What is a Monthly Season Train Ticket?

Monthly Season tickets are train tickets that give you unlimited travel between two stations for a month.

They can be used any day at any time, and you can hop off the train along the way and finish your journey later. Plus, you’ll save time as you won’t need to pay each time you travel!

They’re a good option if you’re commuting five or more times a week – and they’re cheaper than buying four weekly tickets or Anytime Day Return Tickets for the same period.

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What are the benefits of a Monthly Season Ticket?

Here are a few of the highlights of a Monthly Season Ticket:

  • Unlimited travel between two stations for seven days.

  • Use it any day & at any time.

  • No need to buy a ticket every time you travel.

  • Available on Smartcard.

  • Jump off at any station on your chosen route.

  • Only pay the difference if you need to travel further.

  • No queuing for a daily ticket – you’ve got your weekly pass!

  • Fully refundable on unused days

  • Money back if you’re delayed*.

^At least 7 or more unused days remaining, refund dependent on the value of the unused days. Find out more about refunds.

*Once claimed through the Delay Repay scheme.

Commuter

Monthly Season ticket vs Anytime tickets

Monthly Season tickets are essentially a monthly train pass, whereas Anytime train tickets need to be bought each time you travel. Both tickets are similar as they let you travel at any time of the day.

If you own any railcard other than the 16-17 Saver, it may be cheaper to buy Anytime tickets for your journey.

Here’s a table so you can compare what is right for you.

Monthly Season Tickets Anytime Tickets
Monthly rail ticket which gives you seven days of unlimited back and forth travel Single or Return ticket
Good for: commuting 5 or more times a week Good for: commuting 1 or 2 times a week
Pay upfront Often cheaper than buying four weekly seasons or anytime day returns for the same period, if you don’t have a railcard. Pay each time you travel. May be cheaper than a Monthly Season ticket if you do have a railcard.
National Railcard discount: 16-17 Saver only National Railcard discount: All National Railcards can be used
You can stop along the way, and finish your later. You can stop along the way, and finish your later.
Smartcard – top up with your phone or at the station. Digital eTicket – show your ticket on your phone, email to a friend or print them out
You can refund if you have 7 or more unused days left. Depends on the value remaining. You must refund before travel date, unless you didn’t travel due to delay, cancellation or medical emergency.

Monthly Season Tickets vs Weekly Season Tickets

Weekly Season tickets give you unlimited travel between two stations for seven days.

Monthly Season tickets are the same as Weekly Season tickets, but they last for one month. They’re better value for money as they're cheaper than buying four Weekly Season tickets.

Monthly train ticket prices

The Big Rail Fare Freeze is here. Standard Season ticket prices have been frozen across England until March 2027.

Monthly Season tickets require payment up front, so the cost can look steep at first. But they’re designed to save you money, as they can often be cheaper than buying four daily returns. You can see a breakdown of costs for your journey with a Season Ticket Calculator.

The cost of your monthly Season ticket will depend on your journey. If you book directly with us online or on our app, we won’t charge you any booking fees. You can find the cost and buy your chosen monthly train ticket here.

If you are eligible, a Railcard can lower the cost of a weekly train ticket. Child discounts are not available on our website or app.

Are you looking for Flexi or Annual train season tickets instead? See our full range of season ticket options.

Season Direct

If you have to buy a ticket every month, why not sign up to our Season Direct scheme:

  • Monthly direct debit payment
  • A ticket sent to your Smart Card remotely, for use at the start of the month
  • Suspend for up to 2 months if you don’t need a ticket
  • Online access to request a change or suspension
  • Duplicate fee only £10.00 (instead of the standard £20.00)

Sign up now

Monthly Season Ticket Photocard

When you travel with a Season ticket, you’ll need to bring a valid form of photo ID with you.

Smartcard Season Ticket: Photographic ID is required, such as a driving license. National Rail Photocards are also acceptable.

Paper Season Ticket: National Rail Photocard required. You can get one free of charge at a ticket office, just bring a passport-sized photograph with you. Please note that railcards cannot be used as a photocard.

Smartcard Season tickets

When you buy a season ticket directly online for GA routes, you’ll need a Smartcard. Log in or create an account to order one for free.

Smartcards are much better than ordinary paper tickets. They’re quicker to scan at the gates, tougher and a greener option too! They can be topped up easily at the station or with our app.

Find out more about Smartcards.

the smarter way to travel Greater Anglia smartcard and e ticket

Travelling in London

For London journeys, you may need to search for “London Underground Zone” if you’re going to or from a tube station. View the tube map to see zones.

On the ticket selection screen, London Terminals is the first major London station on your route, which is typically London Liverpool Street for Greater Anglia journeys.

If you want to go further, you may need to choose the Travelcard Season ticket option to finish your journey. Or you can use Oyster or Contactless pay-as-you-go ticketing.

Travelcards give you unlimited travel within the zone on nearly all of London’s public transport, including the Tube, DLR, bus, Elizabeth line, London Overground, and National Rail. If your Travelcard is valid in Zones 3, 4, 5 or 6, you can use it on all trams too.

Flexitime Seasons are similar to normal season tickets, but they cannot be used for trains originally scheduled to arrive at London Liverpool Street between 07:15 and 09:15 on weekdays.

How to buy a Monthly Season Train Ticket Online & In-app?

If you’re buying a season ticket for the first time, follow these easy steps.

You can buy Monthly Season tickets for national rail services across the UK through our website and app. Plus, when you book direct, you won’t have to pay any pesky booking fees.

Before you can begin, you’ll need a Smartcard. Log in or create an account to order one for free.

  1. Open our booking form on our website or app
  2. Enter your journey details, select Flexi & Season as your journey type and hit search.
  3. Choose your season ticket, and if you want to collect on your Smartcard ticket through the GA app or at a station
  4. Buy your season ticket
  5. Load your season ticket on to your Smartcard
Hare holding mobile phone

Frequently asked questions about Monthly Season Train Tickets

Yes, you can buy a monthly train ticket online, on our app, or at your local ticket office. These tickets give you unlimited travel between two stations for one month at a great price – saving you money and time from having to pay each time you travel.

The cost of a monthly season ticket will depend on your journey. It requires payment up front, so the price will be high, but it works out cheaper than buying four weekly season tickets. If you book directly with us online or on our app, you’ll save as we don’t charge any booking fees. You can find the cost and buy your chosen monthly train ticket here.

If you are eligible, a Railcard can lower the cost of a weekly train ticket. Child discounts are not available on our website or app.

Monthly Season train tickets give you unlimited travel between two stations for one month. You can go back and forth as much as you want, and you can even hop off the train along the way and finish your journey later.

You can buy a monthly train ticket on our website, app and at the ticket office. When you book direct, you’ll save as we don’t charge any booking fees.

Yes, we sell student monthly season tickets online, which give you discounted travel on Greater Anglia services to school, college and university. Find out more about our student tickets.