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I am traveling by train from Gatwick to Chatham on 10th July and then on the 13th I am traveling from Chatham to Portsmouth. I am then going from Portsmouth to Gatwick on the 19th.

What is the cheapest train ticket and can I get it in one ticket?

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    What time will you be travelling? What options have you researched so far?
    – Traveller
    Commented Jul 7 at 13:42
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    Single to Chatham. Period return Chatham to Portsmout (via Victoria not Waterloo). Maybe not the cheapest method, but will be cheaper than 3 singles.
    – Greg
    Commented Jul 8 at 13:57

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I am no expert but as a matter of common sense it seems to me that you are making 3 quite separate journeys and so will require 3 separate single tickets. You may save a little money by booking in advance, rather than on the day:

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

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You technically could have that as a combination of return tickets (there are ways to do it), but it's very complicated (other forums like RailForums have much more knowledgable people about ticketing if you really want to go that route)

I would just get them as 3 separate tickets as Elwyn mentioned

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I am traveling by train from Gatwick to Chatham on 10th July and then on the 13th I am traveling from Chatham to Portsmouth. I am then going from Portsmouth to Gatwick on the 19th.

So this would be considered 3 journeys. The closest way to consolidate would be through something like Interrail, but I think it is safe to say that is overkill for this situation.

What is the cheapest train ticket and can I get it in one ticket?

The UK train system is charitably described as "nebulous" and uncharitably as [unprintable]

You can penny pinch to a large degree, but all of those methods assume your time is worth £0.00

In general, you are usually better off using a service like The TrainLine as it builds fare splitting into it's ticket search

EDIT: See also trainsplit.com (Thanks @Rob)

  • Sometimes, you can find cheaper tickets by going straight to the provider.
  • In general, your biggest save is by choosing a specific train.
  • Book sooner rather than later given how close your travel time is

Examples

I have searched your journeys and given a little costing for each in the form

Origin -> Destination [Ticket Provider]: £ Cheapest-listed-price

Bear in mind that services like the Trainline will add on a fee of around £1 - £2 for the convenience. However, it does mean you can manage tickets more easily, digitally

Gatwick -> Chatham (July 10th)

  • Gatwick -> London Victoria [Southern] : £14.00
  • London Victoria -> Chatham [Southeastern]: £9.60

OR

Gatwick -> Chatham [Trainline]: £23.60

Gatwick -> Portsmouth (July 13th)

  • Chatham -> London Victoria [Southeastern]: £8.00
  • London Victoria -> Portsmouth & Southsea or Portsmouth Harbour [Southern]: £10.00

OR

  • Chatham -> Portsmouth [Trainline] £18 Notes: leaves 15:02 3h 14m

Portsmouth (July 19th)

  • Portsmouth -> Gatwick [Southern] £7

OR

  • Portsmouth -> Gatwick [Trainline] £7

Summary

Looks like you would be best using a digital ticket system. The only journey you could maybe save on is the Portsmouth -> Gatwick journey, but even then you'll only save £1.50 but at the cost of managing all the tickets. For the above I could find the cheapest by booking with the provider, but I could also easily find more expensive tickets than what was listed on the trainline.

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    If looking for splitting, look at something like trainsplit.com - anecdotally it's given better splits. Also, never use the Trainline; they charge a booking fee for tickets you can obtain fee free from any other ticket retailer (e.g. any that you're directed to from nationalrail.co.uk)
    – Rob
    Commented Jul 8 at 20:38
  • @Rob I agree, if you are taking regular trains, but for a tourist to an area the ability to have easy digital tickets all in one place in addition to the split fair functionality. At time of writing National lists the July 10 11:56 Gatwick Airport with change at Victoria to Chatham as £33.90, whereas the same journey via trainline + booking fee is £24.79. Getting tickets from individual providers can be cheaper, but if your journey spans 2 or 3 operators, it is a lot of extra faff that I'd pay £1.50 for the privilege of bypassing. I think we can all agree that the system is a bit of a mess.
    – fdcpp
    Commented Jul 9 at 10:38
  • +1 for trainsplit, great website
    – fdcpp
    Commented Jul 9 at 10:39

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