Book Early
Wherever or whenever you're going, it's always a good idea to book your tickets in advance. Most railway networks release their cheapest tickets 12 weeks before the date of travel. From this point, the price gradually goes up and up until the date of travel. Booking 12 weeks in advance is often unrealistic, but booking so close as 2 weeks from the date of travel will usually net you a discount of between 30-60%.
Even if you intend to travel on the same day you will always save something off the on-train ticket price. As a general rule, tickets are available to collect two hours after they are booked online, so be careful to book with at least that much time to spare.
The cheapest tickets are also the most restrictive: fixed-time non-changeable and non-refundable tickets are the cheapest, while open and refundable returns tend to be more consistently expensive. When considering which is right for you, it's important to balance the savings you make with the potential risks of missing your assigned train or having to cancel. When you're booking weeks or even months in advance, there is no telling what might transpire in the interim period: electing to buy the cheapest tickets may prove to be a false economy if something goes awry.
Online booking services also take into account whether or not you have a rail-card. If you don't have one already and you don't travel often by train, a rail-card is not always a cost-effective purchase. If you have sufficient time before you're due to travel, it's worth considering if a rail-card would be a worthwhile purchase for you.
A lot of online booking services also charge a small booking fee and a fixed charge for using your credit or debit card. These additional fees are only charged once per transaction, so if you intend making several journeys then it is worth booking them in advance.
If you have time, obtain quotes from each of following websites and others to make sure that you're getting the best price:
PLUSBUS
If you intend to travel by bus once you arrive at your destination, check if the online booking service you're using offers a 'PLUSBUS' option. A PLUSBUS ticket functions like a day-ticket and is cheaper than buying a standard return on the bus.
Split Ticketing
If you feel up to the challenge, you can always attempt what is known as split ticketing. This is where you purchase each leg of your journey separately from station to station and, if done correctly, sometimes doesn't even require changing trains. Obscurely, this can sometimes be much cheaper than the price of a ticket from A to B, but it is tricky to achieve and takes a lot of planning.
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