National Trust vs English Heritage: The Cheapest Way To Join Both
Are you a bit of a bargain hunter? Me too. That’s exactly why I’ve spent years digging around for the cheapest and smartest ways to visit National Trust and English Heritage sites without paying full whack. They look similar on the surface, but once you know how the memberships work, there’s real money to be saved.
I’ll walk you through the differences, the true costs, and the genuine loopholes – including how you can save over £100 a year if you want access to both.
What is National Trust?
The National Trust was founded in 1895 to protect places of historic interest and natural beauty across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland has its own separate organisation.
It’s now Europe’s largest conservation charity, caring for over 610,000 acres of land, around 780 miles of coastline, and more than 500 historic houses, castles, gardens, parks and nature reserves. If you like big landscapes, grand houses and long walks followed by cake, this is where the Trust really shines.
What is English Heritage?
English Heritage was formed in 1983 and looks after over 400 historic sites across England. In 2015 it split into two bodies:
• Historic England – protects England’s historic environment
• English Heritage Trust – runs the visitor attractions
English Heritage is much more castle-and-ruins focused. Less countryside wandering, more “stand on a battlement and imagine being attacked”.
What’s the difference between English Heritage and National Trust?
Bluntly, it comes down to what they own.
National Trust covers countryside, coast, gardens and houses across several UK nations. English Heritage sticks strictly to England and focuses on historic buildings and monuments.
Both rely on membership income, shops, cafés and donations. Neither is better overall – it’s about what kind of days out you actually enjoy.
National Trust
- Free entry to 500+ National Trust places
- Free parking at most National Trust car parks
- Reciprocal access to National Trust for Scotland sites
- Members’ Handbook
- National Trust Magazine (3 times a year)
Best National Trust days out:
- Giant’s Causeway – County Antrim
- Clumber Park – Nottinghamshire
- Attingham Park – Shropshire
- Cliveden – Buckinghamshire
- Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge – County Antrim
- Waddesdon Manor – Buckinghamshire
- Belton House – Lincolnshire
- Fountains Abbey Estate – North Yorkshire
- Stourhead – Wiltshire
- Calke Abbey – Derbyshire
National Trust England membership cost
Per Month | Per Year | Lifetime | |
Joint (2 adults) | £13.40 | £160.80 | £2,890 £2,175 – Senior |
Family (2 adults + children) | £14.05 | £168.60 | £3,025 |
Family (1 adult + children) | £8.65 | £103.80 | |
1 adult (26+) | £8 | £96 | £2,320 £1,730 – Senior |
Young person 18-25 | £4 | £48 | |
Junior 0-17 (under 5’s go free) | £12 |
If you pay annually by Direct Debit online, you currently get a £15 National Trust gift card, which can be used in shops and cafés. I’ve never found a reliable discount code for new members – this is about as good as it gets directly.
What’s the cheapest way to join National Trust?
Here’s where it gets interesting.
You can join National Trust for Scotland, which is roughly 25% cheaper, and still use it at National Trust sites in England, Wales and Northern Ireland thanks to reciprocal agreements.
In practice, many people (myself included) have done this for years without issue.
Parking is the main concern people raise. National Trust Scotland has confirmed that:
• Their cards and stickers still grant free parking
• Attendants accept Scottish membership
• They’re actively coordinating with the main Trust
Could this change one day? Possibly. But right now, it’s a perfectly legitimate way to save money.
