National Rail Discount Codes January 2026

3 Current Deals

Discount off the online price

For up to six people with a valid train ticket (we've a trick if not travelling by train)

If you register with Days Out Guide and buy a National Rail ticket, you can get 33% off the online advance ticket price for Merlin theme parks and attractions, including Alton Towers, Chessington World of Adventures, Legoland, and Thorpe Park – see 'More info' below for the full list.

There's a simpler 25% off theme parks via Kellogg's packs deal, which in some cases could save you more, so have a look to see which works out better for you.

How to get 33% off

Choose which theme park you want to visit at Days Out Guide and you'll be given a 33% off code.
Go via Days Out Guide to the theme park's own website and use the code to book advance tickets online. You can book up to a maximum of six tickets per code. You'll need to do it by 11pm the day before you want to visit.
On arrival at the theme park, you'll need to present your tickets alongside a valid train ticket (one for the station nearest the attraction) dated for the same day. Each person needs a valid train ticket.

Some dates are excluded, and tickets are limited during peak times. See full terms & conditions.

What if I live near the attraction/am travelling by other means?

If you're not travelling by train but this deal would still work out cheaper for you, you can buy a cheap single ticket (usually for a couple of quid) to the nearest station to your attraction – just get a train ticket from the next station along.

More info

Which Merlin attractions are included?

Alton Towers Resort
Chessington World of Adventures Resort
Thorpe Park
Legoland Windsor Resort
Warwick Castle, Cadbury World
The London Eye, Shrek’s Adventure! London
Madame Tussauds Blackpool
The Dungeons (London, York, Edinburgh, or Blackpool Tower)
The Blackpool Tower Eye
Legoland Discovery Centres (Manchester or Birmingham)
Sea Life Aquariums & Centres (London, Birmingham, Great Yarmouth, Loch Lomond, Blackpool, Brighton, Manchester, Scarborough, Hunstanton and Weymouth Adventure Park)

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Ongoing

Get annual railcards half-price by converting Clubcard points

Get a 16-25, Family & Friends, Senior or Two Together Railcard via Tesco Clubcard for £17.50 in Clubcard vouchers instead of the usual £35. You'll be sent a code that can be used at the Railcard* site.

To get this deal, you have to turn every £2.50 into £5 to use with Railcard. You'll need £17.50 in Clubcard vouchers, exchanging these at twice their value, to pay for the one-year Railcard in full.

What discounts do the railcards get you?

16-25: A third off fares if you're aged 16 and over and under 26.
Family & Friends: A third off adult and 60% off child fares, a minimum of one adult and one child, and a maximum of up to four adults and four children (age 5-15) can travel using one card.
Senior: Those aged 60 and over get a third off rail fares.
Two Together: A third off rail fares for two named adults when they travel together.

Check the railcard site for restrictions and to ensure you're eligible before exchanging your vouchers. See our Tesco Clubcard boosting guide for other ways to use your points.

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Ongoing

Or £54 for three years. Get a third off rail fares including peak times

If you have a disability that makes travelling by train difficult, you may qualify for a Disabled Person's Railcard (see 'Are you eligible?' below).

It costs £20 for one year, or £54 for three years (equivalent to £18 per year), and gets you one-third off most train travel. That means if you spend over £60 on eligible rail fares in a year (or £55 if you have a three year card), then it's worth getting one as the savings beat the cost of the card.

Unlike most other railcards, there are no time restrictions for when the Disabled Person's Railcard can be used, although it won't work on season tickets. What's more, if you travel with another adult, they'll also get one-third off. The accompanying adult does not have to have a disability, but does need to travel the whole duration of the journey with the card holder to qualify.

Are you eligible?

You should qualify for a Disabled Person's Railcard if...

You are registered as deaf or use a hearing aid.
You are registered as having a visual impairment.
You receive personal independence payments (PIP) or adult disability payments (ADP).
You receive disability living allowance (DLA) at either the higher or lower rate for the mobility component, or the higher or middle rate for the care component.
You have epilepsy and have repeated attacks, even though you receive drug treatment, or are currently prohibited from driving because of epilepsy.
You receive attendance allowance, severe disablement allowance, or pension age disability payment.
You receive war pensioner's mobility supplement.
You receive war or service disablement pension for 80% or more disability.
You buy or lease a vehicle through the motability scheme.

You'll need to provide evidence of your eligibility when applying – see the Disabled Person's Railcard site for a list of accepted proof.

The railcard can't be bought at station ticket offices, but you can pick up an application form which you'll need to complete and post – or you can apply for either a physical or digital card online.

Can children get this railcard?

If your child (aged 5-15) has one of the eligible disabilities, you can apply for a Disabled Person's Railcard on their behalf. They won't get discounted child fares, but the card will allow one adult travelling with them to get one-third off.

More info

You need to have your railcard with you when travelling. If opting for a physical card, it'll be sent via First Class post, but you're best allowing up to five working days for delivery.

Railcards are not valid in Northern Ireland.

