Latest news with #TrainPal
The Independent
6 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Save 25% on your Railcard with our TrainPal discount code
It's no secret that train travel can be pricey, but TrainPal helps keep costs down with competitive fares from all major rail operators, including Avanti West Coast, Great Western Railway, LNER and even Eurostar. Alongside handy features such as split ticketing and a best price guarantee, the platform regularly offers extra ways to save including flash sales and promo codes. Right now, until 11.59pm on 31 December 2025, The Independent's readers can enjoy an exclusive TrainPal discount on Railcards and train tickets. New customers can get up to 25 per cent off, while existing customers can save up to 10 per cent. Keep reading for all you need to know. How to save 25 per cent on a new Railcard By using a Railcard, you can save up to a third on train travel. If this is your first time booking with TrainPal, you can take advantage of a generous 25 per cent discount on a new Railcard by using the code ' INDY25 ' at checkout. That means you can get a one year family and friends Railcard for £26.25, instead of £35, or the three year family and friends Railcard for £60, instead of £80. There are nine Railcards to choose from, including a 16-25, 26-30, senior, two together and network Railcard, so the chances are high that you'll find one to suit you. You will need to create an account to use the discount code and activate your Railcard within 30 days by applying it to a TrainPal ticket purchase. Our exclusive offer doesn't stop at Railcards. If you're a new TrainPal customer, you can also get £5 off train tickets with the discount code – perfect if you're squeezing in a last minute summer getaway or planning ahead to autumn. The savings apply to all UK routes, including airport stations such as Birmingham International, London Gatwick and Stansted. You can even use it on longer routes, such as a London to Edinburgh return during the Fringe Festival. Just copy and paste the same ' INDY25 ' discount code on the booking confirmation page. How to save as an existing customer There's no need to worry if you're already a TrainPal customer, as you can still enjoy a 10 per cent Railcard discount using the same ' INDY25 ' code at checkout. That means instead of the full price of £35, you can get a one-year Railcard for £31.50. You can also use the code for a two per cent saving on train tickets booked before 31 December 2025. How to redeem your exclusive TrainPal promo code Copy the code ' INDY25 ' and head to the TrainPal app or website to start your booking or Railcard purchase. If you're a new customer, you'll need to create a TrainPal account to use the discount code. For Railcard purchases, you will find a 'Promotions' section at the bottom of the first page of the checkout. Simply paste your TrainPal Railcard promo code into the designated box and hit the 'Redeem' button. For rail ticket purchases, once you have selected the journey and time you want to book, continue to the booking confirmation page. When you reach the passenger information page, you will see a 'Promotions' section at the bottom where you can paste your voucher code and redeem it. Our top tips to get cheap train tickets As well as applying a TrainPal voucher code to your booking, there are plenty more ways to reduce the cost of your train tickets. Here are a few easy ways to save: Split tickets – Break your journey into multiple tickets rather than buying one through fare. TrainPal does the hard work for you and works out split tickets automatically, often saving you up to 30 per cent. Book in advance – Train companies usually release their cheapest fares up to 12 weeks before departure. The earlier you book, the more you could save. Travel off-peak – Off-peak and super off-peak tickets are often significantly cheaper than travelling during rush hour. Season tickets – If you make the same journey regularly, a weekly, monthly or annual season ticket can offer great value compared to buying single journey tickets. TrainPal has a handy season ticket calculator that will help you decide if it's worth investing. Group travel –If you're travelling in a group of between three to nine people, it's worth looking at TrainPal's group save option, which can save each each member a third.
Metro
24-05-2025
- Metro
Extortionate train fares make it impossible to visit family – so I don't
Scrolling through the timetable, my eyes began to water at the price of a return ticket. There was a time when a 2.5 hour journey from London Paddington to my hometown of Malvern would have only set me back £38.80. Now, however, that same journey was threatening to cost anywhere between £117 to £226. With the government's net-zero ambitions in mind, it begs the question: Shouldn't it be cheaper and easier than ever to take the train? Public transport is an essential service and it should be affordable for everyone. So why, therefore, are we pricing people off the railways? I try to go home at Easter every year – just like at Christmas, but it's nice to see them twice a year, in warmer weather. So, weeks in advance, I started searching for train tickets. Right on cue though, in March, fares rose by 4.6% and what was already pretty unaffordable had now become extortionate. One service provider was charging up to £226 for an anytime return. Even a single ticket valid only on a certain off-peak train was £103, without a railcard discount. I wanted to cry. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Unintentionally, I then found myself daydreaming about all the times I'd managed to get tickets for less. There was the time I once bagged tickets for as low as £9 thanks to National Rail's 'Cheapest Fare Finder' tool. Sadly, that's since gone the way of the Dodo though and now lies in the train graveyard, in a joint-burial with affordable fares. Even last year's ticket only cost £45 – a bargain by comparison. It's no wonder then that, over the years, I've relied on all the tricks to secure cheaper tickets. Cashback, split tickets, and my 26-30 railcard have all been lifeline's at times. I've even tried to forgo train travel altogether and last summer I exclusively used coaches. However, the savings weren't great, journeys were exponentially longer, and they didn't go anywhere near my family so I was back to where I started. Despite recent cuts to discounts and a £5 increase, my railcard did bring the cost of a super off-peak return down to £77.90 – it was a start, but even this was money I didn't have. Hoping for a miracle, I then pulled out all my tricks and trawled multiple websites from Trainline, TrainPal, and SplitMyFare, to bring the cost down further. Finding the best price is like being lost in a maze, with each site offering different prices, conditions, and routes. Even slower routes via Birmingham, offering minimal savings, proved pointless as half the route was closed for engineering works. Sadly, nothing brought me closer to a more reasonable fare and I didn't get to see my family. I had to choose between seeing them or going to a specialist hospital appointment I had been waiting two years for, in Bath the following week – which was costing £58 for a day return using TrainPal with 3x split tickets each way and including a railcard discount. This is becoming the pattern. And I'm afraid that, if we continue down this track, then I will no longer be able to afford to travel. That's truly heartbreaking because I love travelling by train. Not only does it offer me creative sanctuary and rare time for reflection – I've written articles and produced music on my journey's in the past – it can also be therapeutic. Last year, when my nan was dying, I went back frequently to be with family and those journeys helped me process grief and escape from reality, albeit momentarily. But now, all journeys feel like a luxury. Recently, one text from a friend captured my mood and the issue perfectly: 'I feel robbed every time,' they said. 'The amount I spend on trains, I could afford a luxury holiday.' The cost of living has hit millions of us hard, and while I'm sure those on higher incomes can better absorb rising prices, for people like me on a lower income, there's little room for manoeuvre. When a ticket costs more than a day's income, I'm forced to choose between survival and seeing my family. As a result, with every passing year I see family less and less. I've traded witnessing my nieces and nephews grow up in person for the virtual worlds of FaceTime and Facebook. We communicate as if we're living in other countries, though we're only a train ride apart. It's maddening and yet, I fear, things are about to get worse. More Trending With my railcard expiry approaching, my last ticket to 'cheaper' travel is about to leave the station. I've already cut back on everything I can just to get by but soon I won't even be able to afford to board one last discounted train. It's not fair. Like many, I welcome nationalisation plans, but they need to happen sooner. We need cheaper fares now. View More » I just hope that, when we do, my niece will be eagerly waiting on the platform as my train pulls in. Do you have a story you'd like to share? Get in touch by emailing Share your views in the comments below. MORE: I've slept with older and younger men – there's a big difference MORE: I'll still defend the 'worst TV finale ever' 15 years later MORE: Those sneering at Kim Kardashian's legal career are simply misogynistic
