Eurostar slashes last minute fares - but you’ll have to be flexible to get a bargain

If you’ve searched for a Eurostar train between the UK and its hubs in mainland Europe, you might have noticed that prices are not cheap..

Fares from London to Paris, Lille, Brussels and Amsterdam can often cost upwards of €200 each way, especially at late notice.

That means that more people are opting to fly - a far less climate-friendly option - as budget airlines offer trips for significantly less and with more frequency.

In a bid to attract more customers, Eurostar has brought back a concept which last ran on-and-off from 2016 to 2019 - ‘Snap’ tickets.

It’s a scheme which will make sure trains are fuller, without pushing existing customers off the services.

Passengers who are able to travel last minute will benefit from significantly reduced fares. Currently, a return from London St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord at the end of October will cost from £90 (€108), as opposed to £378 (€455), if you were to travel to the French capital this weekend.

“Snap has been a customer favourite, and we’re thrilled to bring it back year-round, offering a smart solution for travellers who can be flexible with their schedules,” François Le Doze, chief commercial officer at Eurostar, said.

“It’s a smart way to travel, ensuring no seat goes unused – a win for our customers, a win for Eurostar, and a win for the planet.”

What are the conditions for using Eurostar Snap?

With such relatively low fares, Snap unsurprisingly comes with strings attached.

While passengers are able to choose specific days of travel, they’ll only find out 48 hours before departure exactly which train they’re booked on.

That means you could be travelling any time between 05:40 am and 20:40 pm, meaning day trips are probably not feasible.

Snap trains can only be booked from 14 days before travel and up to the day before you leave, so that rather excludes people who like to book trips far in advance.

If you’re the kind of traveller that needs to be with your group, this scheme might not be for you, as Eurostar warns that groups may find their seats split up.

There’s also very little flexibility with Snap.

“Just so you know, once you’ve booked with Eurostar Snap, you won’t be able to exchange your ticket, cancel it or transfer any of the tickets to anyone else if one of your friends can no longer make it,” a statement on the website says.

In the 2016 to 2019 iteration of Snap, passengers could choose between morning and afternoon/evening departures, which is not possible now.

One-way fares were also as low as £19 (€23) one way - half what the lowest ticket will set you back now.

Eurostar prices are in general more expensive than they were pre-pandemic, though, and the company’s promise that “up to 50 per cent off the price of a standard ticket when booked a week before departure” holds up in the current financial climate.

There is one significant improvement on the 2016 to 2019 version of Snap.

The current scheme extends to Amsterdam - on the outward leg at least.

Eurostar’s current operating system means that, on your return from the Dutch capital, you’ll have to change trains in Brussels - although that applies for all bookings, not just those made via Snap.