Eurail pass vs Britrail pass

Are you sure you are selecting the same pass type on both sites? There are many types of Britrail pass so make sure you are comparing apples to apples.

I know it's not what you asked but are you sure you will make $800 worth of journeys?

Yes, I hear what you're saying about consecutive days pass vs. buying individual tickets. After I get my 1 month UK itinerary set, I'll do a bit of analysis to see which is best.

But back to the question - I looked again - I'm selecting the following:
Britrail - 1 month consecutive, 1st class, senior - 753 pounds or about $986US (from International Rail website)
Eurail - Eurail Global Pass Senior 1 month 1st class - $868US

I can't figure out why the Britrail pass is $118US MORE than the similar Eurail pass.

As I understand it if you try to buy a one Country Eurail pass for the UK you will actually be directed to the Britrail site- that is I don't believe a UK only Eurail pass exists- multi country ones can be used here but they are quite a lot more expensive.

As far as I know the two products are effectively identical. Eurail does not include Rail-Air buses from Heathrow, and probably doesn't cover the Welsh Highland and Ffestiniog narrow gauge preserved railways in North Wales.

Even at $968 that is a great deal. The same domestic 1st class pass (an All Line Rail Rover) only exists for a maximum 14 days and for seniors costs £915.40. So 28 days would cost me nearly US$2300.

$968 would pay for itself after 4 or 5 one way long distance journeys- like London to Edinburgh or London to Cornwall or South Wales.

You are presumably aware that only main line trains have 1st class- the vast majority of routes only have 2nd class cars. Very few trains in Wales and Scotland for instance have it.

Someone is actually travelling on every 1st class route at the moment for You Tube- you may find this playlist useful (still 2 or 3 routes to come at the time of writing)- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgHquSuaKvDvTo9S9WOQcuVfKZSQQNS-E

Thanks for the link, I'll take a look at it. And yes, I think the passes for visitors are an amazing deal!

A primary way to reduce that cost would be to buy 2nd class. If you be spending much time off the main lines, the smaller lines may not have 1st-class seating. A 10-days or 15-days in 2 months flexipass would also give you a fair amount of flexibility within a month, assuming you won't be on trains every day.

It's totally separate management. Compared to 5 or 6 years ago, BritRail prices have risen a bit, while Eurail Global pass prices dropped. BritRail also has a higher percentage shift for 1st class passes over 2nd (50% more, in line with the variation on point-to-point tickets, while Eurail is about 27% more for first).