Want to cut your travel costs? Follow these top tips to cut the cost of travelling over the Christmas period.
Sections
Train travel
Go by coach
Travelling by coach can be one of the cheapest ways to travel, providing you don't mind a slightly longer journey. National Express and Megabus both offer some great value fares which start from just £5 and £1 respectively.
These ultra-cheap deals will need to be booked in advance and can take up to twice as long as the train but you're guaranteed to save money with this option.
Flying
Budget airlines
If you're catching a flight over the Christmas period and you're booking it with a budget airline, watch out for hidden fees.
Booking in advance will save you money so try and book early and avoid peak times, if you can. A flight from London to Edinburgh with easyJet, for example, could cost as little as £37.49 if booked 12 weeks in advance, but between £68.99 and £77.99 if you wanted a seat tomorrow (at the time of writing).
Tickets do tend to ramp up in price towards Christmas though, even if you book well in advance. So always try to get in early.
Once you're at the airport, you should also be wary of airport rip-offs. Food and drink are generally far more expensive in the airport than outside it, so try to stock up on food at home and bring some extra snacks with you.
Unfortunately, if you try to bring a bottle of water with you through security, it will be confiscated. You could try to bring an empty bottle through and see if there's anywhere to fill it up on the other side, but you may not have much luck – in which case you'll be forced to buy a bottle.
Finally, if you're going abroad for Christmas, make sure you get your currency sorted before you get to the airport. Foreign currency exchange bureaux in airports generally charge high rates of commission, and you're also likely to be lumbered with a rubbish exchange rate. So make sure you plan ahead and know the best way to get your foreign currency.
You should also be wary of withdrawing money from ATMs at airports as many will charge you for the privilege.
Driving home for Christmas
If you're planning to hit the road by car, make sure you get the cheapest petrol for your journey by using price comparison website petrolprices.com to locate the lowest-priced fuel in your area. Simply register your details and type in your postcode. The site will then locate the lowest prices for petrol, diesel and even LPG fuel near where you live.
The supermarkets are generally get caught up a fuel price war around the holidays so keep an eye out to see which one is offering the cheapest.
Teaming up with a friend and car sharing will also save you money and websites such as liftshare.com will show you fellow travellers making the same journeys.
Driving techniques
Getting into a few good driving habits can bring down your fuel bills significantly. So always make sure you drive in the correct gear as driving in a lower gear than you need to wastes fuel.
You should also try to avoid sudden braking and accelerating as this can add up to 30% to your fuel bill. Drive smoothly and anticipate the road ahead, slowing down gradually for red lights. And don't drive too fast – around 55-65mph is said to be the most fuel efficient speed for driving. Any faster and fuel consumption increases.
Earn cashback on travel spending
If you’re buying your train, coach or flight tickets online you should see if you can earn cashback on your purchase via websites like Quidco and TopCashback.
These sites offer a percentage of what you spend back with selected retailers when you complete your purchase through tracked links.
Alternatively, you could save by booking tickets or buying petrol through a cashback credit card.
The Santander 123 Credit Card, for example, offers 3% cashback on train tickets and at petrol stations.
Compare cashback credit cards with loveMONEY
This is a classic article which has been updated
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