KEEPING the kids busy during the Easter holidays can be exhausting, but there’s nothing guaranteed to entertain them better than a trip to a theme park.
But tickets to some of the UK’s most popular attractions don’t come cheap – the gate price for a family of four can top £200 at places like Alton Towers.
If you’re smart though, there are plenty of ways to cut that cost in half.
We’ve rounded up some of the savviest ways to save cash on theme park entrance entry fees this Easter holidays.
Buy five days ahead
Many theme parks offer heavily discounted prices if you buy online at least five days ahead.
For example, at Alton Towers the gate price is £52.80 adult/£46.80 child, but if you buy online five days in advance, it is £32 adult/£27.50 child.
Look for deals with National Rail tickets
National Rail offer 2 for 1 deals on more than 150 attractions across the UK, including Thorpe Park, Chessington, Alton Towers and LegoLand.
MOST READ IN TRAVEL
If you register for the Day Out Guide scheme online and print out a voucher, then present it with a National Rail ticket to get 2for1 entry.
You can even enjoy this discount if you are travelling by car – all you have to do is stop at the nearest station to the theme park and buy a cheap single to the next stop.
Get big discounts by using your Tesco Clubcard on their Clubcard Boost scheme
Every 3 months, Tesco sends Clubcard members vouchers based on the amount of points they have collected.
With Clubcard Boost, they have a range of partners where you can get up to four times the value of your vouchers.
Partners include LegoLand Windsor, West Midland Safari Park, Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Diggerland and Thorpe Park.
Get a voucher from your cereal packet
Kellogg’s cereal boxes are currently offering a promotion on several of the UK’s largest Merlin attractions.
By cutting out the coupon from the side of the box, adults can go free at a number of attractions including the London Dungeons and Alton Towers.
To redeem the freebie, they have to present the coupon at the theme park gate and pay full price for the child’s pass.
Check if your job gets you a discount
Some attractions provide a discount for members of the armed forces and emergency services.
For instance, Longleat safari park offers 30 percent off on tickets if the customer presents their work ID.
NHS staff also get up to 46 percent off gate prices at Alton Towers, 40 percent off gate price at LegoLand and up to 52 percent off gate price at Thorpe Park.
Check voucher websites like Groupon
Voucher websites are also a good place to look for discounts.
For example, Groupon is currently offering up to 45 percent off attractions like trampoline parks, as well as discounted entry to museums and go-karting experiences.
Use your Sun Superdays vouchers
The Sun teamed up with Merlin Entertainments to help parents entertain their families for free with our Superdays scheme.
If you’ve been collecting vouchers in the newspaper over the last few weeks, you can exchange them for free tickets to a number of days out, including Alton Towers, The London Dungeon, Warwick Castle and LegoLand Windsor.