How to get the new flexible rail season tickets: Cost, National Rail calculator and savings explained
FLEXIBLE rail season tickets are now available for part-time commuters to buy, saving them hundreds of pounds a year.
The tickets offer a cheaper way for workers to get back into the office, especially if they aren't going everyday of the week.
From today, Monday June 28, you can use the new tickets which offer an alternative to the normal season tickets that commuters would buy to save on daily travel.
Instead, these new tickets can be used by people who will no longer need to commute to the office every day.
Despite restrictions easing and being set to fully lift on July 19, some workers are still only going to the office a handful of times a week and will want to take advantage of this cheaper option.
But how much do they cost, and how much will you save? We explain all you need to know.
What is the new flexible rail season ticket?
The flexible rail season ticket will allow commuters to take eight trips over a 28-day period with no need to select days of travel in advance.
This is equivalent to making two trips into the office two days a week.
But as it's a flexible ticket, you can take your trips at any point throughout the month - so could decide to go into the office four days one week, and then spread your remaining four trips across the month.
The tickets are paperless, so you just need to tap your smart card or scan your mobile at the station to hop on the train.
If your plans change, then your train company will allow you to rebook your train journeys or receive rail vouchers without slapping on an admin fee - but this will end on December 31.
The new tickets aim to offer commuters more flexible commuting options.
Previously, you could only get three types of season tickets offering unlimited travel for either seven days, one month, or up to a year.
But with many businesses looking to keep working from home options in place even after Covid restrictions ease, commuters would lose out buying a season ticket if they only plan to come into the office for a few days a week.
How much will I save?
The Government says that workers could save up to £350 on their fares by choosing a flexible rail season ticket - but the savings you’ll get depends on your trip and how many times you travel.
To find out exactly how much you can save, head to the National Rail’s on its website.
We've also rounded up how much the government says commuters will save on the ticket below.
How much can you save on new Flexi-tickets?
HOW much you can save by buying the new flexible season tickets depends on where you're travelling to and from.
It also varies depending on how often you're travelling to the office.
Here's what the Government says you can save by buying a ticket:
Two-day a week commuters can save up to £260 a year on the following tickets:
- over £260 from Woking to London
- over £210 from York to Leeds
- over £60 from Southampton Central to Winchester
- over £170 from Stafford to Birmingham
- over £230 from Liverpool to Manchester
Three-day a week commuters can save up to £350 a year on the following tickets:
- over £230 from St Albans City to London
- over £110 from Bromsgrove to Birmingham
- over £90 from Weston-Super-Mare to Bristol Temple Meads
- over £350 from Chelmsford to Stratford
The tool will show people what the best tickets are to buy based on their journey, according to National Rail, which you can then add to your basket and pay for online.
You can't get the flexible tickets in first class though, and they can't be used on Transport for London services, so some commuters still need to pay extra to get all the way into the office.
Plus there is no alternative, cheaper option like off-peak, so you might find you only save money if you commute during peak times, for others the savings could be next to nothing.
How much does it cost?
How much your flexible rail season ticket will cost depends on where you're travelling from and to.
When we checked, it cost £184.60 for a flexible season ticket from Chelmsford to Stratford if you were travelling two days a week.
That's compared to £25.70 it would cost to get an anytime day return, according to the National Rail website - which would cost you £205.60 for eight trips.
So that means you'd save £21 a month buying a flexible season ticket instead of forking out for eight separate day return tickets.
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