Don't want to book ahead? no problem.
You don’t always have to buy tickets in advance. If you need to keep flexible and book last minute, you can still save with our off-peak ticket types, which are available outside of busy commuter times.
Choose Off-peak for flexibility and savings
Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak fares are cheaper than peak time tickets and come in 4 types – Singles, Returns, Day Singles and Day Returns. These fares can be used across our network and their availability depends on the date, time and type of journey you wish to travel.
Don’t worry, a lot of the hard work will be done for you as these fares will appear automatically if they’re available when you search for tickets. Plus, when you book through our website or mobile app (iOS and Android) there are no booking fees.
All available Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak fares can be bought in advance or up to 10 minutes before departure. Skip the ticket office and go digital as you can buy these fares on the way to the station and hop straight on to your train!
How do Off-Peak tickets work?
These fares are available outside of peak travel times which vary depending on the route. Super Off-Peak fares are better value for on-the-day travel and cheaper than Off-Peak fares but because of this, they have more time restrictions of when they can be used.
Singles and Returns
Off-peak and Super Off-Peaks singles and returns give you lots of flexibility.
With these fares, you have plenty of time to board your train as the single or outward leg of your return journey can take place from the date on your ticket until 04:29 am the next day. If the journey can’t be finished in that time period, you may be able to use the ticket to continue the journey the following day.
Plus, for your return journey, you’ll have the freedom to return whenever you like in one calendar month subject to Off-Peak travel restrictions. They’re valid until 04:29 am on the day after the last day of validity.
Day Returns
Off-peak and Super Off-Peak Day returns are good for those going on a day out by taking the train.
With a day ticket, you can return anytime within the date shown on your ticket until 04:29 am the following day, as long as you’re travelling during Off-Peak times. Just simply select open return before you search for tickets. Find out more .
What times are they available?
As these tickets are available on specific journeys and times, an easy way to check is to simply search for the ticket through our booking engine and see if it appears in the search results.
Save on most fares with a railcard
Have you got a railcard? Discover a wide range of railcards and save on rail travel. For example, a 16-25 railcard is just £30 per year and allows you to save 1/3 off on most fares!
Try our Best Fare Finder
Our Advance Tickets are generally available for purchase from 12 weeks up to 11:59 pm the night before departure. If you're flexible with the date and time of your travel, simply click '5 day view' on the booking page to activate the Best Fare Finder tool to see cheap tickets at different points in the day over a 5 day period.