Are my train tickets going to get cheaper..?

[BathshebaKnickerStickers]

My daughter and I are going to London - from Aberdeen- at the end of March.

Last time we went we flew but we really want to go by train.

However only LNER have released tickets for that far in advance and on TrainPal it’s £266 fir us both with a 2-Together railcard.

ScotRail are saying £222 for the same journey but things have got complicated because I bought the rail card via TrainPal (Blue light card discount) and I think the railcard is only activated when I buy tickets through TrainPal.

My husband travels on the train more often than me but still not frequently. He says prices will definitely go down and there is a “sweet spot” about 6 weeks before the journey where they are at their lowest. My thinking is that the price will only go up and surely the earliest the cheapest.

As it’s still more expensive to go by train than to fly, I really want to get the lowest price possible.

I figured the collective knowledge of Mumsnet would help - will the price go down or do I buy now….??

I don't think train tickets get cheaper because I don't think they do dynamic pricing.

My understanding is that they sell the tickets cheapest to most expensive so when the cheap tickets run out they then sell the more expensive ones.

However I would have thought that if you have a rail card, it's valid and usable no matter how you buy the tickets. You have a rail card and you buy a rail card ticket, you then need to show both to the inspector on the train.

I think the price difference is probably due to split ticketing, which I don't think LNER do, but Scotrail do. Have you also looked at Trainline? But I think the biggest saving is usually due to booking early and being as flexible as possible with timing, which I appreciate is difficult with such a long journey without setting off very early or arriving very late.

Have a look at prices six weeks from now and 12 weeks from now and see how they all compare maybe? Obviously Christmas prices may distort slightly.

I would try 12 weeks before although also does she get money off with her young scot/bus pass?

We travel to London a lot and I’ve found 7 weeks in advance to be the cheapest. Either side of this tend to go up in price.
Have a family and friends rail card which makes it a lot cheaper too.

It’s too far in advance to get the cheapest tickets in my experience. Your husband is correct. You should try to find someone that goes this route frequently though. It doesn’t sound outrageous if those are return prices for 2 people though. It’s a long way!

How old is your daughter? Would it work out cheaper if she uses a young person's railcard, even if it means you paying full price?

Most train companies release tickets 12 weeks in advance. Have a look at Lumo nearer the time.

The cheapest advance tickets are released about 12 weeks before the travel date (it varies a little bit but not hugely). The cheapest tickets will be available upon the release, so start checking about 14 weeks before travel (but don’t be surprised if they are released at 11 weeks) because the very cheapest options will tend to sell out quite quickly.

A two together railcard is valid for all operators. You just need to select the correct railcard option when you book (then the conductor will check your railcard when you travel).

I have always done well booking 12 weeks in advance.

thank so much for all your answers.

someone on Reddit helped me with the Railcard situation (I booked a £1 trip from Stourbridge Junction to Stourbridge Town) and my railcard is now active.
My daughter will be 17 - we do select that she has her YoungScot entitlement card when we select the railcard and I think that may effect the price.

I don’t think I’ll get it cheaper than £222 return - which is now cheaper than flying.

thanks so much everyone

You have to buy ONE ticket with train pal to activate the railcard on the app then you can buy the tickets with whomever you want, and you also do not need to activate the railcard until you actually make the trip to Aberdeen, you can buy the tickets from wherever without having a valid railcard as long as you have one on the date you intend to travel.

For example, I buy a 3 year Family & Friends railcard every 3 years but I use a different railcard most of the time. I buy it using discount cards on the TrainPal website (entering a different email address) and then buy my tickets on the train company website (eg LNER) as they generally do the cheapest price and you can get perks like hot drinks vouchers. Then in X many weeks/months when I actually need the F&F railcard I book a one way trip between 2 stations that are a minute apart and costs me about £2 for the day before. That allows me to activate the railcard and no one will check that I have actually been on the train for a minute so I do not need to travel on said train, I just need to have purchased a ticket.

How old is your daughter? LNER also do a "family" ticket to/from set destinations which can sometimes work out cheaper than using a railcard, which are not released until 12 weeks or so in advance. In general the cheap seats for set trains are not released until 12 weeks before travel so you are too early - I would advise registering on the LNER website then you can set an alert to get an email when the advance purchase seats for your journey are released, which you can then use a railcard discount on too.

I have had some kind of railcard for over 20 years (since I was 16) and travel by train most days, including being a frequent traveller on the London-Edinburgh-Aberdeen route. I would expect to be paying £90-100 approx per adult return with a railcard discount depending on day of week, so tbh, the Scotrail price seems reasonable. But not if it is on a slooooow stopping train. London-Aberdeen via LNER should be about 7-8 hours and is a beautiful journey.

Just seen your update - if your daughter has a YS card then you cant combine discounts so play with the system to see if she is better off using that and you paying full fare OR you both using the 2 together card. Or you could get a train that stops at Berwick or Dunbar so that you can use the 2 together card in England then you get different tickets for the Scotland part.

I went to London from Stirling with 2 friends in the summer my friend has a railcard and I think we were £340ish return so I don't think £222.from Aberdeen is too bad.