National Trust Scotland membership cost
Per Month | Per Year | Lifetime | |
Joint (2 adults) | £10.95 | £131.40 | £2,890 £2,175 – Senior |
Joint senior | £8.70 | £104.40 | £3,025 |
Family (2 adults and up to 6 children) | £12.05 | £144.60 | £2,300 |
Family (1 adult + | £7.50 | £90.00 | £1,685 |
1 adult | £6.20 | £74.40 | |
1 senior | £5.55 | £66.60 | |
Young person 16-24 | £3.60 | £43.20 |
English Heritage
- Unlimited access to 400+ historic sites
- Free entry for up to six children
- Free or discounted entry to special events
- Free parking where English Heritage owns the car park
- Reciprocal discounts with Historic Scotland, Cadw (Wales) and Manx National Heritage
Best English Heritage days out:
- Dover Castle – Kent
- Kenilworth Castle And Elizabethan Garden – Warwickshire
- Whitby Abbey – North Yorkshire
- 1066 Battle of Hastings – East Sussex
- Tintagel Castle – Cornwall
- Pendennis Castle – Cornwall
- Carisbrooke Castle – Isle of Wight
- Wrest Park – Bedfordshire
- Framlingham Castle – Suffolk
- Audley End House And Gardens – Essex
English Heritage membership cost
Per Month | Per Year | Lifetime | |
Joint (2 adults) | £12 | £144 | £2,570 |
Family (2 adults + children) | £12 | £144 | |
Family (1 adult + children) | £6.83 | £82 | |
1 Adult + 1 Senior | £10.50 | £126 | |
1 Senior | £5.75 | £69 | £1,540 |
2 Senior | £9.33 | £112 | £1,990 |
1 adult | £6.83 | £82 | £1,960 |
Young adult 18-25/student | £3.50 | £42 |
What’s the cheapest way to join English Heritage?
Use the button below and the English Heritage discount code EHAFF2025, and when you sign up for an annual membership paid by Direct Debit, you’ll receive 15% off. Or, you could look at joining the CSSC – more on that below.
If the above two membership schemes are of interest to you, then it’s also worth considering…
Don’t Ignore Historic Houses
This non-profit organisation represents over 1,600 privately owned castles, historic homes and gardens in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Membership to the HHA includes:
- Subscription to Historic House magazine
- Handbook
- Exclusive Historic House tours
- Free entry into over 300 houses.
Best Historic Houses days out:
- Abbotsford – Roxburghshire
- Allerton Castle – North Yorkshire
- Alnwick Castle – Northumberland
- Berkeley Castle – Gloucestershire
- Borde Hill Garden – West Sussex
- Castle Hill Gardens – Devon
- Dorney Court – Berkshire
- Hagley Hall – Worcestershire
- Holkham Hall – Norfolk
- Hutton-In-The-Forest – Cumbria
HHA membership cost
Individual Membership: £68
Additional adult/child: £60 per person
What’s the cheapest way to join HHA?
There’s often a £5 discount code (AVTV05) floating around for new members. Once you join, you’ll get your own referral code, earning you £5 off renewal when friends sign up.
Please note that this is not my membership code, so please let me know if there are any issues with it.
Other ways to find National Trust and English Heritage deals
If my 15% discount code for English Heritage doesn’t tickle your fancy or you want more than a £15 gift card from National Trust, there are a few other places to look for money-off deals.
Cashback sites
Purchase your membership online through TopCashback or Quidco and you will earn around 3% back. Joining takes a few minutes and all you need to do is click on the link before you make a purchase. However, cashback doesn’t usually work with discount codes.
CSSC
This used to be a membership scheme only available to civil servants. However, anyone can now join. But there is a small issue… you need to be referred by an existing member.
An annual subscription is just under £60, and it will give you a free family membership to English Heritage – a saving of 50%.
It also grants you free entry into National Trust for Scotland sites.
You’ll also receive a number of other benefits as a CSSC member.
Tesco Clubcard points
Tesco Clubcard allows you to exchange points for English Heritage vouchers. And not only that, you get two times the value. So, if your membership costs £120, you only need £60 worth of points. Take a look at the best ways to exchange your Tesco vouchers.
Octopus Energy customers
Octopus Energy provides a loyalty scheme called OctoPlus. Each month, you can earn Octopoints, which can be exchanged for rewards. 6,000 Octopoints (worth £7.50) can be swapped for a National Trust day out for two.
Sky
Sky VIP members have been offered a free family day pass to National Trust sites, so check your account to see if any are available.
