Where to next?
Discover the best destinations and holiday providers, independently researched and recommended by us & save 30% only £34.30.
Join Which? TravelOffer ends 16 Jun 25. Cancel anytime.
By clicking a retailer link you consent to third-party cookies that track your onward journey. This enables W? to receive an affiliate commission if you make a purchase, which supports our mission to be the UK's consumer champion.
Want cheap train tickets for Christmas? Check now
Advance tickets can be the cheapest deal, but you need to act now
With just eight weeks until Christmas and the holiday season, there should still be time to buy advance train tickets. Train companies release their advance fares around 11-12 weeks before travel – so if there's a ticket left for your route that looks like a good deal, you’ll need to buy it now as they have limited availability.
Trainline confirmed to Which? that advance single train tickets are always cheapest when first released, and do go up in price. So tickets may have already started to creep up.
An advance single is not always the cheapest option though. Our research found that a super-off-peak return, which can be bought up to the day of departure, is cheaper than two advance singles on some routes.
Get more of the latest deals and recommendations you can trust from the experts with our Travel newsletter – it's free
When is the best time to book train tickets for Christmas 2024?
It depends. If you want a return ticket, we found off-peak and super-off-peak fares can be cheaper than two advance singles. Compare prices, and if the advance singles work out cheaper, book immediately as the price of these will only increase.
In some cases, you won’t be able to check the price of advance singles for January, as these may not have been released. Go back and check in a few days when they have.
If you are just travelling one way, an advance single will almost always be the cheapest fare.
Are UK train tickets cheaper in advance?
On four example routes supplied by Trainline, those who booked any ticket type 11-12 weeks in advance via Trainline got the cheapest price. These tickets were 23-34% cheaper than those bought on the day for the same route back in 2023.
Trainline supplied Which? with pricing data across four routes, which shows the average price paid by Trainline customers buying fares online in 2023 across all ticket types (factoring in railcard discounts). Across these four routes, fares were always cheapest 11-12 weeks before.
| Route (one way) | On the day average price (via Trainline) | 11-12 weeks out | 6 weeks out | 2 weeks out |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London – Manchester | £61.20 | £42.71 (25% saving) | £49.71 (13% saving) | £49.66 (13% saving) |
| London – Liverpool | £62.58 | £42.85 (28% saving) | £44.22 (26% saving) | £48.96 (18% saving) |
| London – Glasgow | £88.67 | £59.47 (34% saving) | £67.33 (25% saving) | £72.99 (18% saving) |
| Manchester – Sheffield | £14.62 | £10.25 (26% saving) | £11.08 (20% saving) | £12.20 (11% saving) |
Table notes Includes first class and standard one-way fares and all ticket types – everything from advance singles to peak singles, as well as returns (where the cost was halved).
What if I can’t commit to an advance ticket?
Advance tickets require you to pick a specific date and train to travel on. They are also non-refundable. If you need the flexibility of an off-peak or super off peak ticket, where you can typically choose from various (but not all) trains on a particular day, there’s no rush to buy these immediately.
Trainline told us that peak and off-peak walk-up fares stay fixed and will not go up or down.
Is it ever cheaper to buy train tickets on the same day?
If you’re buying an off-peak or peak fare, the price should be the same as 12 weeks earlier, according to Trainline. But booking on the day means you could miss out on the cheapest advance tickets, which either will have sold out or have risen in price.
Is it better to buy your ticket at the station or on the train?
You’ll find the best prices online, or at manned train station ticket offices (if you can find one that’s open).
We’ve found that only one in six stations within the Department for Transport’s control have a full-time ticket office – not to mention the 759 stations that don’t have a ticket office at all.
But never buy from train station ticket machines.
Our mystery shoppers found back in January that due to outdated technology, many ticket machines across the UK are charging customers up to 154% more than booking online.
So, for the best chance of grabbing tickets at their most reasonable, book them soon – and do it online. If you book through Trainline, you'll pay a fee of between 59p and £2.79 but it automatically searches for cheaper Split Tickets, while booking directly with National Rail will not incur a booking fee.
