Railcard Q&A to Railcard support

MilesT6060842

In case this helps anyone.

I recently had to get a Network Railcard at short notice, so bought it at the station.

So I asked Railcard website (online using contact form) the following Q&A

• Q: Can I get my station-issued railcard added to my online account (for renewal tracking/replacement if lost)
• A: No, we don't have visibility of station issued cards in our systems (despite the fact that some details from the paper form were typed into the ticket machine to produce a printed card), and to get a replacement you would need to show a receipt from the station.
  (I thought it was supposed to be possible to upload details of a card purchased anywhere else, but when I tried it the printed details on the ticket were not accepted, and I know from elsewhere that you can't "upload" details of a card bought through e.g. Trainline on one of their deals).
• Q:  I will be eligible to get a Senior railcard within the validatory of my Network railcard;  is there a scheme where my Network Railcard could be swapped for a Senior with same expiry date without having to pay another £30? 
  Clearly the Senior is a superior offer to Network, and ultimately will replace my current combo of Network Card and Greater Anglia Club50
  (I will more than break even on the current Network card with my usual usage even at the £30 level; and I prefer a physical card instead of a digital one, annoying my workplace* in theory offers a £10 discount but the code for the railcard website wasn't working when I needed it.)
• A: No, Railcard do not offer an such an "exchange" scheme.
  

So I will be "juggling" cards to try and maximise benefit/minimise spend for the next year until I can get to the point where I can just buy the 3 year Senior and be done with it.

And I now realise I wasn't issued an itemised receipt from the station for my emergency purchase Network Railcard (I have a card receipt for Railcard plus a ticket).  Best not lose the card then.

Railcard discounts:  If your workplace has a employee benefits website from Edenred/RewardGateway then you may find a Railcard discount, directly (discount code for Railcard.co.uk) or via a 3rd party like Trainline or similar;  the website may be employer branded so you may not immediately know it's RewardGateway.  I don't know if the other major benefits website supplier, BenefitsHub, has negotiated a railcard discount 

martindow

From a ticket office you usually get handed the form you filled in to apply with a stamp on it and the details of the card written in.  You can use this to get a replacement if it is lost.  It may be worth going back to the station, fill in the application form and see if they will stamp it for you.

MilesT6060842

martindow said:

From a ticket office you usually get handed the form you filled in to apply with a stamp on it and the details of the card written in.  You can use this to get a replacement if it is lost.  It may be worth going back to the station, fill in the application form and see if they will stamp it for you.

For speed on the day, I attended the ticket office (London Waterloo, so quite busy) with a downloaded version of the form, prefilled.  I had hoped my receipt would be more itemised than it was as my proof of purchase.

I may try to get a receipt from a quieter station, in the way you suggest, showing my purchased railcard.

It's not really as joined up as they claim, though, which was my point!