Published: 3 October 2026
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How to Get 25% Off Northern Train Tickets
Northern operates hundreds of local and regional train services across the North of England – and there is a way to save 25% on some of its cheapest Advance tickets.
The discount is available through the Discounts for Carers and Discounts for Teachers websites and you don’t currently need to provide proof that you are a carer or teacher to sign up.
There are some catches. The 25% saving only applies to Northern Advance Single tickets, doesn’t work with a Railcard and, as we discovered when testing different journeys, isn’t available on every route combination.
However, with fares such as York to Blackpool for just £10.55 each way, there are some very good deals available. Here’s how the discount works, how to get a code and a few tricks that can help when the fare you want doesn’t initially appear.
Northern 25% Discount at a Glance
- Saving: 25%
- Tickets: Standard Class Advance Singles only
- Operator: Northern services only
- Passengers: Up to 9
- Railcard: Cannot be combined
- Booking fee: None
- Return journeys: Book two Advance Singles
- Promo Code: Obtain from Discounts for Teachers or Discounts for Carers
- Code use: One journey per code
Who are Northern Trains?
Northern Trains is the state-owned rail operator covering around 500 stations in the North of England. The area broadly covers (going clockwise) from Scarborough to Sheffield, Chester, Carlisle, Newcastle and finally round to Whitby. Many routes do have overlap with other operators including TransPennine plus also some inter-city operators.
The trains used by Northern generally operate as commuter services so you are not going to get as nice an experience as on a fast, long-distance train but they are perfectly serviceable. My recommendation would be to take some refreshments with you as on board catering is generally not provided.
Here is the map but for a more detailed pdf version, click here.
25% off Advance Single Tickets
If you book reasonably well in advance, or are flexible in your timings, there are some real bargains to be had. How about York to Blackpool, a 2+ hour train journey, for £10.55 each way?
So how do you get 25% off?
The Discounts for Carers and Discounts for Teachers websites both offer a 25% discount on Standard Class Advance Single Tickets operated by Northern Trains.Â
You will need to sign up for one of the sites, search for Northern Rail, then click get code and you will be given a promo code. The Northern Trains website will open, click the + Add a promotion box to enter the promo code, then search for the tickets you want.
Can’t Find a Discounted Fare? Try Splitting the Journey
Some routes do not appear to ever have advance tickets loaded so you will not get a discount in this situation.For example, you cannot book Newcastle to Barrow-in-Furness and get an advance single but you can book both Newcastle to Whitehaven and Whitehaven to Barrow-in-Furness as separate tickets, both with the 25% discount.
Some smaller stations do not work either. You can book both Carlisle to Sunderland and Carlisle to Middlesbrough but strangely not Carlisle to Stockton (which is a station stop in between Sunderland and Middlesbrough).
Our advice is to try different combinations in order to get the trains you want.
Other things to note
One thing to note that the discount is for advance purchase single fares only. If there are no advance single fares available, you will not get the discount on an alternative peak or off-peak single ticket.
Whilst you can search for a return trip, make sure you book two singles (one each way) rather than a return ticket to get the discount. Â
The discount is automatically populated and is clearly shown on the screen. Remember it only applies to Northern Trains services – you may see trains from other operators in your search but will not get the saving on these trains.
There are no booking fees and the discount can be used on up to 9 travellers. Also the discount does not work in conjunction with a railcard or on first class fares.
No proof of eligibility is currently required to sign up for either website (they are both purely commercial ventures) so you do not need to have a teachers union card or provide evidence that you look after a relative. Â
Also the discount only works for one trip, if you want to book a separate journey, you need to go back to the Discounts for Carers/Teachers site and get a new code.
Click to visit the Discounts for Carers or Discounts for Teachers websites to get 25% off.
