In this post, I will provide information about how to get 1/3 off using the National Rail.
Previously the National Rail was offering 2-for-1 tickets to the London Eye which is now discontinued.
I will also include description of all the steps necessary to get this deal.
- How to Get the Deal
- How Much Can You Save?
- Additional 2 For 1 Attractions
- Additional London Eye Discount Tickets
How to Get 1/3 off on London Eye Tickets
The National Rail offers a 1/3 price cuts on tickets for many top London attractions, including of course the London Eye.
This is one of the most notable landmarks in all of Europe, and it offers some of the best panoramic views of London's skyline from the 135-metres/meters tall capsules of what is essentially a giant ferris wheel.
Each ticket is good for a 30-minute ride on the London Eye. Their pods and facilities are accessible by wheelchairs.
Some of the more notable attractions you can see from each pod on a clear day include:
- View From the Shard
- Houses of Parliament
- Westminster Bridge
- Buckingham Palace
- Tower of London
- Tower Bridge
- Big Ben
This deal is offered to anyone who purchases a rail ticket for transportation to the landmark.
Here are the steps you must take to get this offer:
1) Use Days Out Guide to Get London Eye Tickets
Days out guide now offer the London Eye tickets online for up to 6 people.
Tickets can be purchase online using the Days Out Guide website.
On the website, chose the number of people, date of visit and Nearest Station to the London Eye (Waterloo, Charing Cross, Waterloo East, and Blackfriars) and copy the promo code given by the website.
Then click on "Book Now" option given below the promo code and use the code while buying the tickets on the official London Eye's website.
You just need to travel by train to the station chose by you while buying the online ticket and present the train ticket and your online tickets to get access to the London Eye.
2) Purchase a Valid National Rail Ticket
Only the following ticket types are eligible for this deal:
- Advance
- Anytime
- Off-Peak Times
- Gatwick/Stanstead Express
- Travelcards (only at National Rail station)
- Printed/Mobile tickets with the National Rail logo
- Season tickets
- Annual Gold Cards
- Gold Record Card
- National Rail issued smartcards
3) Purchase Train Tickets at a National Rail Station
Tickets purchased for the London Underground are not eligible for this offer.
In order to get this deal, you must purchase your train tickets at a National Rail station. Waterloo is the closest National Rail Station to the London Eye.
4) Your Tickets Must Be Used to Travel to the London Eye
Your National Rail ticket must show that the destination was close to the London Eye, serving as proof that you used the ticket to travel to the attraction where you will get the 1/3 deal.
The closest stations less than a mile away are as follows:
- Waterloo
- Charing Cross
- Waterloo East
- Blackfriars
5) Hold on to Your Train Tickets
You have to present both your National Rail tickets and a 1/3 voucher or Online Days Out Guide tickets for the London Eye in order to receive this offer.
If a National Rail employee asks for your ticket, tell them you plan to use the 1/3 offer and show them the voucher or Online Days Out Guide ticket.
6) Print Out the 1/3rd off Voucher
Go to the Days Out Guide website and print out a 1/3 voucher for the London Eye.
If you are not booking the tickets online, this voucher is required in order to be eligible for the deal.
Luckily, you can do this a few days in advance, as vouchers don’t need to be validated on the same day that they are printed.
7) Tickets Must Be Purchased on the Same Day
Although you can download and print out the vouchers a few days ahead of time, you must purchase both your National Rail tickets and London Eye tickets on the same day.
If you have a weekly railcard, you can visit the attraction on any of the 7 days of its validity.
8) Some Attractions Have Blackout Dates
Depending on how busy/popular the London Eye is at any given time throughout the year, some dates will likely be blacked out and vouchers will not be available for these days.
This means you won't always be able to visit at the best time, and peak times are far more likely to have blackout dates.
To avoid this issue, we recommend using the 1/3 deal out of season or during the shoulder seasons.
9) Skip-the-Line Tickets Aren’t Usually Possible
Since you need to provide both the voucher or online ticket and National Rail tickets in order to get this offer, it is typically impossible to skip the line for tickets.
However, in the case of the London Eye, the tickets offered through this 1/3 deal are actually from lastminute.com, which means you have to make advance booking and choose a time slot/slots.
This is one of the only 1/3 deals you can actually get online, and that means you can actually get skip the queues. That said, fast track tickets and fast track entry will not be possible.
10) Oyster Cards Are Not Eligible
This deal is not offered to Oyster Card holders.
National Rail tickets must be provided along with a voucher in order to get this deal, so no contactless payment methods are eligible.
Things to Consider
While there are a lot of steps you must follow, it’s really not all that difficult to get London Eye 1/3 ticket.
Once you understand how it works and what is required, it should only take about 10-15 minutes of planning (and printing) to enjoy this offer.
How Much Can You Save?
The London Eye is just one of over 150 attractions in London that offer 2-for-1 or 1/3 tickets for National Rail ticket holders.
This is one of the easiest ways to save money on dozens of popular activities in London, allowing visitors to save a full 50% on admission.
That said, you may also want to consider a London tourist discount pass or other offers because these services are excellent alternatives that can save you between 10% - 50% off.
Since we’re specifically talking about the London Eye, let’s take a look at the actual numbers to show you how much you can save using the 2-for-1 offer:
Normal London Eye Tickets Price:
- £68 for 2 full-price adult London Eye entrance
1/3 Ticket Price:
- £42.66 for 2 full-price adult London Eye entrance
This is a savings of over £25, which covers the price of both National Rail tickets.
That said, if you plan to use a different type of transportation, there are still several different ways to get cheap London Eye tickets.
Top London Attractions with 2 for 1 Tickets
The Days Out Guide and National Rail offer their 2 for 1 promotion at a lot of the best attractions in both London and the greater UK. Here are a few of the more notable landmarks where this deal is available.
- Madame Tussauds
- London Dungeon
- Tower of London
- Shrek's Adventure
- SEA LIFE London
- Westminster Abbey
- River Thames Cruises
- View From the Shard
- LEGOLAND
- Tower Bridge
- London Zoo
- And more!
The 2 for 1 deal works much the same way with these activities as with the London Eye. For even more information about these and other locations included, check our full post covering the London 2 for 1 deal.
These attractions are all included in other discounts, multi attraction tickets, and combo tickets as well, and you can learn more by reading our post covering London tourist passes.
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