Fare 1 applies two automatic discounts to qualifying journeys. Neither requires a code, a negotiation, or an account. They are applied by the platform at quote stage whenever the conditions are met, and they appear as named discount lines in the fare breakdown before you confirm.
The Long-Distance Discount: 5% Off Fares Over £350
What it is. When the base fare for a booking — the per-mile distance charge, before any surcharges — reaches £350, a 5% discount is automatically applied to it.
When it applies. The threshold is measured on the base fare and per vehicle. Airport surcharges, tolls, congestion charge and waiting time are added after the discount, so they do not push a booking over the line — and booking two cars does not combine into one qualifying total. On a return booking both legs count together toward the £350.
How it appears. On the quote page, you will see the base fare, any surcharges listed separately, and then the 5% discount shown as a negative line item before the final total. The total you are quoted — and the amount your card is authorised for — is the post-discount figure.
Worked illustration. Southampton to Manchester and back in a standard saloon quotes a base fare of £638.11. The 5% long-distance discount takes £31.91 off, and the return discount then takes a further £30.31, bringing it to £575.89. The saving happens automatically.
This discount is designed to reflect the fact that long-distance journeys have different economics from short transfers. A single driver and vehicle spending four to five hours on one booking justifies a different rate structure from a series of short in-town rides. The 5% tier is where the platform acknowledges that.
The Return Journey Discount: 5% Off a Return Booking
What it is. When you book a return journey — an outward trip and a return trip — 5% comes off the booking. It applies at any total; there is no threshold on this one.
When it applies. The 5% is taken off the whole booking, both legs together, not off the return leg alone. It applies only when the two legs are booked as one return journey — two separate one-way bookings do not qualify.
How it is structured. Both legs are priced on the rate card, added together, and the 5% is applied to that combined figure. The breakdown is shown at quote stage before you confirm.
Worked illustration. An £85 airport transfer booked both ways is £170 of base fare, and the return discount brings it to £161.50. Over repeated bookings — regular travellers who make the same journey both ways — this reduction accumulates. It is a small but consistent saving on every return trip.
It stacks with the long-distance discount. If the booking's base fare reaches £350, both discounts apply. The platform applies the 5% long-distance discount first, then takes the 5% return discount off what is left — so a qualifying return saves just under 10% in total.
In practice, most return legs that qualify for the long-distance discount will have their outward journeys qualifying as well. Booking both directions is therefore the best approach for long-distance travel.
Why Automatic Discounts Rather Than Codes
Some platforms use promotional codes to distribute discounts selectively. Fare 1's model is different: these discounts are structural, not promotional. They apply to every qualifying booking regardless of how you found Fare 1, how many times you have booked, or whether you happen to have a code.
The reasoning is that the discount reflects an appropriate pricing adjustment for the journey type. A long-distance journey has lower overhead per mile than a short transfer — less relative dead mileage, a more efficient use of the driver's time. Passing that efficiency back to the passenger consistently, rather than as an occasional promotion, is a more straightforward approach.
How to Ensure You Receive Both Discounts
Both discounts are applied automatically by the platform. There is nothing to activate or request. To ensure the return discount applies, book the outward and return legs as a return journey rather than as two separate single bookings. The platform will apply the 5% reduction to the return leg when the journey type is set to return.
For long-distance journeys, the 5% discount applies whenever the base fare reaches £350. You do not need to take any action — it appears in the fare breakdown before you confirm.
Get a live quote and see both discounts applied in real time at book.fare1.co.uk.