GET DEAL

Expired

Uniform or ID required. Free travel to London on Saturday too

If you're in the armed forces or a veteran, you can get FREE train travel to and from Remembrance services on Sunday 9 November. And if you're attending a service in London, you can travel for free on Saturday 8 November too (though free return travel from London is only available on Sunday 9 November).

The offer applies to travel across the National Rail network, which has routes and stations covering England, Scotland and Wales. Unfortunately, this means travel in Northern Ireland isn't included as it's not part of the network.

This offer is open to all those currently serving in the armed forces who are travelling in uniform or carrying a current MOD90 Ministry of Defence-issued identity card, and to veterans carrying one of the following:

Rail Delivery Group (RDG), the rail industry body, told us that staff at stations and on trains on the network have been briefed to help anyone eligible for free travel, but that ID or uniform is "essential" for verification.

Those eligible can travel for free at any time on the days included but the offer applies to standard class only, not first class.

Free travel is available on almost all national train operators, including Gatwick Express, Merseyrail and Stansted Express. However, Heathrow Express and Transport for London (TfL) services, including the Elizabeth line, London Overground and London Underground, aren't included in the offer.

For more deals for military personnel and veterans, see Armed forces discounts, and for the latest train offers, see UK travel & motoring deals.

Expired

Plus how to get up to an extra 5% off via TrainPal

The Government-backed annual 'Rail Sale' (previously known as the 'Great British Rail Sale) has returned for 2025. It's offering 'up to 50% off' over two million advance and off-peak fares from almost all UK train operators until 11.59pm on Monday 20 January. They're likely to go quickly though, so don't hang about.

Selected fares covering "thousands of popular routes" across the country are included, subject to availability, and are for travel between Friday 17 January and Monday 31 March 2025. You need to book 3-7 days in advance, depending on the operator and route. Fares in the sale CANNOT be used with railcards and are NOT refundable.

The sale is a Department for Transport (DfT) initiative and forms part of marking the 200th anniversary of the first steam-powered passenger train journey in the UK. The DfT told us it includes Transport for Wales (TfW) and ScotRail, but not Hull Trains, Lumo, Merseyrail, Translink (in Northern Ireland) or Transport for London (TfL).

How to find Rail Sale fares

You can search for them via National Rail's Rail Sale website, which will then redirect you to the ticket retailer of your choice, directly from train operators or through ticket-booking sites and apps (though remember that some charge booking fees, so check out our list of the top ticket sellers).

There's no exact science to finding them, so some trial and error will be involved. You'll likely have more luck if you're flexible about when you travel and the further you can book in advance. Discounted fares will be marked as 'Rail Sale Advance Single' or 'Rail Sale Off-Peak Single', so double check before purchasing.

If you want to book a discounted return trip, you'll need to book two singles that are included in the sale. It covers first class as well as standard tickets, although obviously the former isn't as MoneySaving as the latter.

Some examples of Rail Sale fares that we found...

...and how much they might usually cost (use these as a ready reckoner, as what you pay for any ticket depends on when you travel, availability and so on).

Norwich to London Liverpool Street (standard single) £6 (usually from £12)
Nottingham to Manchester Piccadilly (standard single) £9.20 (usually from £18.50)
York to Edinburgh (standard single) £17.65 (usually from £24.10 to £64.90)
Cardiff Central to Newcastle (standard single) £42.70 (usually from £48.80 to £93.10)
Penzance to London Paddington (first class single) £54 (usually from £66 to £154)

How to get up to an extra 5% off Rail Sale fares

You can save extra on discounted tickets using third-party ticket seller TrainPal* (also available as an app for Android devices, Huawei devices and iOS devices).

New to Trainpal? Create a free TrainPal account. Go to the 'Promotions' section of it ('Promo Codes' on the app) and enter the code MSE200. Search for the tickets you want using TrainPal and you'll see that all the fares displayed are marked down by 5%. Find sale fares using the help above to stack this with already discounted tickets.

Used TrainPal before? Login to your account, go to the 'Promotions' section of it ('Promo Codes' on the app) and enter the code MSE200. Search for the tickets you want using TrainPal and you'll see that all the fares displayed are marked down by 2%. Find sale fares using the help above to stack this with already discounted tickets.

For more ways to save on trains, check out our Cheap train tickets guide and Railcard deals page.

Martin's Money Mantras

Use them

Before spending

If you answer 'NO' to any of the following questions, don't buy.

Are you

Not skint? Ask:

Will I use it?

Is it worth it?

Are you

Skint? Ask:

Do I need it?

Can I afford it?

Free protection for all shopping!

There's a little-known piece of legislation that turns any credit card into a financial self-defence superhero. 'Section 75' of the Consumer Credit Act means your plastic must protect anything you buy for more than £100 for free, so if there's a problem or the company goes bust, you can still get your money back.
And although Section 75 doesn't apply to debit cards, there is something else to fall back on if you've paid using a debit card, or used a credit card for a purchase under £100. Known as Chargeback, this is part of banks' and card companies' internal rules and not a legal requirement. Read full details of Section 75 or Chargeback, plus how to claim, in our guides.
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