A couple of years ago, Red Funnel introduced a 15% discount on the car ferry for Isle of Wight residents. 

We thought that the offer might be ending, as it said for a long time that it was expiring at the end of 2024. However, celebrations and public hugging are due since its been extended until 31 December 2025.

To get the deal, you need to book via this page.

Fear not, frugal traveller - there are plenty of other deals for visitors coming to the Isle of Wight to sit on the beach or visit Aunt Maude in Bembridge. Some of our favourites include:

• our exclusive 10% discount via the booking form on this page.
• a 15% Red Funnel discount for English Heritage Members
• 25% off if you're driving a fully electric car or small van
• ​very good value ferry + pitch bundle deals that are suitable for tent dwellers, motorhomes and caravans. This deal is one of our favourites and can give colossal savings. In some cases, the ferry is practically free and you just pay for pitch.
• massive discounts if you stay at one of the big holiday parks on the Isle of Wight such as Away Resorts or Parkdean Resorts. We've seen discounts of 50% - 70% off if you go for one of these. 
• a maximum price of £90 if you stay at one of the Warner Leisure Hotels on the Isle of Wight
• The Big Book of Savings, which is sent to the Islanders five times a year but can legitimately be shared with friends and family. Recent issues have included 25% off discount codes and fixed priced day returns with a car for about £50 - £60. Consider befriending an Islander who is willing to share the discounts with you. Perhaps you could scrawl a plea for discount codes on a piece of card and stand at a roundabout in Ryde until someone takes pity on you?

For more of this sort of thing, see our guide to discount Isle of Wight ferry travel.

The short answer to that question is "sometimes", but not certainly always. It's a nice simple discount that ensures that you should never have to pay full price for the Isle of Wight ferry if you're an Isle of Wight resident.

If you are travelling to the mainland three times a year or more then I would weigh up the pros and cons of either Red Funnel's Travelcard or Wightlink's Multilink deal. The Travelcard is a pre-pay card that gives you about 23% if you combine it with Red Funnel's loyalty scheme.

Wightlink's Multilink deal gives you fixed price return journeys for about £75 or less, but with a few caveats (there are a limited number of cheap spaces on each crossing, you have to pay upfront for five crossings and they expire after 12 months). You can read a detailed guide to the pros and cons of Multilink here.

I would also check our discount ferries guide, as Red Funnel discounts of 20% - 25% are fairly common, particularly outside of peak season. These turn up in the back of magazines, usually next to an advert for a walk in shower.

It's also worth keeping hold of the Big Book of Savings, which is sent to Islanders five times a year. Sign up for Red Funnel's mailing list as well - their best offer of the year in 2024 was a 50% off discount code that arrived as a part of a 12 Days of Christmas promotion for their mailing list.