Do you commute from Brighton to London? I need some tips so cheaper train tickets please

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I’m starting a new job and the train ticket prices look a bit scary price wise.

On one hand I won’t be commuting everyday so I’ll make saving there however that mean I won’t benefit from getting an annual pass.

Do you have any tips and tricks for how I can travel to London at the best price as sometimes I’ll need to catch trains at peak times?

Could you drive somewhere closer on that line? Would that be cost effective?

That’s a good pointn@Bluevelvetsofa, thanks. I expect the traffic will be awful though so any money saved would be lost in time.

Look up ‘split ticketing’ which could turn a £47 return into £27 by going to stations along the way
(you don’t need to get off the train, but it does need to stop at the station)

Thanks @Tomikka 🤞

Our local railway does flexi season tickets; not sure if that’s an option for your line.

It's expensive. You can't really get around it

Do you qualify for any of the savers passes in age range?

There's a 16-25 saver pass ...

I’d need to buy two of those @GrilledSneeze!

Thanks @catblanket I seem to remember seeing something like that. I’ll take a closer look.

Spilt ticketing is your friend. But you have to use the machine for some reason.

Brighton - Gatwick - London Thameslink - return 36.80.

Thanks @tryharder100000000, do I buy separate tickets for the Bton to Gatwick and then Gatwick to Blackfriars?

Neither - the websites will work it out for you. Download the Trainline app is one option to price it up. We did Plymouth to London return for 2 people last week for £84. Huge bargain.

It does mean you're fixed down to specific train times though - the cheaper tickets tend to limit your options.

Any scope to travel in later to buy an off peak ticket? The one that gets into Blackfriars at 9.51 is cheaper.

Either travel off peak or use split tickets. Both much cheaper than the flexi season ticket.

Agree with PP Trainline is great, will work out split tickets for you that can save a bit.
If you can travel after 9 or if splitting the ticket have half journey past 9. That will save a lot.
If you travel after 10 you can buy a network south east card that saves you quite a bit and can be used at weekends too.
That's all my tips, it's horribly expensive!

Get a Network Card. I buy a full fare to go in, then my return ticket is eligible for the Network Card discount, so knocks a third off.

Marvellous @GetOffTheRoof, I may have spent too long on the split ticketing website last night 😴

Thanks, @Muddledandbefuddled I’ve got my eye on that train but I’m not sure how flexible the hours are yet.

I don’t think I’d be able to travel off peak each day @LiftyLift unfortunately but I certainly prefer the price and the times of the slightly later trains.

Flexi season ticket is good value if I buy an annual ticket to use three times per week if I can use it at peak times.

Thanks @luckyrabbits, when I calculate the cost of travel and childcare it’s a eye wateringly expensive so I’m keen to make savings where I can.

I’ll check out network cards @bare, thanks for the tip.