How to get a discount on Stansted Express train tickets

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• Tim Millea says:

  22 Feb22 February 05:12

  I see from the Stansted Express website that First also includes lounge access.

  “Entry to one of our award-winning No.1 Traveller lounges, with food and drinks, free Wi-Fi, magazines, newspapers and the best views of the airport. Lounges located at Gate 16 – International Non-Ryanair flights (open 04.30-21.00 daily), and Gate 49 – Ryanair flights (open 04.30-21.00 daily).”
  “Simply present your First Class train ticket at the airport Fast Track Security gate and No.1 Lounge to gain complimentary access.”

  I will be arriving at Stansted on a First Class ticket from the North in a couple of weeks. What do think my chances are of obtaning the same perks?

  • Matthew says:

    22 Feb22 February 09:28

    No 1 lounges don’t exist at Stansted anymore. They have the new Escape lounge in the main terminal.

• Tim Millea says:

  22 Feb22 February 05:26

  Retraction. I see that was an old link and that both No. 1 lounges have since closed 🙁

  • Matthew says:

    22 Feb22 February 09:29

    Correct – sorry I didn’t get to your comment before replying!

• James67 says:

  22 Feb22 February 05:34

  I recall looking into this for a student. There were also various bus services at more reasonable prices headed for various destinations in London These might be a better bet if they go closer to where you need to be.

  • nerd. says:

    22 Feb22 February 17:51

    Indeed – National Express £10 (maybe £11) to (I think) Golders Green, Finchley Road and Victoria.

    • Red says:

      23 Feb23 February 08:44

      The only issue with taking a National Express bus is you have to book a specific bus on a standard ticket. So it doesn’t give you much in the way of flexibility if your flight is delayed. Had a few times where I’ve been running through the airport, then out, then in again, then out (hate how at Stansted the domestic arrivals exit takes you straight outside so you have to work your way back in to go down to the train/buses). There is a flexible ticket for an extra £5 but then that takes it to around the same price of the train so not much in the way of savings to be had.

• martin says:

  22 Feb22 February 06:28

  As far as I can tell, the Groupsave discount is available when you’re buying tickets at the station too – it’s a standard discount on many train companies. It’s listed on brfares.com which suggests it’s a public fare available for walk-up tickets.

  • Tom Allen says:

    22 Feb22 February 09:24

    +1 – I got Groupsave tickets on the spot last year when arriving at Stansted and coming back to London.

• John says:

  22 Feb22 February 07:37

  If you time things correctly you could split at Mountfitchet or Bishops Stortford, although it requires proper analysis of the fares available for a not very large saving.

  • harry says:

    22 Feb22 February 14:01

    The beauty of the ticket splitting sites is that they work on the basis you never leave your seat or change trains, you simply have 2 or more tickets that cover exactly the same journey split into adjoining chunks

• Mark B says:

  22 Feb22 February 07:44

  On a similar theme don’t forget to look at splitting rail tickets on getting to/from Stansted, I was quoted £70.80 single to Chesterfield but recently did it for £25.40 by buying separate tickets to Stansted-Peterborough-Nottingham-Chesterfield (£10.90+£9.00+£5.50) extra time was about half an hour and I was able to stay on the same train from Peterborough

  • Mark B says:

    22 Feb22 February 07:45

    I ought to add, paid for by tesco clubcard points via Red Spootted Hanky

    • Tim Millea says:

      22 Feb22 February 13:41

      Yes, I am travelling from Huddersfield, even further beyond Chesterfield :-), to Stansted, a journey of over four hours, First Class, splitting tickets at Peterborough and using Tesco CC vouchers via Redspottedhankey for £17 of CC vouchers. I will try to use my first class ticket for fast track security – now that I know. It is a shame about the lack of free lounge access though :-).

  • Mark B says:

    22 Feb22 February 13:04

    They are flawed though, using my route as an example whilst Raileasy brings the price down to £42.50 they price it via London so it’s still £17.10 more expensive, always found pricing my own to be best

• Sally G says:

  22 Feb22 February 08:26

  All the airport trains are expensive and often packed. If you have an Oyster card you only need to pay from Tottenham Hale even if you get on at Liverpool St. I do this and buy the tickets via red spotted hanky using vouchers from Tesco club card at 2:1
  Didn’t know a first class ticket got you throug the fast track security though – do you just show the ticket?

  • Callum says:

    22 Feb22 February 09:33

    Though you have to get off the train and tap out at Tottenham presumably.

    I personally always use the coach services – much cheaper (and saving money is the main reason I would ever use Stansted!).

    • RTS says:

      22 Feb22 February 17:28

      Not if you have a day, weekly, monthly or annual pass.

      • martin says:

        23 Feb23 February 06:31

        This presumes that your travels travelcard covers zones 1-3, and wouldn’t work if you’re on pay-as-you-go.

• InsideFlyer Tom says:

  22 Feb22 February 09:26

  One of the best ways to save on the Stansted Express is to not book it when you are in fact flying into Luton, as I recently did.

  • Matthew says:

    22 Feb22 February 09:30

    Haha – oh dear! There are a few positioner flights from Stansted to Luton though….but they are private biz jets!!

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