay with commuters facing six more months of chaos.

And a married rail union boss at the heart of rail strikes has been caught having an affair with a train driver 19 years his junior.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk