Season Ticket Calculator
Which ticket is cheapest for how you actually commute
Pick your route, set how many days a week you travel and how many weeks a year you are off. The calculator prices a full year on day tickets, Flexi Season packs, weekly, monthly and annual seasons and puts the cheapest first. Every preset uses real fares, including the actual Flexi Season price, read from National Rail's Season Ticket Calculator on 3 November 2026. Regulated fares are frozen until March 2027.
Season ticket calculator
Pick your route, then say how often you travel. It prices a full year on every ticket type and puts the cheapest first.
Brighton to London Terminals, any permitted route.
£781 a year less than the next best option (weekly season).
| Annual seasonone ticket for the year | £5,204 |
| Weekly season46 weeks | £5,985 |
| Monthly season12 months | £5,995 |
| Flexi Seasonone pack plus 4 day tickets every 4 weeks | £6,958 |
| Day tickets3 a week for 46 weeks | £7,590 |
Paying for the annual season up front instead of 12 monthly seasons saves £791 a year; a anytime day travelcard on this journey is £55.00.
Preset fares: adult, Standard class, no Railcard, read from National Rail's Season Ticket Calculator on 3 November 2026. Regulated fares in England are frozen until March 2027. Day tickets are peak (Anytime) fares because commuters travel at peak; if you can travel off-peak, day tickets cost less than shown. A Flexi Season is 8 travel days in any 28, not sold for journeys wholly inside London Zones 1 to 6, and most Railcards do not apply to it.
Cheapest ticket by days a week, route by route
The cheapest way to pay for a year of commuting, assuming 6 weeks a year with no travel. Peak (Anytime) day tickets; Flexi packs are topped up with day tickets where 8 days in 28 is not enough.
| Route | 1 day | 2 days | 3 days | 4 days | 5+ days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leeds - York | Day tickets £883/yr | Flexi Season £1,549/yr | Annual season £2,364/yr | Annual season £2,364/yr | Annual season £2,364/yr |
| Manchester - Liverpool | Day tickets £920/yr | Flexi Season £1,607/yr | Flexi Season £2,527/yr | Annual season £2,840/yr | Annual season £2,840/yr |
| Manchester - Leeds | Day tickets £1,228/yr | Flexi Season £2,146/yr | Annual season £3,308/yr | Annual season £3,308/yr | Annual season £3,308/yr |
| London - Dartford | Day tickets £883/yr | Day tickets £1,766/yr | Day tickets £2,650/yr | Annual season £3,256/yr | Annual season £3,256/yr |
| London - Woking | Day tickets £1,302/yr | Flexi Season £2,282/yr | Flexi Season £3,583/yr | Annual season £4,260/yr | Annual season £4,260/yr |
| London - St Albans | Day tickets £1,251/yr | Flexi Season £2,307/yr | Flexi Season £3,558/yr | Annual season £4,588/yr | Annual season £4,588/yr |
| London - Southend | Day tickets £1,141/yr | Flexi Season £2,147/yr | Flexi Season £3,288/yr | Flexi Season £4,294/yr | Annual season £4,652/yr |
| London - Guildford | Day tickets £1,509/yr | Flexi Season £2,640/yr | Flexi Season £4,149/yr | Annual season £4,724/yr | Annual season £4,724/yr |
| London - Brighton | Day tickets £2,530/yr | Flexi Season £4,428/yr | Annual season £5,204/yr | Annual season £5,204/yr | Annual season £5,204/yr |
| London - Reading | Day tickets £2,935/yr | Flexi Season £5,134/yr | Annual season £5,856/yr | Annual season £5,856/yr | Annual season £5,856/yr |
| London - Cambridge | Day tickets £2,305/yr | Flexi Season £4,033/yr | Annual season £5,952/yr | Annual season £5,952/yr | Annual season £5,952/yr |
| London - Colchester | Day tickets £3,234/yr | Flexi Season £5,659/yr | Annual season £6,700/yr | Annual season £6,700/yr | Annual season £6,700/yr |
Real Flexi Season prices: the 20% rule is only a floor
National Rail guarantees a Flexi Season costs at least 20% less than the monthly season on the same journey. In practice the discount is usually much deeper, so a calculator that just takes 20% off the monthly overstates the flexi on most routes.
