Everyone loves to bag themselves a bargain on rail travel, especially as people up and down the country book trips for Christmas, New Year’s Eve and beyond.

Buying a Railcard is the best way to make savings on train travel throughout the year, with several options available to youngsters, over-60s and other concession groups, all available digitally via Trainline.

For as little as £30 a year you can save one-third on all rail fares, whether you’re commuting every day or simply seeing friends a couple of times a week.

And with Black Friday upon us, many are hoping to grab money off a one-year or three-year Railcard to make the deal even sweeter. These are what you need to know details about Trainline’s deals.

Is Trainline offering Black Friday Railcard deals?

It’s less of a Black Friday deal and more of a November deal. Those who buy a Railcard via Trainline can save 30 per cent by using the code “ilovetrains” at checkout. The deal reportedly expires on 30 November or once it has been used 125,000 times – whichever comes first.

The Independent checked, and using the code for a one-year 26-30 Railcard saw the card price drop from £30 to £21.

What are Trainline’s other Black Friday deals for 2023?

Prices across many popular routes in the UK have been reduced for Black Friday, with journeys between London, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh and Brighton all available at lower rates.

London to Brighton is priced as low as £5.50 each way, while trains from the capital to Manchester and Edinburgh can be bought at £22.80 and £26.90 respectively.

Beware of some of the lowest rates, however: a trip from London to Manchester advertised as the cheapest route was a journey lasting over six hours and leaving London past 1am.

Are there deals for trains within Europe?

“Trainline customers can get 10 per cent off European journeys when they download the Trainline app and apply the code ‘HAPPYTRAVELS’ at checkout,” according to Good Housekeeping. Passengers can save on journey between a range of European cities, from Paris and London to Amsterdam and Brussels, until 10 December 2023.

There is also a sale on SNCF, France’s state-owned rail company. Until 26 November, you can buy standard tickets from just £18 and first class tickets for £19. The deal is for journeys taken between 11 January and 11 February 2024.

The Trainline website is also advertising a Eurostar sale (tickets for which can be purchased through the UK Trainline website or app) with tickets at just £39 each way for travel between January 3 and March 16, 2024. However, as seen earlier this year, the lowest Eurostar rates are regularly seen at this price at various points throughout the year.

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