help with rail cards!

"Railcards" in Britain refer to various kinds of discount cards, which are usually not cost effective for tourists unless you are planning to do a very large amount of rail travel and stay for a long time.

For a single trip to Edinburgh and back in April, the cheapest way will be to buy advance-discount tickets NOW at www.eastcoast.co.uk. Even if you had a railcard, they do not give extra discount on these cheap fares. If you wait much longer the cheap tickets will sell out. These cheap tickets can only be used on one specific departure chosen when you buy, and if you miss the train you will probably have to buy a new one at full fare. (For London-Scotland this can be well over £100.)

I hope that you are staying in Edinburgh, it's too far for a day trip.

Railcards and rail passes are not valid on the London Underground.

Sorry, I just checked and tickets for late April will not be available for another couple of weeks. But keep checking the site and jump in as soon as they are.

Thank you for your help! Yes I noticed I can't quite buy out that far yet, but i will keep looking! Yes more than one day, two nights, 3 days.

Consider breaking the journey in 1 direction at York. Sometimes, cheaper fares can be had by buying split tickets.
http://www.splityourticket.co.ukhttp:
//www.visityork.org

Best views N of Newcastle are on the east side of the train.

park,

I did the Edinburgh to London trip in 2012 and it was a longish approximately 4 hour (if i remember correctly) ride.

Also, if i remember correctly, you have an option of how you want to receive your ticket. i did the pickup ticket at the ticket kiosk. also, you maybe able to print @ home too.

happy trails.

IF you are 60, you can buy senior railcards and save an extra 30-50% on each ride.
I bought specific train tickets in advance (cheapest) at senior rate then bought the railcards at a London train station after arriving. The only time I was asked to show the card was on Heathrow Express.

We stopped in York for 2 days on the way to Edinburgh. On the 4+ hour return from Edinburgh to London, I found First Class tickets for only 5 lb more than regular (via East Coast trains) and the luxury & convenience was definitely worth it on a long trip. (Free wifi and free food & beverage every 30 minutes too.)
Sometimes it is difficult to buy things in advance. Some websites just won't allow entry of a U.S. address. But I had luck with Virgin trains and east coast trains.

Picking up on your point regarding the underground and use in London, a Railcard can in certain circumstances reduce the fare. Most though only get a 1/3rd off a London Zones 1-6 Off-Peak Day Travelcard, which for most tourist purposes covers too wide an area and won't be a saving.

However a Senior Railcard also enables 1/3rd off peak pay as you go Oyster fares. You need to get this loaded at an underground station, presenting both the railcard and the Oyster card. (There are also similar discounts for the Disabled Persons Railcard, but that isn't available easily if at all to non-residents.)

The Advance rate discounts will be huge if you book roundtrip tickets when they go on sale at www.nationalrail.co.uk, in which case you won't need the separate discount card.

http://www.railcard.co.uk
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We had Senior Railcards for our travel in the UK last May and they gave us an additional 30% off the Advance fares. However, if you just have the one long journey to Edinburgh and back, the additional savings would not be enough to cover the cost of the Railcard. As noted above, a Railcard provides no discounts on the Tube tickets.

We had Senior Railcards for our travel in the UK last May and they gave us an additional 30% off the Advance fares. However, if you just have the one long journey to Edinburgh and back, the additional savings would not be enough to cover the cost of the Railcard. As noted above, a Railcard provides no discounts on the Tube tickets.

I have a similar question to the above thread.
We are traveling to London and vicinity in June. My wife and I are both over 60 so Sr Railcard seems in order. We will be taking several rail trips so the cost of the Sr. Railcards will pay for themselves and then some. Originally we were going to get the Sr Railcards before we go in June (and ship to friends in Britian) so we can take advantage of reduced rail fares when booking online. But it appears like we can simply order the train fare tickets online now (w/Sr Railcard discount) even though we don't have the Sr Cards in our possession. Can I presume we can do that provided we get the Sr Cards in London when we arrive and have them in hand before boarding the train?

Thanks much.

Yes you only need the cards when you travel, not to buy tickets in advance.

If travelling off peak and always as a pair the Two Together card might be cheaper as you will only need one card between you rather than one each.

Marco, thanks for the reply and the Two Together tip. Gads! More research! :-)