Eurostar Snap: potential for cheaper fares between the UK and France

The Eurostar can make travel between France and the UK that little bit simpler however it can be costly. 

Eurostar Snap can offer discounted tickets for those prepared to book nearer the journey time and be flexible with date and time of travel. 

How it works 

You can book from up to 14 days before your trip right up to the day before through the Eurostar Snap website.

You pick your day and preferred time slot for travel – between 7:00-13:00 or 13:00-20:00, and you can invite up to three friends to join the booking. Tickets can be up to 50% cheaper than the standard price. 

Eurostar then picks your train for you within the selected time slot.

You will be sent your train details 48 hours before you travel. 

Looking on the website, it is possible to book a one-way ticket for the following day between London and Paris for £50. Meanwhile, a standard one-way ticket for the next day in August was around £190. 

The tickets still allow you to earn Club Eurostar points, which can be saved up towards a free journey. 

The service is available both ways between the following cities:

• Paris and Brussels

• Paris and Amsterdam

• Paris and Rotterdam

• Paris and Cologne

• London and Brussels

• London and Paris 

• London and Lille

• London and Amsterdam

• London and Rotterdam

Note you will not get a seat selection which means you are not guaranteed to be able to sit with any accompanying friends, and tickets are non-exchangeable, non-refundable and non-transferable. 

Tickets also sell out fairly fast, especially in peak season, which can mean it can be a risk to wait until two weeks before your intended journey, in case there aren’t any Snap tickets left, which could result in you paying last minute prices. 

However, Eurostar Snap is an especially good option if you are looking to travel outside peak times, for example midweek. 

Eurostar could soon face competitors on the Eurotunnel route. After years of holding the monopoly, rival train companies will soon be allowed to operate on the tracks, with many suggesting they will offer much lower prices. 

Uber is among those proposing rival services, partnering with startup Gemini Trains.

Meanwhile, Eurostar itself also has plans to launch new London routes, with trains to Cologne, Geneva and Frankfurt taking under six hours. 

This would require work at London St Pancreas to allow for the increased traffic – there are currently around 17 daily services each way between London and Paris.