Blue Light Card
This is a discount scheme available to emergency workers and some other professions. You can sometimes find a code for 20% off English Heritage membership or 6.5% discount on National Trust gift cards. These cards can be put towards the cost of National Trust membership or spent within their shops, restaurants and cafes.
Find out more about the Blue Light Card.
Heritage New Zealand
Yes, that’s right, I did mean to say New Zealand. The National Trust in the UK runs a reciprocal scheme with similar organisations across the world. That means that if you are a National Trust member, you can visit sites in New Zealand for free.
But not only that, you can purchase a New Zealand Heritage membership from here in the UK. The cost for a family with two adults is 450 New Zealand Dollars (about £195). However, membership doesn’t just gain entry into UK National Trust sites but also English Heritage sites. To purchase these memberships separately in the UK would cost you over £300.
Individual memberships are available for NZD $275.
So, if you wanted both memberships, purchasing the New Zealand option would save you £100per year. Although, before you jump in, you must consider a couple of other points.
- Parking will not be included in your New Zealand membership, so this may be an extra cost.
- You may be charged a foreign currency fee when making your membership payment. Take a look at the Halifax card if you want to save on fees.
Look out for free day passes
National Trust regularly offers free day passes for families. I say regularly, but the majority are found in early spring and late summer/autumn. These can be found in newspapers like The Mirror and The Express, or you can find them on In Your Area. This free-to-use website shows you deals available in your local area.
Occasionally, they are even listed on National Trust’s website.
And keep an eye out for lottery deals. During a week in 2024, both National Trust and English Heritage offered free entry to their sites if you produced a lottery ticket on entry.
Which is best – National Trust or English Heritage?
There is no definitive answer. Both give you access to some beautiful sites and it’s a matter of choosing which appeals to you most. If you can’t decide, then there’s no reason why you can’t alternate between your memberships.
At first, over £100 on membership may sound expensive, but they do give terrific value. You should recoup your money if you visit more than two places in a year. As a family membership holder, I save over £200 per year.
FAQs
Can I use my National Trust card for entry into English Heritage sites?
No. The memberships are separate and being a member of one organisation will not gain you entry into the other.
Can I get into National Trust sites without my card?
Without your card, you may be asked to pay an admission fee. Annual and life members can return their admission tickets in exchange for some National Trust vouchers, less an admin fee.
Are there any National Trust discount codes?
Although I have been updating this post for several years, I have yet to see a discount code for the National Trust.
Can you exchange Tesco Clubcard points for National Trust vouchers?
No. Unfortunately, Tesco has never offered the option of trading your points for a discount at National Trust.
Is there an HHA discount for National Trust members?
National Trust members do not get a discount for taking out an HHA membership.
My wife and I were family members supporting the National Trust for decades. Covid hit, UK was shutdown and hence so were the National Trust sites. I supported the local zoo with my money during covid to keep the animals alive and together because the National Trust was closed (so was the zoo which I never got to visit!) Time passed, the National Trust reopens and we attempt to renew our senior (60yrs old plus) membership. I’m now told that because we haven’t been members for the last 3 consecutive years (remember Covid!) we’ve now, as pensioners, got to pay full price for 3 years to re-qualify. That’s our reward after decades of our membership.
We’re now out of the National Trust as members after such treatment. It used to be 5yrs out of the last 10yrs to qualify. The National Trust must be very confident of their financial and moral position to treat long term members thus. Be warned… one missed yr and you’re out unless you want to pay for 3 yrs at full price to re-quality.
The following link is telling us that National Trust members can visit English Heritage sites for free, and vice versa. The supposed scheme is call “National Trust and English Heritage Joint Membership Scheme,” allowing members of either organization to enjoy the benefits of both.
It looks like this assunption is complete rubbish!
https://www.ncesc.com/can-national-trust-members-visit-english-heritage/
Hi John, thanks for pointing this out. I’m not sure where that site gets its information from, but it’s certainly not true! My guess is, they used AI to write the article.
I think the confusion may come from the fact that National Trust (England) members are entitled to free entry to Stonehenge, which can be booked through the ‘Associated Organisation’ option.