Return train tickets to be scrapped on some routes: will it save you money?

Return tickets are to be scrapped later this month in a bid to give passengers more flexibility at a cheaper price.

London North East Railways (LNER) will stop selling return tickets on 11 June to the destinations it serves on the East Coast main line.

It means you’ll have to buy a single ticket for each leg of your journey, but you’ll be able to mix and match rail tickets to get the best value.

Here, Which? explains how the new simplified ticket system will work, and how to save money on train tickets.

Why are return tickets being scrapped?

Under the existing system, many single tickets are just £1 less than the cost of a return, which means passengers won't save any money if cheaper advanced tickets are only available for one direction of a return journey. 

It also discourages those who only want to make journeys on a one-way basis, but are put off as the single ticket costs almost the same as a return journey. 

The changes mean a single fare will always be half the cost of a return, so customers can mix and match to get more flexibility. 

LNER said single tickets will help reduce overcrowding by making more seat reservations available.

• Find out more: how to find cheap train tickets

What tickets can you buy instead?

Once return fares are scrapped on certain routes, you’ll only be able to buy the following tickets: 

• Advanced single For travel on a specific train at a specific time
• Off peak/super off-peak single For travel on any less busy train outside peak travel times
• Anytime single For travel on any train at any time. 

This means if you want a return journey, you can simply buy two single tickets. If you know the time and dates you are travelling, you could buy two advanced single tickets, or one advanced single for the outbound journey and a flexible off-peak ticket for the return leg. 

Which routes will benefit?

LNER calls at more than 50 stations along the East Coast route between London and Peterborough, the East Midlands, Leeds and York, through to Newcastle, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Glasgow.

Will other train operators scrap return tickets?

LNER, which is owned by the Department of Transport, is the only company to scrap return tickets following a trial it ran in 2020.

This trial has now been extended to all parts of the LNER network, and in February the Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper said the government would ‘carefully consider’ the results before deciding whether to extend it to other train operators. 

He also outlined plans for a new public body called Great British Railways, which will bring the operation of track and trains back under the same roof to oversee timetables and ticketing. 

Which? has contacted several train operators to ask them if they plan on scrapping return tickets in the near future. 

Chiltern Railways and Govia Thameslink Railway (which runs Southern, Gatwick Express, Thameslink and Great Northern) have said they have no plans to do so.  

We’ll update this story when we hear back from the remaining operators. 

How much can you save?

LNER first began trialling single-leg pricing in January 2020 on some of its routes between London to Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh.  

Before the trial, a super off-peak single from London to Edinburgh bought at the station would cost £150.50, or £151.50 for a super off-peak return ticket – just £1 more. 

During the trial, the price of a single dropped to £75.75 – a saving of £74.75 for passengers who only wanted to go one way. 

• Find out more: best ways to save money

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What else are train firms doing to save passengers money?

Here are a few schemes announced by train operators this year to help passengers save money on their train tickets. 

Avanti West Coast superfare

Avanti West Coast is trialling a superfare scheme that lets you buy a ticket for a specific date, but you'll have to say whether you want to travel in the morning, afternoon or evening. 

Around 24 hours before your journey, you’ll be matched to an empty seat on a quieter train and told the time of your journey. 

Superfare tickets have set prices between £12 and £22 and run for single journeys between London and Birmingham, Liverpool, Preston and Manchester Piccadilly. 

The number of tickets available on each route varies daily and you'll need to book at least seven days before travel. 

Southern Rail cheap rush hour tickets

Govia Thameslink Railway is trailing cheaper Southern advance peak tickets on Mondays and Fridays.

This is because the rail operator found that 40,000 fewer people travel on a Monday, and 90,000 fewer commuters travel on a Friday, compared to the three midweek days.

Commuters can save up to 15% on an advance peak ticket compared to the price of a standard peak anytime day return. 

It’s available for a limited number of journeys in both directions between East Croydon, Clapham Junction and London Victoria and stations south from Three Bridges – as far east as Eastbourne, and as far west as Chichester.

The tickets will show up in the Southern Rail journey planner and can be bought up to the day before travel on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Loyalty schemes and discounts

Some train companies have their own loyalty schemes you can join. Here are some of the ones we found, but it’s worth having a look at the rail operator’s website before booking. 

• C2C Smartcard You can collect 1 point for every £1 you spend on C2C train tickets when you opt into the loyalty scheme in your online account. The points can be spent to get money off future travel. You’ll also get automatically repaid for any delays of more than two minutes.
• Gatwick Express Book via the Gatwick Express app or website and you can get a 10% discount on your tickets, whether single or return.
• Heathrow Express Collect one point for every £1 spent with Heathrow Rewards - these can then be spent with Heathrow partners. 
• LNER perks Get £5 free plus 2% credit back every time you travel.

Find out more: 47 ways to make money

How to save money on train tickets

Regulated train fares in England and Wales usually increase every year. This year, they went up by 5.9% on 5 March. 

This includes season tickets on most commuter journeys, some off-peak return tickets on long-distance journeys and anytime tickets around major cities. 

To save money on rail travel across the UK, it's usually worth buying a railcard. They cost no more than £30 a year, and essentially pay for themselves with the money you can save on a few train journeys. 

There are nine railcards available, with discounts varying from a third to 50% off.

There are a lot of other hacks on our guide to getting cheap train tickets, including splitting your ticket and setting alerts for when advanced tickets go on sale.

Make sure you claim money back for any delayed journeys. You’ll be eligible if your train has been cancelled or delayed by 15 minutes or more.

• Find out more: bus fares capped at £2 under government scheme 

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