Railcards and online train bookings

Vendee

Could someone please confirm what a friend has told me, namely that when buying a train ticket online and using a railcard, you don't need to prove you have that railcard at the time of booking? I'm not trying to fiddle anything, its just that my wife doesn't qualify for her senior railcard until the middle of June but we would like to book in the next week or so to get the cheapest fare. She will have the railcard at the time of travel which will be the end of August. Thanks.

martindow

As long as you have the card with you for ticket inspectors to check when you travel all will be fine.  You might not be able to book advance fares as far ahead as August at the mmoent - I think different rail companies releaser them at different times to each other.

Neil49

Railcards come through very quickly so you can wait until August before buying one. If you go for the app version on a smartphone then it is virtually instant. 

If you have Tesco clubcard then you can buy a Railcard for £10 worth of points. 

lisyloo

No you don't have to prove it, you just select it during the purchase process.
You do need to have it with you when you travel and you do need to travel together.
They don't often check but sometimes they check on the trains and very occasionally when you get off (only happened to me once).

martindow

Neil49 said:

Railcards come through very quickly so you can wait until August before buying one. If you go for the app version on a smartphone then it is virtually instant. 

If you have Tesco clubcard then you can buy a Railcard for £10 worth of points. 

Or you can buy one at the ticket office although that is a flimsy cardboard thing like a ticket t=rather than a plastic card.

Vendee

Neil49 said:

 

If you have Tesco clubcard then you can buy a Railcard for £10 worth of points. 

Thanks, my wife works for Tesco so I'll get her on the case.

Vendee

martindow said:

Or you can buy one at the ticket office although that is a flimsy cardboard thing like a ticket t=rather than a plastic card.

Yeah, my existing (expired) railcard is that type. I'm kinda old fashioned and I don't mind it in that format.

karenburton1305

Yeah nobody checks when you book the ticket, but I've frequently been asked to show my railcard on the train when the ticket inspectors are walking through the carriages

Spelunthus

Senior Railcards are sort of broken, as there is no process to check that you have one when making an online booking.  However, your ticket (or e-ticket) is marked as being used "with railcard".  So you may be asked to show it during any ticket inspection. The "new" Senior Railcard is also an app-based e-card - so you may have to use your smartphone to display 1) your e-ticket and 2) your railcard.    This is clearly a crocked process as, in my experience,  the inspector/guard may not even have any technology to validate these items, and you could be displaying any old QR code.

martindow

I've found that if you buy at a ticket office they normally want to see the railcard even if you are travelling on another day.  In this case there is a degree of verification, although on odd occasions when I've forgotten to take it along they have reluctantly issued a ticket.

KeithP

Spelunthus said:

Senior Railcards are sort of broken, as there is no process to check that you have one when making an online booking.  However, your ticket (or e-ticket) is marked as being used "with railcard".  So you may be asked to show it during any ticket inspection. The "new" Senior Railcard is also an app-based e-card - so you may have to use your smartphone to display 1) your e-ticket and 2) your railcard.    This is clearly a crocked process as, in my experience,  the inspector/guard may not even have any technology to validate these items, and you could be displaying any old QR code.

I don't understand what is broken there.

Anyone can purchase a Railcard discounted ticket, certainly on the internet, without having a Railcard.
There is nothing wrong with that - they maybe purchasing for someone else who does have a Railcard or are intending to buy a Railcard before travelling.

It is only at the time of travelling that a Railcard is needed together with the ticket.