How to get around Britain without overpaying
Eleven apps and services for trains, buses, bikes, and the bits in between — including the discount cards most people forget exist.
Rail
Trainline
Search advance fares, apply Railcards, SplitSave.
Charges a small booking fee, but its SplitSave feature regularly cuts long journeys 30–50% by splitting them into two tickets for the same train. Worth the fee for trips over £40.
- SplitSave
- Railcard support
- Mobile tickets
Railcard
1/3 off most rail fares for £30/year.
16–25, 26–30, Two Together, Family & Friends, Senior, Disabled. Pays for itself in two London-Manchester returns. Add it to your contactless card and your Trainline account or it won't apply.
- 1/3 off fares
- £30/year
- Multiple types
National Rail Journey Planner
No booking fee, useful for sense-checking Trainline prices.
The official, no-frills timetable and ticket search. Doesn't have SplitSave, but it doesn't add a booking fee either. Useful for confirming whether Trainline's markup is worth it for a given journey.
- Official
- No booking fee
- Live status
London
Transport for London
Contactless capping is now cheaper than Oyster.
Just tap your contactless card or phone. Daily and weekly caps automatically apply — no need for a travelcard or Oyster topup. Foreign cards work but bring FX charges; a UK Monzo/Starling card pays for itself fast.
- Contactless capping
- Tube, bus, DLR
- Live status
Citymapper
The best transport app for any UK city worth living in.
London, Manchester, Birmingham. Combines tube, bus, train, walking, cycling, and rideshare options into one routing engine. Live disruption alerts that beat TfL's own.
- Multi-modal
- Live disruption
- Cycle routing
Santander Cycles
London bike hire, £3 for unlimited 30-minute rides in 24h.
TfL-run, no app required, dock-based. Unlimited rides under 30 minutes for a £3 daily fee — for short hops it beats the Tube. Long rides get expensive fast.
- £3/day
- Dock-based
- London-wide
Coach
Megabus
Long-distance coach trips from £1.50 if you book early.
Cheapest seats sell first; the £1 fare exists but it's gone within hours of release. Realistic budget is £8–20 for any UK route booked a few weeks ahead. Slow but cheap.
- From £1.50
- Nationwide
- Wi-fi onboard
National Express
Megabus's main rival, slightly more reliable.
Better-maintained fleet than Megabus, marginally pricier. The 16–26 Coachcard (£12.50/year) gives 1/3 off all fares, paying for itself instantly.
- Reliable
- Coachcard discount
- Nationwide
Flixbus
European budget coach network, expanding in the UK.
Strong for cross-Channel routes (London to Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam) at prices well under flights once you factor in airport transfers. UK domestic network is small but growing.
- Cheap to Europe
- Wi-fi onboard
- Frequent routes