Railcard fee changes

[OwlMan]

Railcard Price Increases from 19 May 2013

From Sunday 19 May 2013 the following Railcard price increases will come into effect:

16-25 Railcard - 1-year: £30.00 / 3-year: £70.00

Family & Friends Railcard - 1-year: £30.00 / 3-year: £70.00

Senior Railcard - 1-year: £30.00 / 3-year: £70.00

Network Railcard - 1-year: £30.00

Please note, the Disabled Persons Railcard price will not change and remains £20 for a 1-year Railcard and £54 for a 3-year Railcard.

1-year Railcard Online Discount – 19 May 2013

From 19 May 2013, Railcard station leaflets and posters will promote a code offering a £3 discount for buying online. The codes LEAFLET3 and POSTER3 are valid on a 1-year 16-25, Family & Friends and Senior Railcard only when bought online. Please note no such discounts will apply for Disabled Persons or Network Railcards, or on any 3-year Railcards.

 

[tractakid]

How does renewal work? I have a 3 year railcard ending in 2015. Can I buy a railcard now to add on to my existing one?

 

[hairyhandedfool]

You cannot renew your Railcard so far in advance, usually you can renew within one month of the existing one expiring.

You could buy a second Railcard, but the usual conditions of use would apply and you cannot get a refund on the existing Railcard.

 

[ciderbilly]

Any word on forces rail cards?

 

[island]

They should bring back Two Together Railcards.

 

[Be3G]

Indeed. I can think of a couple of cases where they'd be a good choice for people I know.

 

[A1]

Another increase... Goodo. While I still get value out of a Network Railcard, I bet they will also increase the minimum fare too.

Time for me to use a certain loophole that has been obliquely mentioned here to resolve that issue once and for all....

 

[Goatboy]

Ah well, at least these carefully selected minority groups can still get a railcard.

 

[pinguini]

Ah well, at least these carefully selected minority groups can still get a railcard.

Minority?

 

[SS4]

Ah well, at least these carefully selected minority groups can still get a railcard.

When a premium for car insurance for being under 25 is abolished let's talk.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

A minority is less than half is it not?

People who are 16-25 or in full-time education
People who are over 60
People with a disability
People travelling with a child
People travelling only in the Southeast
People in the armed forces

Are any of these groups over 50% of the population?

I wouldn't necessarily refer to them as a minority group if they are not though......

 

[Goatboy]

I just find it hilariously annoying that once I turned 26 I was expected to pay 30% more to travel on exactly the same trains as I did before for no reason other than that fact my age had changed ever so slightly. Nothing else about my life changed at that point - just my age. Yet suddenly my rail travel jumped 30%. Annoyingly my girlfriend still has a Y-P card so when we travel together on the same trains she pays much less than I do for consuming exactly the service at exactly the same time in exactly the same manner...

I'm being bitter and twisted here, ranting makes me feel better

 

[SS4]

I just find it hilariously annoying that once I turned 26 I was expected to pay 30% more to travel on exactly the same trains as I did before for no reason other than that fact my age had changed ever so slightly. Nothing else about my life changed at that point - just my age. Yet suddenly my rail travel jumped 30%. Annoyingly my girlfriend still has a Y-P card so when we travel together on the same trains she pays much less than I do for consuming exactly the service at exactly the same time in exactly the same manner...

I'm being bitter and twisted here, ranting makes me feel better

You were expected to pay 50% more if it helps your outrage .

Suppose you were paying y which is equal to 2x/3. Now you have to pay x which is 3y/2

 

[yorksrob]

You were expected to pay 50% more if it helps your outrage .

Suppose you were paying y which is equal to 2x/3. Now you have to pay x which is 3y/2

And if you don't drive in the first place, motor insurance doesn't really factor.

It does seem unfair that an investment banker in Surrey has recourse to a railcard, yet a farm labourer from Yorkshire doesn't.

 

[Lrd]

Looks like I renewed just in time

 

[Qwerty133]

Why does the disabled railcard never go up. And railcards have gone up at least 50% from when I can remember the prices and I'm still entitled to child fairs...

