Train Ticket Types

CrossCountry Train Tickets

The CrossCountry network cover a large chunk of the UK, with our most popular routes running east to west, north to south, and even across borders. We understand that a diverse network needs to serve a diverse customer base, which is why we’ve tailored our tickets to meet the needs of all our passengers. Whether you’re a commuter travelling between the same two stops or taking the family on a staycation, we have a variety of ticket types to suit every kind of train traveller.

CrossCountry Train Tickets Explained

The clue is in the name with our tickets, with each type being straightforward to understand and use. Here’s everything you need to know; plus, everything you’ll want to know before embarking on your journey.

Advance Train Tickets

Advance Tickets are one-way train tickets that can be bought up to twelve weeks before your travel day, making trip planning simple. Booking in advance is one of the very best ways to secure great deals on your train travel, especially if you combine your ticket with a Railcard.

There’s room to be savvy with Advance Tickets by mixing and matching your single journeys to create the cheapest return possible. That’s right, you don’t need to get the exact same route there and back. For example, you might combine an outbound ticket from Bristol Temple Meads to Leeds that has extra stops at Wakefield Westgate and Tamworth with a return that requires a change at Doncaster.

Learn more about how to make Advance Tickets work for you.

Anytime Train Tickets

Anytime Tickets are our most flexible option, perfect for days where you fancy a last-minute lie in. With this ticket type, you’re free to travel at ‘any time’ on the same day. There are four types of Anytime Ticket, all of which we recommend booking in advance, to make the most savings:

• Anytime Single
• Anytime First Single
• Anytime First Day Single
• Anytime Day Return

To learn more about these ticket types, check out our Anytime Tickets. 

Off-Peak Train Tickets

Booking an Off-Peak Ticket is one of the best ways to save on rail fares, and it rewards you with a quieter train! These tickets restrict your journey to certain times of day, usually before 9.30 and 15.30 and after 18.15 on weekdays, but if you’re flexible, they might just be the best option.

The most savings can be made with our Super Off-Peak Tickets, available on weekends and bank holidays.  

Find out more about Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak Tickets.

Season Tickets

The commuter’s best friend. A Season Ticket allows you unlimited travel between two nominated stations for a week, a month, or even a whole year, saving you precious time at the station. We haven’t forgot about the hybrid workers too. Our Flexi Season Tickets allow 8 travel days within a 28-day period, giving you flexibility and great savings.

Discover which Season Ticket works best for your commute.

Are these Tickets Available First Class?

Good news! All of the above tickets are available to be purchased First Class**, meaning you can add a bit of luxury to your train journey. Enjoy bigger seats, complimentary refreshments***, extra WiFi usage and more, in our First Class carriages.

Find out how you can get the most out of you CrossCountry journey with First Class Tickets.

How to get Cheaper Train Fares

The UK has a lot to offer, and we want to make exploring its cities, coasts, and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty as affordable as possible. So, we've gathered our best advice to help you save at every step of the booking process. Whether you're a student making the most of your 16-25 Railcard, a commuter benefiting from a season ticket, or a teacher planning a school trip with group discounts, we’ll have tailored advice for you.

Find out how you can find cheap train fares.

How to Book CrossCountry Tickets:

If you were to visit our website back in early 2008, mere months after CrossCountry came to be, you’d probably find a slightly cumbersome ticket booking process. No e-tickets, no flexible payment options, no real-time updates or accessibility features. But, over fifteen years later, train ticket booking with CrossCountry couldn’t be simpler. In fact, even by today’s standards we’re a cut above the rest.

So, here’s how it’s done. 

• Head to our website or the CrossCountry app.
• Select the station you’d like to travel to and which you’d like to travel from.
• Select the date you’d like to travel. Be sure to add a return journey if you’re coming back! If you’re unsure of when you’d like to travel, check out our train timetable.
• Select a Railcard (if applicable) and press ‘Find my Train’.

All that’s left to do is to select a journey that suits you and make your purchase. We’ll see you on-board! 

Can tickets be displayed on the CrossCountry app?

For most of our journeys, there’s absolutely no need for paper tickets. Instead, of providing you with a reference number which you would have used to collect your tickets at a station machine, we’ll give you a barcode. This barcode can be downloaded and either scanned at the barriers or shown to a member of train staff.

There are a few ways to display the barcode, you can add it to your Apple Wallet, display an email PDF, or open the ticket in the CrossCountry app. You can even print it out at home!

*Savings can vary, comparing the price of a Standard Class CrossCountry Advance single ticket, for 4,792 journeys on CrossCountry services only, to the price of a flexible Anytime single ticket valid on the same service and may be valid on other CrossCountry services or services operated by another train company.

Applies to CrossCountry Advance train ticket for journeys on CrossCountry services only, CrossCountry Advance tickets are available up to 16 weeks before departure and are subject to availability, see the latest booking horizon. See Advance Ticket terms and conditions. Anytime single tickets can also be purchased in advance of the day of travel, see Anytime Ticket terms and conditions.

**First Class is available on routes operated by our Voyager trains. Please use a journey planner to see services that offer First Class.

***First Class catering is subject to, route, journey time and availability. All items and offers listed are subject to availability, may change or may be withdrawn at any time. On our Cardiff-Birmingham-Nottingham and Birmingham-Stansted routes a reduced selection of drinks and snacks will be available on trains where catering is provided. Terms and conditions apply.