The "Great British Rail Sale" Starts Tomorrow - And You Can Earn Points on Every Train Journey
- Sam
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Our glorious overlords have just announced that the Great British Rail Sale is back for its fourth year, running from 6th to 12th January 2026. They've promised over 3 million discounted tickets offering savings of over 50% (oh how grateful you should be) on many advance and off-peak fares, making this a brilliant time to book your train tickets for the next few months, especially when you can earn Virgin Points or Avios while you're at it.
Before we dive into the sale details, here's how you can earn points on your train travel.
How to Earn Virgin Points on Train Tickets
Virgin Trains Ticketing is hands-down the best option for Virgin Points collectors (and personally how I buy all my train tickets), and here's the crucial bit that trips people up: it works for any train operator, not just Virgin trains.
You'll normally earn 3 Virgin Points per £1 spent with zero booking fees (goodbye Trainline!), though Virgin regularly runs promotions offering triple points at 9 per £1. Even at the standard rate, that's significantly better value than the competition.
Here's how to get started:
Download the Virgin Trains Ticketing app
Sign in or create a Virgin Red account (takes about a minute)
Link your Virgin Red account in the app
Book your train tickets as you normally would
Watch your Virgin Points accumulate
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The beauty of this setup is that it's all integrated, meaning you don't have to go through any shopping portals to get your points. All your tickets show within the app, meaning you have a convenient wallet for all your tickets. You can also add your railcard into the app for easy access.
How to Earn Avios on Train Tickets
If you're collecting Avios instead, Transport For Wales offers a solid earn rate of 3 Avios per £1 spent when you book through the Avios eStore. That's better than Uber or Trainline's 1 Avios per £1, or Trainpal at 2 Avios per £1. And just like with the Virgin Trains Ticketing app, booking through Transport For Wales works for all operators. If you don't know what the Avios eStore his, here is our handy guide.
The process is straightforward:
Visit the Avios website and log into your BA Club account
Navigate to the "Collect Avios" section and find Transport for Wales
Click through to TfW's website (this registers your session for tracking)
Search and book your tickets as you normally would
Your Avios will appear in your account within a few weeks
What's on Offer in the Great British Rail Sale?
Nearly all train operators are participating, with tickets valid for travel between 13th January and 25th March. Here are some of the "deals" that were highlighted in the press release:
Portsmouth to London Waterloo: £10 (was £24.60) – 59% saving
Exeter to London Waterloo: £10 (was £41.70) – 76% saving
Newcastle to Middlesbrough: £2 (was £5.20) – 62% saving
London Marylebone to Birmingham Moor Street: £7 (was £14) – 50% saving
Manchester Piccadilly to Manchester Airport: £1.20 (was £2.90) – 59% saving
Sheffield to London: £25.50 (was £51) – 50% saving
My Take
The Great British Rail Sale helps bring down the cost of travelling by train (to a level which I think it should be at anyway), and combining it with Virgin Trains Ticketing or Transport for Wales means you're not leaving points on the table. Whether you're planning business trips, family visits, or weekend breaks over the next few months, this is the time to book, whilst making that sure you're points while you're at it.
The sale starts tomorrow, 6th January, and runs until 12th January.
Sam
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