Travelling to London on a peak train, but returning off peak? Two single tickets may save you money.
From SWINDON to London PADDINGTON
Any time return £125.00; Off peak return £56.50; Super Offpeak return £45.50
Any time single £62.50; Off peak single £34.10; Super Offpeak single £26.40
Saving example:
I am spending a full day in London next Wednesday - from Swindon to London on the 07:58, and returning on the 19:00 from Paddington. An anytime return would cost me £125, but two singles (together) would cost a total of £96.60 - that's £62.50 for the anytime ticket into London, and £34.10 for the off peak ticket for travel back out.
Super Off peak tickets are valid from Swindon to London on trains scheduled to leave Swindon between 02:00 and 05:45, and at or after 10:30 on Mondays to Fridays, and at any time on Saturday, Sunday or Bank Holidays. They are valid from London to Swindon from 10:10 to 15:01, and from 19:01 onwards on Monday to Friday, any time at the weekend.
Off peak tickets are valid from Swindon to London on trains scheduled to leave Swindon between 02:00 and 05:45, and at or after 09:05 on Mondays to Fridays, and at any time on Saturday, Sunday or Bank Holidays. They are valid from London to Swindon from 08:10 to 16:39 and from 18:31 onwards on Monday to Friday, any time at the weekend.
Also to note for further savings and flexibility:
With Swindon to London return tickets, you may return on any day within the calendar month subject to the time restrictions above - they are all period returns rather than day returns.
You can also buy tickets which include Transport for London services for a day, and tickets to other National Rail destinations beyond London. Peak times and terms and conditions may vary on these tickets.
If you are making multiple peak journeys to London within 7 days, a 7 day season ticket at £207.00 may offer the best value for money.
In some circumstances you can make greater savings than those described here by using advance purchase train specific tickets, or by splitting your journey into shorter sections.
Groups of 3 or more adults travelling together on off peak or super offpeak services may purchase a "Groupsave" ticket which offers a 34% discount. Occasionally, there are a few extra restrictions on which trains can be used with groupsave. Note that a child may travel on an adult ticket, so Groupsave also offers a saving to a group of 2 adults and 1 child.
A wide variety of railcards may be purchased by qualifying individuals or groups which also offer significant discounts to regular travellers.
2for1 deals are available for many London attractions if you travel by train - see
https://www.daysoutguide.co.uk . London Eye, St Paul's Cathedral, Madame Tussauds, London Zoo ad the London Dungeon are the "top offerings" on that website at the moment.
This article applies to standard class tickets which do NOT include the use of First Class carriages or lounges. Tickets must be purchased prior to the start of your journey. Swindon and Paddington are both penalty fare stations, which means that if you start your journey without a valid ticket, and having had an opportunity to buy one at the station before you boarded the train, you could be subject to much higher costs and indeed be subject to prosecution if it was felt you were trying to avoid paying for your travel.
The prices quoted have been checked at August 2016, and should hold until January 2017. Every attempt has been made to ensure the information here is correct, but I need to add a disclaimer to say that I can't be held responsible for any errors or the consequences thereof.
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