My picks of the National Express flash sale for half-price coach travel

The UK’s largest scheduled coach operator, National Express, hopes to boost bookings with a half-price sale for journeys from early February to late May. Many intercity journeys around Britain, including airport trips, are available for under £5.

The deal went on sale at 10am on Tuesday 20 January, with a cut-off of 10am on Friday 23 January. It applies for journeys up to 22 May 2026 for journeys booked online or via the National Express app.

For the half-price saving, passengers must book at least 15 days in advance – using the promo code FLASHSALE at checkout.

A more modest discount of 25 per cent applies to journeys between late January and early February, booked between three and 14 days in advance.

Neither deal applies to coaches put on for events and festivals. To avoid the standard £1.50 booking fee, travellers should create a free National Express account.

The Independent has found the following one-way deals for a solo traveller since the sale launched

National Express’s previous main competitor, Megabus, ended operations in England and Wales just over a year ago – citing “low passenger demand”.

The National Express owner, Mobico Group, says it faces “strengthening competition in the market” for intercity transport in the UK.

The giant competitor Flix says it is making “further expansion into the airport-shuttle segment” – where National Express has always been strong. Flix owns FlixBus, Greyhound in the US and Kamil Koc in Turkey.

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