People could take a city break to Paris, Amsterdam or Brussels for less when booking their travel in a specific way. Using a lesser-known version of the Eurostar website could save people up to half price on tickets - but there's one major catch to this.
Explaining how this discounted ticket system works, a member of Martin Lewis' MoneySavingExpert team said: "These four letters could get you 50% off Eurostar tickets. If you just book on the regular Eurostar website, it can cost you hundreds for a return trip.
"But if you know the date you want to travel on, and you have a bit of flexibility, typing SNAP into the URL can save you a decent buck." By replacing the usual 'www' at the start of the address with 'snap', customers are taken to a similar-looking website that offers discounted tickets on last-minute trips.
The MSE team member said these tickets can be bought "up to two weeks in advance" and can be "much cheaper" than picking a specific time to leave the station. They showed tickets going from London to Paris for £50.
The only catch is that you'll have little control over when you actually leave the platform, with there only being two options. Passengers can choose a slot for a train leaving between 6am and 1pm or 1pm and 8pm.
The team member added: "You choose a day and select [the] earlier or later slot. At least 48 hours before your train, Eurostar will confirm your exact time."
These bargain tickets are "non-refundable and non-exchangeable", so it is important to know and accept that tickets could be assigned for the crack of dawn or one of the last to leave the platform. The MSE member said their option saved around £80 compared to the standard booking process.
They added: "The savings can be pretty big, but it’s a bit of a ‘no risk, no reward’ travel hack, as you won’t be able to get your money back once you’ve booked!" The Eurostar Snap offers on trips leaving from London to Paris and Lille in France, Amsterdam or Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Brussels in Belgium.
The service only offers up to four adult tickets per purchase. Children cannot be booked onto these 'Snap' deals because Eurostar cannot guarantee that everyone in your party will be seated together, "last-minute tickets are for passengers aged 16+ only", according to Eurostar.
Eurostar says: "Infants under four years old can travel for free on an adult's lap. A maximum of one infant per adult can travel."
On the Eurostar Snap website, it says: "Get ready to embrace that 'pack your bags, we’re off' feeling. With Snap, you can book a spur-of-the-moment trip to one of Europe’s most exciting cities and still enjoy the same great experience on board.
"You pick your travel dates and time slot, we pick your train times, and you get up to 50% off the price of your tickets. Sometimes it pays to be spontaneous.
"If you can be flexible with your travel times, this is the deal for you. Invite up to three friends or travel buddies and enjoy the same comfort and style you’ve come to expect from a Eurostar trip with the added bonus of a lower fare. Just so you know, we can’t guarantee that you’ll all be seated together."