| Route | Monthly | Flexi (8 in 28) | Below monthly |
|---|---|---|---|
| London - Southend | £446.60 | £186.70 | 58% |
| London - St Albans | £440.50 | £200.60 | 54% |
| London - Woking | £409.00 | £198.40 | 51% |
| Manchester - Liverpool | £272.70 | £139.70 | 49% |
| London - Guildford | £453.60 | £229.60 | 49% |
| Leeds - York | £227.00 | £134.70 | 41% |
| Manchester - Leeds | £317.60 | £186.60 | 41% |
| London - Cambridge | £571.40 | £350.70 | 39% |
| London - Brighton | £499.60 | £385.00 | 23% |
| London - Colchester | £643.20 | £492.10 | 23% |
| London - Reading | £562.20 | £446.40 | 21% |
| London - Dartford | £312.60 | no Flexi Season sold | |
- Not sold inside London. Journeys wholly within London Zones 1 to 6 have no Flexi Season, and some other journeys have none either.
- Most Railcards do not apply, because a Flexi Season is already discounted. The exceptions are the 16-17 Saver and the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card (50% off).
- Smartcard or eTicket only, not paper.
- Refunds are worked out backwards: what you paid minus an Anytime return for each day used, less an admin fee of up to £10.
Flexi Season rules from National Rail's Flexi Season page; prices from National Rail's Season Ticket Calculator, 3 November 2026.
Season ticket prices on the preset routes
| Route | Operator and ticket | Weekly | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leeds - York | Northern, Northern services only | £59.10 | £227.00 | £2,364 |
| Manchester - Liverpool | Northern, Northern services only | £71.00 | £272.70 | £2,840 |
| Manchester - Leeds | Northern, Northern services only | £82.70 | £317.60 | £3,308 |
| London - Dartford | Southeastern, any permitted route | £81.40 | £312.60 | £3,256 |
| London - Woking | South Western Railway, any permitted route | £106.50 | £409.00 | £4,260 |
| London - St Albans | Thameslink, Thameslink stations only | £114.70 | £440.50 | £4,588 |
| London - Southend | c2c, via Pitsea or via Barking | £116.30 | £446.60 | £4,652 |
| London - Guildford | South Western Railway, via Clandon or Woking | £118.10 | £453.60 | £4,724 |
| London - Brighton | Southern / Thameslink / Gatwick Express, any permitted route | £130.10 | £499.60 | £5,204 |
| London - Reading | Great Western Railway, any permitted route | £146.50 | £562.20 | £5,856 |
| London - Cambridge | Greater Anglia, Greater Anglia services only | £148.80 | £571.40 | £5,952 |
| London - Colchester | Greater Anglia, any permitted route | £167.50 | £643.20 | £6,700 |
Adult, Standard class, no Railcard, from National Rail's Season Ticket Calculator on 3 November 2026. Where National Rail lists a cheaper route-restricted season first, that is the one shown. Travelcard and First Class seasons cost more. London - Reading and London - Colchester are any-permitted-route seasons.
Spread the cost: season ticket loans
An annual season saves about 13% over paying monthly, but it is a large up-front payment. Many UK employers offer an interest-free season ticket loan: the employer buys the annual season and you repay it in 12 equal monthly deductions from your salary.
- No tax to pay. A season ticket loan sits well under HMRC's £10,000 beneficial-loan threshold, so it is an exempt benefit: no benefit-in-kind charge and nothing to report on a P11D (HMRC booklet 480, Chapter 17).
- Check your employer's scheme. Most run one loan at a time and recover any balance if you leave during the loan period.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a flexi season ticket compared to a monthly?
National Rail guarantees a Flexi Season (8 travel days in any 28) costs at least 20% less than the monthly season for the same journey, but on most routes the real discount is far bigger. On the 11 routes we checked on 3 November 2026 it ranged from 21% below the monthly (London - Reading, £446.40 against £562.20) to 58% below (London - Southend, £186.70 against £446.60). So working it out as "monthly minus 20%" can overstate a flexi by hundreds of pounds a year.
