Advance Tickets

Save money on train travel by booking ahead

Canterbury Castle behind red telephone boxes

Choose an Advance ticket for money saving travel

We have added MORE Advance tickets to MORE destinations giving you MORE chances to save and travel on selected routes across Kent, London and East Sussex for less. Book early for cheaper fares, plus there are no booking fees when you book direct with Southeastern.

Advance Tickets are a great way to save – you can book your trip for a cheaper price than if you were to buy your ticket on the day you are travelling. So, with a little bit of advance planning and by choosing a specific time to travel, you can save money.

Numbers of Advance Tickets are limited and the earlier you book, the cheaper the fare. You can also book an Advance Ticket right up to 23.59* the day before you travel.

Plus, you could save even more and get another 1/3 off the Advance Ticket price with selected railcards.^

Advance tickets are only available as single tickets at specific times and on selected routes, but you can mix and match Advance Tickets and times to suit you. Don't forget if you're making a return journey, you will need to buy a ticket for each direction.

Buy your Advance Ticket at home via our Southeastern app, through our website or from a station ticket office.

Please note: Network Rail has made temporary changes to how far in advance rail timetables are confirmed. In some cases, it may be less than the usual 12-weeks before travel, this is a national issue but many train journeys are unaffected. Wherever possible, we've highlighted journeys yet to be confirmed in our journey planner to help.

*Subject to availability. Terms and conditions apply.
^Terms and conditions apply. Check the terms of your railcard here.

Buy Advance Tickets

Find out how much you can save by booking in advance

Don’t forget, Advance tickets are only available as single tickets at specific times and on selected routes.

Journey	Advance single from	Super Off-Peak single from	Off-Peak single from
Tunbridge Wells to London	£7.00	£18.40	£23.70
Canterbury to London	£11.50 £14.30 inc. highspeed	£30.50 £41.10	£39.30 £47.10
Maidstone to London	£9.00 £10.10 inc. highspeed	£23.90 £26.90	£26.40 £33.00
Sittingbourne to London	£11.90 inc. highspeed	£31.10	£33.80
London to Hastings	£13.80 £16.50 inc. highspeed	£37.00 £43.60	£42.60 £51.30
London to Folkestone	£12.50 £15.50 inc. highspeed	£33.00 £41.10	£44.20 £51.70
London to Ashford International	£12.80 £15.20 inc. highspeed	£33.70 £40.50	£37.90 £45.50
Bromley South to Faversham	£7.80	n/a	£25.90

Fares correct at last date of publication 03/03/2024

You can check the full terms and conditions for Advance fares at National Rail Enquiries.

If you need to change your journey time, see our FAQs below.

When are Advance Tickets available?

Where can I buy an Advance Ticket?

When can I use an Advance Ticket?

Advance tickets are only valid for travel on the specific date and time of the train selected during booked. The ticket will not be valid on other trains and you may be required to buy a new ticket if you travel on a different train than the one booked.

Advance tickets are available on selected routes, including some high speed services. Unfortunately, Advance tickets are not available for journeys entirely within the London Travelcard are (Zones 1-6) or from selected stations close to London.

Can I get a refund on my Advance Ticket?

Advance tickets are non-refundable.

However, fee-free refunds may be available if the service an Advance ticket was booked on has been cancelled due to industrial action, or if you abandon your journey due to service disruption. You can apply for this refund for Advance tickets bought through Southeastern at Customer Services. For Advance tickets not bought through Southeastern, please contact your original retailer.

Can I change the journey on an Advance ticket?

Advance tickets are amendable, however an admin fee may apply. Advance tickets can only have their date and journey time changed, not the route or direction of travel. They can be amended right up to the time your journey is due to begin at a station, or up to the day before travel online.

If there is a difference between the price of your original paper ticket and the cost of your new Advance ticket, you will need to pay the difference. If you change to a train on which a cheaper fare is available, the difference will not be refunded.

You can change your Advance tickets in a few easy ways:

If you purchased a paper Advance or eTicket through your Southeastern account, you can log in and amend the date and time.
If you purchased a paper Advance ticket online and you don’t have a Southeastern account, or if it's the date of travel, you’ll need to visit a ticket office to ask for the changes to be made. Advance eTickets purchased as a guest cannot be amended at a ticket office*.
If you purchased Advance tickets at a Southeastern station, you can return your ticket to any Southeastern ticket office where it can be amended.

*We’re unable to amend Advance eTickets at a ticket office if you have purchased your ticket online, but not with an account, as the existing Advance ticket QR code cannot be voided. However you can link your ticket purchase to a Southeastern account using the link at the bottom of your order confirmation email.

We're also unable to amend Advance tickets that have been purchased via PayPal. Please contact Customer Services if you wish to amend an Advance ticket purchased via PayPal.

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