Published: 27 August 2026
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Split Tickets Explained: How to Save Money on UK Train Tickets
Split Ticketing is a fully legitimate way of reducing the cost of a railway journey by purchasing multiple train tickets for a journey instead of buying one through ticket.
So instead of buying a direct ticket from AAA to CCC that passes through BBB, it can sometimes be cheaper to buy a ticket from AAA to BBB and another from BBC to CCC.
As specialist split ticketing websites quote typical savings of 23%, we decided to investigate further…
What savings can be made with Split Tickets?
A Real Example
- London Euston to Glasgow Central: departs 05:31, arrives 10:42 – Cheapest standard advance single: £183.00
Or alternatively save £57.70 by booking exactly the same train in 4 parts:
- London Euston to Milton Keynes Central: departs 05:31, arrives 06:16 – £25.30
- Milton Keynes Central to Rugby: departs 06:17, arrives 06:37 – £19.20
- Rugby to Crewe: departs 06:39, arrives 07:23 – £39.80
- Crewe to Glasgow Central: departs 07:27, arrives 10:42 – £13.50
- Total: £125.30
Why are Split Tickets Cheaper?
Train pricing in Britain is incredibly complicated, with thousands of different fares based on the route, operator, time of travel and ticket restrictions. As a result, the price of a through ticket between two stations does not necessarily equal the cheapest combination of tickets covering exactly the same journey.
Split ticketing takes advantage of these pricing differences. You still travel from the same origin to the same destination – often without changing trains or even changing seats – but hold two or more tickets instead of one.
There is no guarantee that splitting a journey will save you money, but as our examples show, the difference can often be substantial.
What Are the Rules for Split Ticketing?
Aside from the normal practice about having a ticket to and travelling on the correct train, the only specific rule regarding split ticketing is that the train must stop to drop off and pick up passengers at the station(s) where you split your ticket. However this does not mean that you have to get off the train.
In case you have any concerns about booking split tickets, the National Rail website has some information here.
Searching for Split Tickets is tricky without help
Clearly there are some potentially significant savings here but working out all the different combinations of splits can take a lot of time. Fortunately there are a number of different apps and websites that will do this for you, although there are a few warnings here:
- Not all sites calculate the splits for your chosen journey in exactly the same way, meaning that prices can be different between websites/apps
- Many ticket sellers charge a fee for the split ticket – this can be up to 20% of the saving.
- There are a number of dedicated split ticketing websites which look different from the outside but actually use the same booking platform from Raileasy.
Of course, there is nothing stopping you using a specialist website to work out the splits and then booking the individual tickets yourself with your preferred ticket service.
Which Split Ticket Website Is Cheapest?
Split ticketing is not a single pricing system. Different retailers can identify different combinations of tickets, while some also take a percentage of the saving as a fee. This means it is worth comparing more than one provider before booking.
We compared the same journey across 12 different provider of split tickets to understand how they measure up. We deliberately picked a short notice ticket travelling at peak time in order to assess the potential maximum savings:
Example journey
Darlington to London Kings Cross, departing 05:58, arriving 10:34 – cheapest standard advance single: £173.90
| Retailer | Fee (% of saving) | Headline Price | Booking Fee | Split Fee | Total Price | Saving After Fees | % Saving After Fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| trainsplit.com* | 15% | £140.60 | — | £5.00 | £145.60 | £28.30 | 16.3% |
| splitticketing.com* | 15% | £140.60 | — | £5.00 | £145.60 | £28.30 | 16.3% |
| splitmyfare.co.uk | 15% | £140.60 | — | £5.00 | £145.60 | £28.30 | 16.3% |
| ticketysplit.co.uk | 20% | £140.60 | — | £6.66 | £147.26 | £26.64 | 15.3% |
| splittickets.com* | 15% | £140.60 | — | £5.00 | £145.60 | £28.30 | 16.3% |
| splitticket.com* | 15% | £140.60 | — | £5.00 | £145.60 | £28.30 | 16.3% |
| thetrainline.com | 15% | £161.80 | £2.79 | — | £164.59 | £12.10 | 5.4% |
| mytrainpal.com | £1.99 | £140.60 | — | £1.99 | £142.59 | £31.31 | 18.0% |
| choochoo.co.uk* | 15% | £140.60 | — | £5.00 | £145.60 | £28.30 | 16.3% |
| Virgin Trains Ticketing (app) $ | none | £144.90 | — | — | £144.90 | £29.00 | 16.7% |
| scotrail.co.uk | none | £140.60 | — | — | £140.60 | £33.30 | 19.1% |
| Uber (app) # | none | £140.60 | — | — | £140.60 | £33.30 | 19.1% |
* site is either owned by Raileasy or uses Raileasy’s TrainSplit engine
$ also gives 6 Virgin points per £ spent
# also gives 3% Uber credit plus 2 avios per £
Other points
- 5 of the sites advertising split ticketing are linked to Raileasy and all gave exactly the same price and charged the same fee.
- The Trainline calculated a different split for the route so gave a more expensive price, plus they were the only company to charge a booking fee.
- The Virgin Trains app was slightly more expensive than other providers, although the reason for this was not clear – the tickets were identical to the other retailers.
- Scotrail is the only UK train operating company to offer split ticketing on their website and does not charge any fees
- Virgin Trains and Uber have no fees and also offer attractive additional benefits, worth around an additional 5-6%
- Overall, Uber gave the lowest price with no fees and offered a 3% credit plus 2 avios per £
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to change trains when using split tickets?
No. You can remain on the same train as long as it stops at the station where one ticket ends and the next begins.
Can I use a Railcard with Split Tickets?
Yes, you can use Railcards in exactly the same way as a normal ticket – for more information on railcards, see our article
What happens if I miss my connection with a split ticket?
Provided your itinerary complies with the normal minimum connection times, holding separate tickets does not remove your normal passenger protections and if you miss your connection, you will be allowed to take a later train.
Can I Claim Delay Repay With Split Tickets?
Yes, compensation is based on the total delay to your final destination across all combined tickets. If you are travelling with multiple train operating companies, submit your claim to the one responsible for the first delay that caused you to miss your connection. For more information on Delay Repay, see our article
Will I have to change seats?
Booking separate tickets does run the risk of getting allocated different seats for each ticket on the same train – meaning that you may be asked to vacate your seat and move elsewhere. This is perhaps the only downside to split ticketing – although despite the potential inconvenience of moving, remember you will still have a seat reservation!
Our Take
Split ticketing is absolutely worth checking, particularly for expensive long-distance journeys. It is completely legitimate and, as our example of London to Glasgow shows, you can sometimes save a significant amount without changing trains or altering your journey in any way.
However, you should not assume that a website advertising split tickets will automatically find you the cheapest option. Our research found noticeable differences between retailers, both in the splits/pricing they identified and the fees they charged. Â
In our Darlington to London comparison, the final price for exactly the same journey ranged from £140.60 to £164.59, compared with £173.90 for the normal through ticket. We found that Uber offered the best value overall with the lowest price, no booking fees plus 3% Uber credit and 2 Avios per £.Â
Our recommendation is therefore simple: always check for split tickets when a normal train fare looks expensive, but compare the final price rather than just the advertised saving. In particular, look for retailers that don’t take a percentage of the saving as a fee. As ever with train tickets, booking early is always recommended in order to get the best price.
Finally, there is nothing stopping you from using a split-ticketing website to identify the tickets you need and then purchasing those individual tickets elsewhere.
Further Reading