Is this a flexi season ticket calculator?
Yes. Each preset route carries its real Flexi Season price, read from National Rail's Season Ticket Calculator, and the calculator prices a year of flexi packs (topped up with day tickets when you travel more than 8 days in 28) against day tickets and weekly, monthly and annual seasons. For a route that is not a preset, choose "Another route" and type the weekly, flexi and day prices National Rail shows for your journey.
Can anyone buy a flexi season ticket?
Not on every journey. National Rail does not sell a Flexi Season for journeys wholly inside London Zones 1 to 6, and some other flows have none either: there is no Flexi Season between Dartford and London, for example. Most Railcards cannot be used on a Flexi Season because it is already discounted; the exceptions are the 16-17 Saver and the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card, which both give 50% off. Flexi Seasons come on a Smartcard or as an eTicket, not on paper.
Is an annual season ticket worth it?
Only if you travel most days. An annual season costs 40 weeks of a weekly season, so at five days a week it is the cheapest option on every route we checked: £5,204 a year from Brighton against £5,995 for twelve monthly seasons. At three days a week a Flexi Season usually wins, and the gap can be large: from Woking, three days a week with six weeks off costs about £3,583 a year on flexi packs against £4,260 for the annual.
How is an annual season ticket price calculated?
An annual season ticket is priced at 40 times a weekly season, not 52, which makes it about 13% cheaper than twelve monthly seasons. A monthly season is about 3.84 times a weekly season. These ratios are set nationally, so if you know your weekly season price you can work out the monthly and annual for any operator.
Will season ticket prices go up in 2026?
No. England's regulated rail fares, which include Standard class season tickets, are frozen until March 2027. Buying an annual season now fixes the price for 12 months. If fares had risen by the previously expected 5.8%, the £5,204 London-Brighton annual would have cost about £5,506.
Does this work as a c2c or Southeastern season ticket calculator?
Yes. c2c (Southend Central to London, £4,652 a year, flexi £186.70) and Southeastern (Dartford to London, £3,256 a year, no Flexi Season on that journey) are both presets. For any other c2c or Southeastern journey choose "Another route" and enter the fares National Rail shows.
Does this work as a South Western Railway season ticket calculator?
Yes. Two SWR journeys are presets: Woking to London (£106.50 a week, £4,260 a year, flexi £198.40) and Guildford to London via Clandon or Woking (£118.10 a week, £4,724 a year, flexi £229.60).
Can I use this as a Southern or Great Western Railway season ticket calculator?
Yes. Brighton to London (Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express, any permitted route) is £130.10 a week, £499.60 a month and £5,204 a year, with a Flexi Season at £385.00. Reading to London on Great Western Railway is £146.50 a week, £562.20 a month and £5,856 a year, flexi £446.40.
Does this work as a Thameslink, Great Northern or Greater Anglia season ticket calculator?
Yes. St Albans City to London on Thameslink is £4,588 a year (a season to any London terminal is £4,872). Cambridge to London Liverpool Street on Greater Anglia is £5,952 a year; a season that also covers Great Northern to King's Cross is £6,496. Colchester to London is £6,700.
Does this work as a Northern season ticket calculator?
Yes. Three Northern-only seasons are presets: Manchester to Leeds (£3,308 a year), Manchester to Liverpool (£2,840) and Leeds to York (£2,364). A season valid on TransPennine Express as well costs more: £4,156 for Manchester to Leeds.
Can I spread the annual cost with a season ticket loan?
Yes. Many UK employers offer interest-free season ticket loans: the employer buys the annual season and you repay it in 12 equal monthly deductions from your salary. A season ticket loan sits well under HMRC's £10,000 beneficial-loan threshold, so there is no benefit-in-kind charge and nothing to report on a P11D (HMRC booklet 480, Chapter 17).
Go deeper
See the season ticket prices guide, the annual season ticket cost by route, the monthly train pass prices, or what the 2026 freeze saves you with the fare freeze savings calculator.