"How Thousands of Brits are Cashing in on a Simple Travel Hack to Save £184 a Year!"

BRITS save an average of £184 a year by owning a railcard – and there are more options on offer than you might think.

tickets can be expensive, and rail journeys throughout the year can seriously add up.

Railcard holders in the UK saved an average of £184 a year on train travel, according to Trainline Credit: Getty

That’s why for many Brits who like to travel by train, it is a no-brainer to sign up for a .

A railcard is a discount card that allows you to on train tickets you purchase throughout the year.

Owning a railcard saves you 1/3 off rail fares , which really stacks up the savings, whether you’re a daily commuter or occasional train traveller.

There are several different types of railcard you can choose from to maximise your savings, and you may not realise you are eligible.

There is the standard Network Railcard, which get 1/3 off rail fares for travel in London and the South East, plus options for different age ranges, veterans, disabled travellers and more.

There is the 16-25 Railcard (for anyone between the ages of 16 and 25, or in full time study) or the 26-30 Railcard (for anyone between the ages of 26 and 30).

All of them can be bought on the last day before your birthday, so in theory you can get them until the last day of being 26 and 31, respectively.

The Senior Railcard is for anyone aged 60 and over, while the Veteran’s Railcard is for anyone who has served “one day or more in the UK Armed Forces”.

There is also the Two Together Railcard (for people who often travel together, such as couples or friends) and the Disabled Persons Railcard, which includes a range of criteria.

If you opt for a Family & Friends Railcard, not only do you get 1/3 off of adult travel but you also get 60% off kids tickets.

And if you have a child aged 16 to 17, get them a 16-17 Saver Railcard – their train fares will be slashed by 50%.

For example, a single journey from London Kings Cross to costs £54.90 at full-price on Trainline*. But with a standard Railcard discount , this journey would cost £36.55 instead.

If you fancy a day trip out to the seaside, a full-price single from London Blackfriars to Brighton would usually cost you £23.70.

But saving a third with a railcard, the trip would cost just £15.75 – saving you the extra change for some fish and chips on the beach.

Save on trips to the seaside this summer by taking the train and using your railcard Credit: Alamy Make sure you have a railcard before buying future train tickets and save 1/3 on your journey Credit: Alamy

Similarly, a single from Birmingham to Weston-super-Mare would cost you £33.05 instead of £49.70.

Most railcards cost £35 for a whole year, meaning that even if you only make a couple of train journeys a year, they can still save you .

You can make even more by buying one that lasts for three years.

The 16-25 Railcard, Senior Railcard, Family and Friends Railcard and Veterans Railcard all have an option to pay £80 for three years of travel – saving you an extra £25.

When you buy a digital railcard with Trainline , it gets sent to you by email and stored in their app – so you don’t have to worry about losing a physical card.

Once you’ve bought the digital , you can use it right away.

The digital railcards can be kept on many types of device and there is no limit to how many devices you can store your on.

Trainline are an official retailer of National Rail, so these railcards can be used across the entire National Rail network of , Scotland, and Wales.

These include Standard, Advance, Off-Peak and First Class tickets. All railcards other than the Network Railcard let you save on journeys during Peak hours.

According to Trainline , Brits save an average of £184 per year with a Railcard.

Just don’t try and book a trip with a railcard if you don’t have one or it has expired – you can receive a penalty fare of £100 plus the price of your single journey.

*Prices correct at the time of publication.