Red Funnel's Hidden £11 Fare for Foot Passengers

You can get the Red Jet for less than half price if you find a friend and have a lie in

Alright, so that headline might be a little clickbaity for my liking but needs must.

This is just a brief blog about a good value Red Funnel fare which a lot of people don't know about. Thanks to Martin who got in touch via email to highlight a key detail that we had missed.

The Super Off Peak Day Return

The Super​ Off Peak Day Return deal from Red Funnel works out at £11.20 return per person. You can use it seven days a week, with the caveat that:

• Two people have to travel together in both directions
• You have to travel after 10.55am on the way out

You also can't use it during the Isle of Wight Festival weekend, but Red Funnel often do a discount deal then anyway.

You can use it in either direction, so it's suitable for a trip to the football in Southampton or two-thirds of a day out on the Isle of Wight. The time of the last ferry varies depending on the time of year but they usually run quite close to midnight.

How much can you save with the super off peak day return?

A lot! Two adults travelling on the Red Funnel Red Jet for a day return will pay £57.80 with standard tickets or £22.40 with the Super Off Peak Day Return. That's a saving of £35.40.

To put it another way, that's enough to buy almost a bottle and a half of hand soap from Molton Brown (Ed: er, I thought this was a bargain hunters blog?).

The bit we missed

Curiously, you can't book the Super Off Peak Day Return online. It doesn't show up as an option when you book online, even if you select that there are two adults travelling together.

You need to actually go up to the ticket office and ask for it. You know, the way people used to buy tickets.

But don't I need to book the Red Funnel ferry in advance?

Not really. If you are bringing a car to the Isle of Wight then you definitely need to book in advance but I don't bother booking as a foot passenger. The ferry is rarely full and they run pretty regularly.

There are a few exceptions to this. Wightlink has four crossings a day where you have to book on its car ferry (I believe numbers are limited due to dangerous goods being carried onboard). You can see the times of the affected sailings here.