Red Funnel Big Book of Savings - Everything You Need to Know

"He's been! He's been" is my usual reaction to the new Red Funnel Big Book of Savings

As a child, the highlight of the year was rushing downstairs on Christmas morning at 6am. I would accidentally tread on the cat's tail, see the stocking before me and bellow: "He's been! He's been!"
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I now do something similar when the postman arrived with the Red Funnel Big Book of Savings.

Here are a few common questions and bits of advice.

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What is the Red Funnel Big Book of Savings?

Is this question really necessary?

It's a book of discounts from Red Funnel for cheap ferry travel to the Isle of Wight.

Now I come to think of it, it's not actually very big but let's not allow marketing hyperbole get in the way of a good deal.

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When is Red Funnel's Big Book of Savings sent out? ​

​The Big Book of Savings is sent out to every Isle of Wight home five times a year. It doesn't have your address on it, they just print 70,000 of them and hand over a massive bag to the burliest postal worker they can find. I believe her name is Sheila.

According to the company that sells adverts in the Big Book of Savings, the publication dates are February, April, July, September and November each year.

However, the dates seem to vary a bit. For the last two years, Red Funnel has sent out the September edition in late August.

Contradictorily, the February 2024 edition was sent out in late February. Your best bet is to look at the Red Funnel Facebook page or this page on the Red Funnel website for an announcement.

​Or you could just wait for it to arrive.

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What offers are available in the Red Funnel Big Book of Savings?

​The offers in the Red Funnel Big Book of Savings vary but there is definitely a pattern. 

For a long time now there has been a fixed price deal for day returns with a car. In the more recent edition it was £51-£61 depending on which day of the week you travelled (Tuesday to Thursday was cheaper).

They also had offers for 20% and 25% off vehicle ferry travel, 20% off a large van or horsebox and weekend day returns for £11.50.

They also offered things like 20% off main meals in July, but I am the sort of person who brings his own sandwiches rather than splashing out on a meal on a ferry.

This sort of information is useful, as it helps you to decide whether to wait for the next Big Book of Savings or go ahead and book with our 10% off Red Funnel deal or some other discount code we have dug up.

For example, my auntie was planning a day trip to the Isle of Wight in 2024 and had got the price down to about £85 thanks to my ferries discounts page. I told her to wait another week as there was a Big Book of Savings due any day. In the end she got the ferry for £51 and saved herself £34. I am hoping for a particularly generous birthday present from her this year as a thanks.

The car ferry day return deal in the Big Book of Savings is the best you will find

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How can I get the Big Book of SAvings vouchers if I don't live on the Isle of Wight?

The bad news is that most vouchers in the Red Funnel Big Book of Savings are unique so they can only be used a limited number of times. This is usually once, three times or 10 times depending on how generous Red Funnel consider the offer to be.

The good news is that you can give the codes to friends and family. If you have a great aunt in Bembridge then it's worth asking her to hold onto the vouchers rather than using them as a litter tray for her budgie.

You will find Big Book of Savings vouchers popping up on Facebook groups, but the general idea is that it is for Islanders to share with family. You could waste a lot of time typing in codes that have already been used.

It's also worth pointing out that the foot passenger deals don't require you have the actual book. You can usually find them on this Big Book page on the Red Funnel website.

Cheap deals for foot passenger travel on the Red Jet don't usually require you have the Big Book of Savings

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Will I find better deals elsewhere?

If you are planning a day return with a car then the Big Book of Savings deal of £50-£60 is hard to beat. You can sometimes save yourself £50+ compared to the full fare for a day return. It's also cheaper than the Wightlink Multilink fare, which a lot of Isle of Wight residents use.

However, the Big Book of Savings deals on overnight returns can often be beaten. Here's my advice:​​

• Red Funnel often does a promotion which beats the discount in the Big Book of Savings during Black Friday in late November. In recent years this has been 33% off. One year it was 50% off, at which point I fell off my chair. I don't think they will do that again, but 33% off seems possible. Check the Red Funnel homepage around late November or early December.​

• Take a look at our guide to discount Isle of Wight ferry travel. Discounts of 20% to 25% have become quite common in recent years (and you can get 10% all year round via this page). They often appear in the back of the Radio Times or in holiday magazines.

• If you are paying for accommodation on the Isle of Wight then there is a good chance that you can get a similar or better deal than the Big Book of Savings.
  
  Big name holiday providers such as Away Resorts, Parkdean Resorts and Warner Leisure offer massive discounts on the Isle of Wight ferry. In some cases I've seen return journeys at 50%-70% off. See our guide to Isle of Wight holidays including ferry travel. Those three companies operate 10 holiday resorts and hotels between them on the Isle of Wight. 
  
  Lots of independent hotels, holiday parks and B&Bs can also get you 15-25% off if you phone up and ask. Self catering sites such as HolidayCottages.co.uk will get you 20% off.

Away Resorts give a big ferry discount if you stay at parks including The Lakes, Rookley

• Red Funnel does a fantastic deal for camping, touring caravans and motorhomes that works out much cheaper than using the Big Book of Savings. There are some restrictions, but it is one of the cheapest ways to have a holiday on the Isle of Wight. You can get a family holiday including ferry travel for about £125 - £450 if you play your cards right (and don't mind sharing toilets with strangers).
  
  The idea is that you choose from one of four Isle of Wight camping and touring parks. You then choose whether you want to stay for three, five or 10 nights and pick from a limited number of start dates.
  
  It often works out that you are getting the ferry for free (yes, really).
  
  ​You might assume that this offer only works at grotty campsites during January. However, the four sites all score 4.5/5 or 5/5 on TripAdvisor and you can use the deal on a couple of dates within the school summer holidays as well as lots of other dates throughout the year.

There are bargain bundle ferry deals available at Whitefield Forest touring park

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