Just like the early bird who catches the worm, early bookers who snap up their train tickets as soon as they go on sale will likely find themselves handsomely rewarded.
However, in the UK, they are few and far between.
Trainline Business data on booking horizons shows that just 5% of bookings were made at least 31 days before the day of travel.
The first batch of train tickets for any one service typically goes on sale 12 weeks before departure. Some carriers even put them on sale 24 weeks in advance.
And the general rule is simply: book earlier, pay less. Much, much less, in fact.
Trainline customers secure a huge average saving of 61% by booking at least one week ahead.
Our data shows when workers booked their fares last year compared to pre-pandemic in 2019.
Most tickets were bought in the week of travel in 2022, with 19% of people booking the day before travel and 43% between two to seven days from the departure date.
These customers stand to shave the largest amount off their fares if they start booking sooner.
Consider the difference in the booking horizons of our customers in the UK and across Europe. Last year, 15% of EU customers booked at least 31 days in advance, an increase from 10% in 2019.
That means Europeans are three times more likely to book ahead than their British counterparts – despite smaller savings being available on advance fares in Europe due to typically cheaper ticket prices.
They’re showing UK workers that it can be done!