The Deterioration of the Easyjet Stansted Express Discount Code

Until recently Easyjet customers have been able to benefit from a Stansted Express promo code which reduces the overall cost of train travel both to and from Stansted Airport by 10%.  What was even better was that you didn’t need to prove you were travelling with Easyjet to benefit from this reduced rate.

With the Stansted Express Easyjet discount no longer valid, we thought we’d look at the various options to obtaining a Stansted Express discount and why you should now completely avoid booking the Stansted Express through Easyjet.

Stansted Airport catered for over 28 million passengers in 2018, some 8.1% more than in 2017!  A large percentage of these visitors will be making their way to central London.  Unlike Gatwick Airport where passengers have the choice of using either the slightly more expensive direct Gatwick Express, Southern trains or even Thameslink trains, passengers wanting to travel to London by train from Stansted Airport are limited to just the Stansted Express.

Summary of Fares – Stansted Express Discount

Those who book Stansted Express tickets in advance will benefit from significantly reduced rates as we summarise below:

By booking some 7 weeks or more in advance, you’ll be able to save up to 61% off the price of a standard ticket.

The saving is by no means as large for an advance First Class ticket which is ‘only’ 15% cheaper.  Still a reasonable saving nonetheless.  For those who haven’t heard of the Business Plus concept, which is £1 cheaper than First Class, this ticket essentially allows you to sit in the First Class section of the train but doesn’t provide the same fast-track security that a First Class ticket offers (usually costing £5 if booked through the Stansted Airport website).

Stansted Express Promotion Code and Special Deals

Unfortunately since the loss of the Stansted Express Easyjet discount there are limited hacks and no promotional codes currently available to reduce the cost of a Stansted Express ticket.  That said, there are some permanent deals being offered directly by Stansted Express that you should be aware of.

These Stansted Express offers are as follows:

• WebDuo: If there are two of you travelling, by booking online (even on the day of travel) you can reduce the cost per person for a single standard-class ticket from £18.10 to £16.  However, if you’re booking in advance you’re better off with the advance £7 tickets as seen below.

• Group of 3 or 4: If you’re travelling in a group of 3 or 4 you can receive a 33% discount off the ‘on the day’ price of a ticket.  This is a good saving when booking last minute tickets however isn’t as cheap as the possible 61% for booking in advance.

Stansted Express Railcard Offers

As with nearly all UK rail travel, you’re able to save as much as 33% if you have one of the following railcards:

• Family & Friends Railcard
• Senior Railcard
• Disabled Persons Railcard
• 16-25 Railcard
• HM Forces Railcard
• Network Railcard
• Two Together Railcard

However the crafty people at Stansted Express have restricted the use of railcards to bookings at the ticket office only.  As such you won’t be able to benefit from the advanced fares if you’d prefer to use your railcard.  Clearly if you book a standard fare in advance you’re likely to be better off booking through the website rather than waiting and using your railcard.

There’s also a Stansted Express student discount of 33% if you have an International Student Identity Card.

Stansted Express Promo Code Easyjet

As I mentioned earlier, until recently you have been able to receive a 10% discount on Stansted Express travel by redirecting to the Stansted Express website through the Easyjet website.  This took you to the following page – https://www.stanstedexpress.com/easyjet-referral/tickets-fares/ticket-types/.

Now a very important point to note is that if you continue to direct to the Stansted Express website from Easyjet you’ll be unable to see the advanced ticket fares as we show below:

Search using www. Stanstedexpress.com for 3 October 2019

Search using www.stanstedexpress.com/easyjet-referral/ for 3 October 2019

As can be seen above, you’re likely to be significantly worse off if you’re redirected from Easyjet.

Promotion Code Stansted Express – Summary

Unlike Gatwick Airport, which is served by three train operators and a dedicated loyalty scheme (MyGatwick), Stansted Airport is only served by the one – Stansted Express.  As such with no competition the requirement to provide discounts to attract passengers appears to be limited.

Until recently Easyjet offered a 10% discount to customers which, as many people had clocked onto, didn’t require customers to actually be travelling with Easyjet…  Gone are the days of the Stansted Express promo code!

Unfortunately with no Stansted Express promo codes to speak of, your best option to reduce the overall cost of a Stansted Express ticket is to make sure you book as far in advance as possible.  Booking online unfortunately rules out being able to use a railcard or the likes of the Stansted Express student discount.  However as we’ve seen in this article by booking in advance you can receive a discount of as much as 61%, far better than the 33% you’d receive from a railcard…