Travelling by train in a group can be a lot more fun and less hassle than squeezing into a car. As they say, let the train take the strain, and enjoy your journey.
What many people don’t know, however, is big discounts are available on group train tickets. You can get these across many parts of the UK, and some offer massive savings.
We have found all of the offers out there, so you can get cheaper rail fares.
Group Train Tickets – quick links
- Virgin Trains Advance Group-e – 10% Savings for groups
- GroupSave 4 (London and South East England) – up to 50% OFF
- Groupsave 3 (London and South East England) – up to 34% OFF
- East Midlands Trains GroupSave – 4 or 3 travel for the price of 2
- East Coast Group 3+ – 1/3 OFF for groups
- Arriva Trains Wales Small Group Day – 25% Savings for groups
- ScotRail GroupSave – 4 or 3 travel for the price of 2
- National Rail (Britain) – large groups of 10 or more
Virgin Trains – Advance Group-e Train Tickets
Virgin Trains also offer discount Advance Group-e train tickets for three to eight passengers travelling together on the Virgin Trains network.
The first two passengers pay full price and any extra passengers get a 10% saving.
The discount is only available online for Adult Advance fares.
Virgin Trains >>
GroupSave 4 – up to 50% Savings
GroupSave 4 is the best deal for cheap group train tickets to London, and journeys in the surrounding area.
They are perfect for days out, and period return journeys.
You only pay half price for some trips.
How much are the GroupSave 4 Savings?
GroupSave 4 includes the following offers:
- savings up to 50% discount (if the party is four adults)
- only two people from the group pay, the other two travel FREE
- you can add up to four children for only £1 each
What UK geographic area are GroupSave 4 tickets available?
GroupSave 4 covers London and a large surrounding region. It includes an area which covers Torquay and Devon in the south west, north to Birmingham and the Midlands, east to Norwich and East Anglia and south to Folkestone and Kent.
GroupSave 4 is offered by the following rail companies c2c, Chiltern Railways, East Midlands Trains, First Capital Connect, First Great Western, National Express East Anglia (not Stansted Express), London Midland, London Overground, Southeastern and Southern.
GroupSave 4 discounts are available on trips that cut across all these networks.
How do I qualify for GroupSave 4 Savings?
To be eligible for GroupSave 4:
- you must be travelling in a group of four people (any combination of adults or children)
- at least one adult must travel on the journey
- all members of the party must travel together at all times
What ticket types are valid for GroupSave 4 fares?
GroupSave 4 is valid for Off-Peak journeys, including:
- Off-Peak Day Return
- Super Off-Peak Day Return
- Off-Peak Day Travelcards (for travel to London from stations outside, includes unlimited travel in London for one day)
- Super Off-Peak Day Travelcards (for travel to London from stations outside, includes unlimited travel in London for one day)
- Off-Peak Return
How to buy GroupSave 4 tickets online
GoupSave 4 tickets can be booked online from South West Trains.
Simply, follow these instructions:
- Choose your return rail trip and specify the amount of adults and children on your trip
- Go to ‘Railcards and GroupSave’ towards the bottom of the journey planner. Select ‘GroupSave 4’
- Click the ‘Add’ button and leave the drop down as ‘1’, if you are in a group of four people
- Continue with your search to ‘Get trains and tickets’
South West Trains is the best place to book GroupSave 4 tickets as:
- you can purchase tickets for any journey within the GroupSave 4 area (and any part of the UK for that matter)
- you can buy tickets online
- there are No booking fees
- there are No credit card charges
GroupSave 3
GroupSave 3 is exactly the same as GroupSave 4, apart from – you’ve guessed it – it’s for parties of three people, instead of four.
You can get savings of up to 34% with GroupSave 3.
GroupSave 3 is a great choice for cheap group train tickets to London and areas around the capital, South and South East England, parts of South West England, the Midlands and East Anglia. It covers the same region as GroupSave 4.
To order your tickets follow the same instructions to order GroupSave 3, but ensure that you select ‘GroupSave 3’ in the drop down box.
To order online – with no booking fees and no credit card charges – go to the South West Trains web site.
East Midlands Trains – GroupSave
For parties travelling on the East Midlands network, four or three people can travel for the price of two.
Unfortunately you cannot book your East Midlands Trains GroupSave tickets online. There’s plenty of ways, however, that you can save money when travelling with East Midlands Trains.
East Coast – Group 3+
East Coast offer 1/3 OFF group train tickets for parties of three to nine people travelling together on their network.
The East Coast group train deal is available for Advanced fares in both Standard and First Class. For more information and to book tickets online visit East Coast.
Arriva Trains Wales – Small Group Day
For rail travellers in Wales, Arriva Trains Wales Small Group Day offers 25% rail fare discounts for parties of three to nine people on the Arriva Trains Wales network. Journeys must be after 9.30am Mondays to Fridays and anytime at the weekend.
Small Group Day is not available to buy online, for more information visit the Arriva Trains Wales website.
ScotRail – GroupSave
For train travel in Scotland, ScotRail GroupSave offers cheap group train tickets for days out on the ScotRail network. Four or three people can travel for the price of two off-peak on weekdays and anytime at weekends. Travel must be on the same day.
For more information and to book online visit ScotRail GroupSave.
National Rail – Groups of 10 people or more
For larger groups of 10 people or more, there may be other discounts available. It’s best to check each individual train company, to see what deals they have for big parties travelling together.
So across the UK, there are amazing deals to be had on group train tickets. The best deals, especially for days out around London are GroupSave from South West Trains.
If you regularly travel as a pair with your partner, friend, family or even colleague, big savings can be made with a Two Together Railcard. Get money off the card itself with a Two Together Railcard promotional code.
What are you waiting for?
Image courtesy of Flickr – Train Chartering & Private Rail Cars
Hi thanks for the comment Kate. Yes, there’s plenty of ways of saving money on UK trains..one of which is group train tickets. Great deals, especially for travellers in and around London and the South/South East.