Save money on regular travel with train Season Tickets
Season tickets are a great option for frequent travellers if you’re making the same journey at least three or four times a week. Valid on all of our train routes, our Seasonal train tickets can be used on any day within the ticket’s validity period. Choose from a weekly train pass, monthly train pass, an annual train pass or Flexi Season Ticket.
Our guide below provides all the information you need to choose the right Season Ticket type for you.
The different types of Seasonal Train Tickets
Rail travel is a fantastic choice for all travellers. At EMR, we strive to make regular train travel even more affordable by offering Seasonal Train Tickets. We have made every effort to provide various ticket options to ensure maximum flexibility for our passengers.
Our shortest Season Ticket option is a weekly train pass, after that you can buy a ticket for any period, from one month to a yearly train ticket, designed to keep you on the move while saving money on the cost of train travel. The longer the duration of your ticket the more you’ll save compared to buying daily tickets. We've broken down the more popular options below.
Weekly Rail Tickets
A Weekly Season Ticket is the perfect option for frequent commuters as it offers unlimited travel between two specified stations for seven consecutive days. It's more cost-effective than buying daily return tickets for four days, saving your money on your train travel. Plus, you can use it to travel at any time of the day, whether it's during Peak or Off-Peak hours. You can buy a Weekly Season Ticket online with us rather than having to queue at the station to buy it on the day of travel.
- A Weekly Season Ticket is a great option if you're a frequent commuter
- This ticket allows you to travel as much as you want, any time of the day, for seven consecutive days between the two stations specified on your ticket
- It is cheaper than buying four daily return tickets
- Certain routes offer a digital Weekly Season Ticket option, which allows you to store your weekly train ticket on your phone
- Avoid waiting in line at the station's ticket office or ticket machines to buy daily tickets
- Travel during Peak or Off-Peak times with a Weekly Season Ticket
Our weekly rail tickets are valid for seven days and are ideal for travellers who have to travel frequently over a short period of time but perhaps not regularly over the course of a year or month and are looking to save money against the cost of several singles or return tickets.
Monthly Rail Tickets
If you're a frequent commuter travelling five or more days a week between the same stations, purchasing a Monthly Season Ticket online with us is the best option for you. Not only will you save money on your commute compared to getting daily tickets, but you'll also enjoy unlimited train travel between your departure and arrival stations for one month. With this option, you won't have to worry about queueing at the ticket office to buy your ticket on the day of travel. Choose a monthly train ticket and enjoy the convenience and savings that come with it.
- A Monthly Season Ticket is a great option if you're a frequent commuter
- Use it any day, at any time, including evenings and on weekends
- Travel as much as you want for one calendar month between the stations shown on your ticket and stations in between
- It is cheaper than buying four Weekly Season tickets over the same period
- Avoid waiting in line at the station's ticket office or ticket machines to buy daily tickets.
Monthly train tickets are our most popular option. They offer regular travellers an affordable ticket option, with considerable savings for commuters. With a lot of people being paid monthly, monthly tickets are particularly popular amongst our professional commuter customers.
Annual (Yearly) Rail Tickets
An Annual Season Ticket allows you to travel between two specific stations for a whole year, saving money and time on your train fares. This option is perfect for commuters who travel frequently between the same stations, as it offers significant savings compared to buying daily tickets. With a Yearly Season Ticket, you won't have to worry about buying a ticket every time you travel, saving you time and hassle.
- An annual train pass that allows you to travel as much as you want on EMR trains between your chosen stations for the entire year
- A yearly train ticket you can use any day, at any time, including evenings and on weekends
- It is cheaper than buying 12 Monthly Season tickets
- Avoid waiting in line at the station's ticket office or ticket machines to buy daily tickets
Our Annual Season tickets are our best value for money option and could help you save when compared with monthly train pass prices. Our annual train tickets are popular with passengers who frequently complete the same journey all year round such as commuters.
Flexi Season Tickets
A Flexi Season ticket allows eight days of travel in 28 days – any time between two stations, offering flexibility and savings when working fewer days in the office. We know that for many, spending 5 days a week in the office is a thing of the past. Flexi Season ticket is designed to match modern working habits and provides passengers with greater savings on travel.
You don't need to choose the days in advance either – so you can enjoy train ticket flexibility when working from home and commuting to the office. You can enjoy even move savings by only paying for the train travel on the days you need with our flexi season pass.
