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  • Why You Should Visit The Isle Of Wight
  • Ferry travel advice & discounts
    • Discount Isle of Wight Ferry Travel
    • Isle Of Wight Ferry Beginners Guide
    • Wightlink's Tesco Clubcard deal – is it the best discount?
    • Using Wightlink’s Multilink deal for cheap ferry travel
    • Cheap Isle of Wight Ferry Travel For Caravans
    • 5 Isle Of Wight Holidays Including Ferry Travel
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    • Family holiday parks & caravans >
      • 10 Of The Best Isle of Wight Caravan Holiday Parks
      • Parkdean Resorts Isle of Wight Holiday Parks (formerly Park Resorts)
      • Which Isle Of Wight Holiday Park Should I Stay In?
      • Last Minute Deals And Discounts At Holiday Parks
      • Is There A Haven Holiday Park On The Isle Of Wight?
      • Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park Reviews and Facilities
      • Lower Hyde And Landguard Holiday Park Review
      • 6 Tricks To Save Money At Isle Of Wight Caravan Holiday Parks
    • Hotels & guest houses >
      • Isle of Wight Hotels - a beginner's guide
      • 10 Best Isle Of Wight Luxury Hotels
      • Warner's Bembridge Coast & Norton Grange hotels
      • 5 Best Isle of Wight Coach Tour Holidays And Trips
      • Isle of Wight Hotels With A Sea View
      • 5 Ventnor Hotels And Guest Houses
    • Spa Breaks & Romantic >
      • 3 Best Isle Of Wight Spa Break Hotels And Spa Days
      • Romantic Isle Of Wight Holidays For Couples
    • Camping & glamping >
      • 20 Isle Of Wight Camping And Touring Parks
      • Isle of Wight Glamping
    • Cottages & self catering >
      • 10 Best Places To Stay In Shanklin
      • 10 Best Places To Stay In Cowes
      • 10 Best Places To Stay In Newport
      • 10 Best Places To Stay In Sandown
      • 10 Isle Of Wight Wheelchair Accessible & Disabled Friendly Holidays
      • Brambles Chine And Linstone Chine Self Catering
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      • 5 Best Isle Of Wight Holiday Lodges
      • 10 Best Isle Of Wight Hot Tub Holidays
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      • 20 Quirky Places To Stay On The Isle Of Wight
      • 10 Best Isle of Wight Airbnb Holiday Homes
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    • Accommodation advice >
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      • Where Is The Cheapest Place To Stay?
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    • Free days out & attraction discounts >
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      • Discounts To Isle Of Wight Attractions
      • Itinerary For A Budget Isle of Wight Holiday
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      • Activities For Toddlers On The Isle Of Wight
      • Activities For Children And Families On The Isle Of Wight
      • Activities For Teenagers On The Isle Of Wight
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      • Activities For An Isle Of Wight Stag Do
      • Surviving An Isle Of Wight Holiday With A Toddler
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      • 10 Quirky Days Out On The Isle Of Wight
      • 10 Things You Can't Do On The Isle Of Wight
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      • Isle Of Wight TV & Movie Tour
      • 10 Reasons To Visit The Isle Of Wight
    • Days out in Ryde, Sandown, Shanklin, Ventnor >
      • 10 Things To Do In Bembridge, St Helen's and Seaview
      • 10 Things To Do In Cowes And East Cowes
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      • Itinerary For A Rainy Isle Of Wight Holiday
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      • Isle of Wight Zoos And Animal Attractions
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      • 10 Isle of Wight Gardens And Parks
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      • The Isle Spy Car Journey Game
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    • Which Is The Best Isle Of Wight Beach For...
    • Isle of Wight Beaches Interactive Map
    • Isle Of Wight Tide Times
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    • Mobile Version Of Isle Of Wight Best Beaches
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Isle of Wight Guru

How to get the best price on Isle of Wight ferry travel from Portsmouth, Southampton or Lymington

27/6/2015

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PictureClick for Wightlink's current offers
One of our most popular pages is our guide to discount Isle of Wight ferry travel, but the guide is rather long now so I thought it was time for a roundup for first time holidaymakers to the Isle of Wight (I'll do a separate guide for resident Islanders another time).

The first thing to grasp is that the ferry companies (Wightlink and Red Funnel) operate their car ferries much like a budget airline or a hotel chain like Travelodge. That is, the prices go up as the ferry places fills up.

So, the earlier you book your Wightlink or Red Funnel ferry, the cheaper it will be. Similarly, if you can catch a ferry at an unpopular time then you will pay less. Saturday lunchtime in the school summer holidays is obviously more popular then 11pm on a Wednesday in January. Admittedly that’s not much help if your self catering changeover day is Saturday.

I haven’t quite worked out if Wightlink and Red Funnel release their new batches of ferry tickets routinely or not (train companies release tickets three months ahead). If anyone knows the answer, please get in touch.

The same pricing structure doesn’t really apply to Isle of Wight ferry foot passengers on Wightlink, Red Funnel and Hovertravel (Hovertravel only do foot passenger tickets). The prices fluctuate a bit based on time of day, but generally you can just turn up and pay the same in August as you will in January.

The next thing to consider is whether there are any offers or discounts on Isle of Wight ferries which you can exploit. My favourites are discount codes and promo vouchers which turn up fairly regularly (we keep these up to date on our ferries guide) and the Wightlink deal with Tesco Clubcard or for disabled blue badge holders.

There are other loopholes and deals added regularly to our ferries guide, such as Wightlink’s deal with Camping and Caravan Club Members, but I won't start listing them all here.

Another key point is that the car ferries charge per car rather than per person. It might not be practical to share transport with another family if you are staying for a week, but it is worth considering for a short break or if you are travelling for a festival (Isle of Wight Festival, Cowes Week, Bestival etc). If you are travelling alone and won't use the car much then it will be cheaper to come as a foot passenger.

If you are booking accommodation then there is sometimes a bundle deal to be had. For example, Park Resorts often give free off peak ferry travel to their four Isle of Wight caravan parks, whilst Warner Leisure Hotels and Blue Chip currently offer a discount. Some smaller independent hotels and guests houses also get special rates.

There are other tips, tricks and loopholes in our more comprehensive guide to discount Isle of Wight ferry travel.

Happy holidays!

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