As people across the country go back to work and their daily routines after the festive season, January is usually the time when most will take stock of their finances to look for savings on their monthly outgoings. With commuting costs taking up a large chunk of many people’s budget, Sainsbury’s Bank Credit Cards has researched the cost of some of the country’s most popular rail routes for commuters.

Sainsbury’s Bank found that commuters buying an annual ticket rather than a monthly ticket could save hundreds of pounds, and those swapping their weekly pass for an annual card could save over a thousand pounds.

Savings on monthly tickets

Station

Annual

Monthly

Monthly (x12)

Savings

Brighton to London

£4,409.00

£423.20

£5,078.40

£669.40

Leeds to Manchester

£2,980.00

£286.10

£3,433.20

£453.20

Liverpool to Manchester

£2,960

£284.00

£3,408.00

£448.00

Milton Keynes to London

£5,812.00

£558.00

£6,696.00

£884.00

Sevenoaks to London

£3,288.00

£315.70

£3,788.40

£500.40

Reading to London

£4,188

£402.10

£4,825.20

£637.20

Stockport to Manchester (Central Zone)

£868.00

£83.40

£1,000.80

£132.80

Bath to Swindon

£2,604.00

£250.00

£3,000.00

£396.00

Glasgow Central or Queen St to Edinburgh

£3,712.00

£356.40

£4,276.80

£564.80

Coventry to Birmingham

£556.00

£54.60

£655.20

£99.20

Barry Island to Cardiff Queen Street

£696.00

£66.90

£802.80

£106.80

Savings on weekly tickets

Station

Annual

Weekly

Weekly (x52)

Savings

Brighton to London

£4,409.00

£110.20

£5,730.40

£1,321.40

Leeds to Manchester

£2,980.00

£74.50

£3,874.00

£894.00

Liverpool to Manchester

£2,960

£74.00

£3,848.00

£888.00

Milton Keynes to London

£5,812.00

£145.30

£7,555.60

£1,743.60

Sevenoaks to London

£3,288.00

£82.20

£4,274.40

£986.40

Reading to London

£4,188

£105.10

£5,465.20

£1,277.20

Stockport to Manchester (Central Zone)

£868.00

£21.70

£1,128.40

£260.40

Bath to Swindon

£2,604.00

£65.10

£3,385.20

£781.20

Glasgow Central or Queen St to Edinburgh

£3,712.00

£92.80

£4,825.60

£1,113.60

Coventry to Birmingham

£556.00

£14.20

£738.40

£182.40

Barry Island to Cardiff Queen Street

£696.00

£17.40

£904.80

£208.80

Simon Ranson, Head of Banking at Sainsbury's Bank said:  “Our analysis shows that there are potentially substantial savings to be made by buying an annual ticket instead of a monthly or weekly, and it can be made at any time of the year, not just in January when rail fares typically increase. However, an annual ticket is a big outlay, so a good way to spread the cost is by using a credit card with no interest on purchases and setting up a direct debit which will pay off the annual ticket within the year.”