Save 20% on BritRail train passes for fall and winter

Traveling around Britain this fall or winter? The train can be a great way to see the U.K. Even better, you’ll save with low-season prices for BritRail passes. But watch your dates: A week can make a big difference.

Deal: BritRail passes are discounted by 20% for travel between Nov. 1 and Feb. 28; the last purchase date is  Feb. 15. The discount includes Consecutive Passes, which give you unlimited train travel throughout England, Scotland and Wales for a fixed period, such as four days or a month; and Flexi Passes, which let you travel on a fixed number of days (you pick the dates) within a two-month period.

Tested: On BritRail’s website, I priced an eight-day, standard-class BritRail Consecutive Pass for travel starting Oct. 24, before the deal takes effect, and starting Nov. 1, the first day of the deal. By waiting a week, I’d save $74, paying $285 instead of $359 for the pass.

Tips: Rail passes can be good deals if you choose the right one, or lousy deals if you don’t. If you like to city-hop, get a Consecutive Pass. You’ll need to take a few trips to make it worth it. With a round trip between London and Edinburgh costing $247 (for the Nov.1 departure that I priced online), you could recover the $285 cost of an eight-day pass fairly quickly. But if you prefer to stay put for longer periods, a Flexi Pass is better; you’ll get more time to recover the cost.

Contact: BritRail, (866) 274-8724. Note: The website took me a while to upload. If you phone and get a message after hours, it will say  “ACP Rail International,” the agency that markets BritRail passes. The phone hours are 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pacific time Monday through Friday; 8 a.m. to noon Saturday; closed Sunday.

— Jane Engle, assistant Los Angeles Times Travel editor

Photo: The giant London Eye wheel, a major London tourist attraction, whirls past Westminster. Credit: Toby Melville/Associated Press.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 9, 2009 at 5:55 am by Jane Engle and is filed under Business Travel, Deals, Europe, Global, Great Britain, News, Tips & Advice, Rail Travel, Winter. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.