 

[SS4]

And if you don't drive in the first place, motor insurance doesn't really factor.

It does seem unfair that an investment banker in Surrey has recourse to a railcard, yet a farm labourer from Yorkshire doesn't.

There's always those under 25 getting a lower rate of state benefit, not being entitled to working tax credits based on low income and a lower minimum wage for those under 21.

That said there is never going to be an entirely fair way to draw the line. From personal experience I probably shall not travel nearly as much when my 16-25 railcard expires

Why does the disabled railcard never go up. And railcards have gone up at least 50% from when I can remember the prices and I'm still entitled to child fairs...

My guess would be that raising the price may be seen as an attack on the independence of people with a disability.

 

[yorksrob]

That said there is never going to be an entirely fair way to draw the line. From personal experience I probably shall not travel nearly as much when my 16-25 railcard expires

A National Railcard/Network Card would seem pretty fair to me !

 

[Goatboy]

Why does the disabled railcard never go up. And railcards have gone up at least 50% from when I can remember the prices and I'm still entitled to child fairs...

As a taxpayer I have no problem subsidising the cost of travel for disabled people. No complaints from me about that one staying static.

 

[Llanigraham]

Would be nice if they introduced a Railcard for all us railway workers who don't get Priv.

 

[IanD]

Would be nice if they introduced a Railcard for all us railway workers who don't get Priv.

They have if you're in the South East or under 26 or in full time education or disabled or old or travel with kids.

It would be nice if they introduced a Railcard for all IT workers who don't fall in to those categories.

 

[soil]

And if you don't drive in the first place, motor insurance doesn't really factor.

It does seem unfair that an investment banker in Surrey has recourse to a railcard, yet a farm labourer from Yorkshire doesn't.

In practice he probably doesn't, because of minimum fares and so on.

There are probably more farm labourers in Surrey than in Yorkshire anyway, and whereas fares towards London are premium priced in Surrey, there's no comparable issue in Yorkshire.

 

[yorksrob]

In practice he probably doesn't, because of minimum fares and so on.

There are probably more farm labourers in Surrey than in Yorkshire anyway, and whereas fares towards London are premium priced in Surrey, there's no comparable issue in Yorkshire.

He could do though ? There must be people who travel the sort of distance for leisure journeys that don't fall foul of the minimum fare otherwise the Network Card wouldn't exist and aren't weekday commuters one of the key markets the card was aimed at anyway.

Even if there were more farm labourers in Surrey (Which I doubt anyway - Yorkshire is a big place after all) I don't see how that affects my argument as Surrey farm labourers are already on an equal footing in terms of railcard provision with investment bankers.

People in the North outside of PTE areas already pay relatively expensive fares, and the Network Card isn't purely aimed towards leisure journeys into London, so I'd say there probably is the same issue of surpressed demand for leisure travel in the Provinces. Thinking of areas such as East Yorkshire etc.

 

[Crossover]

Looks like I renewed just in time

Likewise!

 

[ainsworth74]

Well glad I renewed mine this morning!

Also preemptively add me to the band wagon of people annoyed that by just ticking over to an extra year I suddenly have to pay extra

 

[Crossover]

Well glad I renewed mine this morning!

Also preemptively add me to the band wagon of people annoyed that by just ticking over to an extra year I suddenly have to pay extra

I'll be annoyed by that when I get there

 

[jon0844]

Is the minimum fare changing? I already get stung heavily at £13 so any increase would be a further price hike for almost every ticket I buy with my railcard (since no longer having a gold card with no such minimum).

 

[PaxVobiscum]

Also preemptively add me to the band wagon of people annoyed that by just ticking over to an extra year I suddenly have to pay extra

Never mind, some day by just ticking over to an extra year you will suddenly have to pay less.

 

[FenMan]

Never mind, some day by just ticking over to an extra year you will suddenly have to pay less.

But it's just so unfair that when you reach 26 fares increase by half, but when you reach 60 they only go down by a third.

 

[LexyBoy]

But it's just so unfair that when you reach 26 fares increase by half, but when you reach 60 they only go down by a third.

Damn you, maths! *shakes fist*