- A flexible Season ticket that provides customers 8 days of travel in 28 days
- Flexi Season tickets offer a minimum of 20% discount on an equivalent monthly Season ticket
- Travel and activate a Flexi Season day pass ticket as and when needed
- Can be stored on a Smartcard, or as an eTicket to show on your smartphone
So if you travel less frequently, then a Flexi Season ticket is a great option for you.
Benefits of Train Season Tickets
No booking fee
Unlike other websites, when you book your tickets online through EMR you don't have to pay any additional booking fees or costs. Helping you to save even more money on your EMR train Season Tickets.
Save money
If you commute by train frequently, you can save money by purchasing a seasonal train ticket. Depending on the number of days you travel each week, a seasonal train ticket may be a more cost-effective option than buying daily single or return tickets.
Book tickets across the entire rail network
When you book train season tickets through EMR, you can book across the entire UK rail network and aren't limited to just buying tickets for the routes we manage. Meaning if you have to travel between different regions, 3 managed by different train operating companies, you can order your tickets in one place and don't have to visit several different websites.
Unlimited travel
When you book a weekly, monthly or annual train pass through the EMR website or one of our ticket offices, you’re entitled to unlimited rail travel between your origin and destination station for the duration of the period, without restrictions.
Go digital
Save time by saving your train ticket to your phone with a digital Season ticket. Whether it's a Weekly, Monthly, Annual or Flexi Season ticket, you'll always have it with you and won't have to queue at the ticket office.
How to buy your train Season Ticket with EMR
You can buy your Season Ticket online or at one of our ticket offices.
If you’re purchasing a physical rail Season Ticket for the first time, you may need to have a National Rail Photocard created. It’s completely free to have one of these created and all you need is a recent passport-type photograph of yourself (approx. 35mm x 45mm).
It’s important to carry your Photocard with you whilst travelling because rail staff may ask you to show both your Season Ticket along with the linked Photocard ID.
Photocards don’t have an expiry date so they can be used again when your Season Ticket expires.
If you’re purchasing a Digital Season Ticket, your photo will already be included so you don’t need a separate Photocard.
Choose from First Class or Standard Class Season tickets. As well as the usual benefits of First Class, such as more space and comfy reclining seats, some First Class weekday services offer a complimentary breakfast. Please note, not all routes offer a First Class service.
You can load your rail Season ticket onto your Smartcard instantly when purchasing tickets at the ticket machine. Buying online or using the app? Simply wait two hours before uploading your purchase.
You can buy weekly and monthly season tickets directly in the EMR app with s-tickets. These tickets are available to use instantly after purchase.
If you travel to London frequently and want to make your arrival in the capital a little easier, just choose the “London Zones 1-6” option when buying your Season ticket.
Expecting? If your Standard Class Season ticket is valid for one month or more, you can apply for a free Mums to Be pass. The pass will allow you a seat in First Class if there are none left in Standard Class, subject to availability.
To apply for your pass, contact our Customer Service team with a copy of your MATB1 form.
To learn more, read the full National Rail terms and conditions for Season tickets
Season ticket FAQs
The cost of rail season tickets will depend on where you’re travelling to and the duration of your ticket. The longer the duration of your Season Ticket, the more you’ll save compared to buying daily tickets.
Use our Season Ticket calculator here to find out how much your rail Season Ticket will cost.
No, Railcards cannot be used in conjunction with Season Tickets. The reason behind this is that rail Season Tickets already offer discounts when compared to buying tickets on a daily basis, so Railcards are not applicable for further discounts in this case. However, Railcards can be used to save money on other types of train tickets, such as Off-Peak or Advance tickets.
The price of a weekly, monthly or annual train ticket will change based on the route you are travelling on. To find out how much a Season Ticket will cost for different routes and durations, click here.
If you travel regularly and wonder whether it’s cheaper to buy a monthly train ticket, answer is usually yes. It can be cheaper to buy a monthly train ticket if you are taking the train five or more days a week. In such cases, a Monthly Season Ticket can be much more cost-effective compared to buying four Weekly Season Tickets.
Yes, all train Season Tickets are between two stations, including the outward and return journeys.
No, there isn’t a Season Ticket for students.
However, there are various types of Railcards available for young people, such as the 16-17 Saver Railcard, offering 50% on rail travel.
No, you can’t pause a Season Ticket once it has been purchased.
If you’re looking for a flexible option, a Flexi Season Ticket is perhaps the best choice. This allows for 8 days of travel during a 28 day period. All you need to do is activate a pass on the day you want to travel.
Yes, you may be able to apply for a refund for the remaining, unused part of your rail Season Ticket.
For more information visit our dedicated help page for ticket refunds.