Is the BritRail Pass Worth It? 3-Day Pass Review + Savings
There are a few things the UK is infamous for, and ridiculously high train ticket prices are one of them.
Seeing a 3-hour train journey costs £90 is enough to convince you to book a round trip to Paris instead. Tell me I’m wrong.
But if you’re planning a proper trip around the UK, traveling by train in the US is a proper adventure with charm and views along the way. And no excess luggage fees.
And to save money, the BritRail Pass is a tempting deal. But is the BritRail Pass worth it for what it provides?
I traveled with the BritRail Pass for 3 days across England, totaling up what I would have paid along the way without it.
I’ll share my pass costs, my route, how much I saved, and you can see for yourself if the BritRail Pass is worth it for your own travel plans in the UK.
Disclosure: Some links to products and recommendations are affiliate links, and I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase (at no extra cost to you).
🇬🇧 Buy Your BritRail Pass 🇬🇧
Great Britain Pass
England Pass
Spirit of Scotland Pass
London Plus Pass
South West Pass
Get a discount on your Klook activity bookings with my code “KAYLACOSMOS”
What are the benefits of the BritRail Pass?
When planning my journeys in England, I realized how much train ticket prices vary.
Yes, there can be some good deals, but you have to reserve them ahead of time and be limited to certain times.
These are some of my favorite benefits I’d put in my BritRail Pass review:
Take Whatever Train You Want, Whenever
It doesn’t matter the cost of the route; if it’s a national rail, it’s included.
If you want to save as much money as possible, you would have to book your tickets at the lowest available fares. And those times might not always make sense for your travel plans.
And to lock in those cheap fares, you have to book them ahead of time, as prices can change drastically.
Having the BritRail Pass makes it so easy to just get on whatever train and not think twice.
No Managing Tickets
If you want to take multiple journeys, you don’t need to book multiple times or keep track of separate tickets. It’s all there in one pass.
What is the BritRail Pass?
The BritRail Pass gives you unlimited travel across all or specific regions of Great Britain (including England, Scotland, and Wales).
Depending on your travel area, you can choose which BritRail Pass is best for you.
The BritRail Pass only counts for national train services.
Pass Durations
There are two types of pass usage durations that alter how expensive the BritRail Pass is.
The more days you add on, the more expensive it is, but you’d get more savings overall.
Flexible Passes
The flexible BritRail Pass options allow you to choose a set number of days to use the pass within a time frame.
For example, you can book a 5-day flexible pass with a one-month time frame.
That means in those 30 days, you can travel as much as you’d like on 5 days of your choice. You can see the samples above from my tickets.
This is what I did, so I was able to pause, enjoy a place for a few days, and then move on to the next.
Consecutive Passes
Consecutive passes run without a pause. If you book a 5-day consecutive pass, you can travel as much as you want for 5 days straight.
It is a bit cheaper than the flexible pass, but you’d have to travel quite a lot in a shorter time to make the BritRail Pass worth it.
Types of Passes & Where to Buy Them
There are 5 types of BritRail passes to choose from. I bought mine through Klook, which also offers loads of activities to book for your travels in Great Britain.
BritRail Pass Great Britain
Valid across all national train lines across Great Britain, including Wales, Scotland, and England. If you’re planning on crossing borders, this is the one to go with!
BritRail Pass England
Valid for travel within England only. I had this pass!
BritRail Spirit of Scotland Pass
Valid for all national trains in Scotland. Plus, you get 20% off on Northlink Ferry services.
BritRail London Plus Pass
If you’re only planning to visit destinations closer to London, such as Bath, Bristol, and Harwich, the London Plus Pass is the best choice. It’s cheaper than the other passes, and you can still benefit from unlimited rides.
BritRail South West Pass
This pass covers you for cruising along South West England and Southern Wales. If you’ve been wanting to visit places like Cornwall and enjoy the seaside and hiking, this pass is for you.
Klook.comHow to Use the BritRail Pass?
Download the BritRail M-Pass (Mobile Pass)
Most people can use their BritRail Pass right through their phone, but you’ll need to activate your M-Pass to start using it.
To access the M-Pass, you’ll need to select your first travel date (you’ll find a link in your confirmation email).
Do you need to reserve seats ahead of time?
In general, no, you don’t need to make seat reservations using the BritRail Pass.
To reserve a seat for FREE, you can do it at the ticket office when you’re departing. In one case, from Preston to Euston Station (a 2-hour journey), I went to the ticket office for a reservation, and they even told me to just get on.
But be aware of holidays and other dates that may see high travel across the country. In that case, you can reserve seats in advance on ACPRail (with a booking fee).
For overnight trains such as the Night Riviera Sleeper, you do need to book ahead of time.
When does the BritRail Pass Activate?
The BritRail Pass is active from the first day you use it. So if you have a flexi pass with a 30-day window, you have 30 days to use the pass from the day it’s activated (first used).
My BritRail Pass Routes + Savings
I was collaborating with Klook at the time to explore London, and the easiest way to get there from Blackpool was by train.
I took notes for my BritRail Pass review of each route, plus the original ticket prices I would have paid. So let’s compare.
The Pass I Bought
For my BritRail Pass review, I’m covering the 3-day BritRail England Flexi Pass.
The pass for second-class seats cost $235 and was valid for 3 days within a 30-day period. Today the pass
Day 1: Blackpool to London-Euston
Price Range: On the lower end, some tickets are around £55. The average is closer to £85.
Screenshot from nationalrail.co.uk
The journey from Blackpool to London Euston involved two trains. The first from Blackpool to Preston, and then Preston to Blackpool.
I took a morning train, which originally was £85. While some later trains were cheaper, this is where it makes the BritRail Pass worth it.
I was able to take an earlier train into London without having to consider the cost and spend more time there.
Ticket Cost from Blackpool to London (without pass): £85
Day 2: London to Bath to Bristol
London-to-Bath trains start at around £25 if you book in advance. But I’ve seen tickets as much as £80.
Bath-to-Bristol Temple Meads trains seem to remain priced low regardless of time and date, typically at £10-11.
In our second day of train travel in England, we made our way to Bristol, with a stop during the day in Bath.
We stored our bags at the Cafe & Luggage Center just across from Bath Station.
Ticket Cost from London-Bath-Bristol (without pass): £54
Day 3: Bristol to Blackpool
Price Range: The lower end is about £65 with most tickets between £80 to £100
Screenshot from nationalrail.co.uk
The longest part of the journey in this BritRail England Pass review was for sure Bristol, all the way back North to Blackpool.
I grabbed a meal deal, hunkered down by the window seat and enjoyed the ride.
It included a transfer in Liverpool, which has a bit of a weird connection where you have to exit and re-enter different zones at the station. I don’t know what it’s like, but I had to rush to my connecting train and was a bit lost on the way. In case you have to transfer, be careful with short connections!
Ticket Cost from Bristol to Blackpool (without pass): £92.50
Was the BritRail Pass Worth It? + Total Savings
In my honest BritRail Pass review, yes it’s worth it.
It’s not just about saving money, but also about being flexible with your travel plans. Miss your train? No worries, you can use your pass on the next train.
If you’ve been wondering whether the BritRail pass is worth it, I’m sure you’ve decided by now.
Unless you’re on a serious budget, get yourself the BritRail Pass to make your life and travels way easier around the UK.
Here is what I would have spent on seperate tickets vs the pass.
Separate tickets total cost (at the times I took): £231.50 (approximately $305 – $310)
BritRail England 3-Day Flexi-Pass: $275
Total savings with the BritRail Pass: ~$70
I think we answered the question if the BritRail Pass is worth it right there. And would I get it again? 100%
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