Life after a Railcard ?

[LWB]

Refer to post 77, I've already explained my comment was in tongue in cheek......

I'd have a guess the majority of the £10k per year is rubbish, I'd love to see how they come to this figure, as I guess my eldest child costs me around £1000-1500 per year, the younger one less as she has her big sisters old toys and clothes passed down:
an extra bedroom costs around £100 pcm in rent (in my area),
my children eat the same as me and my wife so costs are marginal for feeding them,
I needed to buy a bigger car, but my old car was up for renewal anyway so I would have had this expense anyway,
Can clothe them for £200-£300 per size by shopping in the likes of Primark and supermarkets.
Toys and books max £500 per year.
Nappies £50 a month if applicable.

I earn too much for tax credits etc myself, but a family with 2 children on 20k annual income, will get approx. £564 every 4 weeks in tax credits/ child benefit under the 2013/14 benefits policies.

Back to the OP, there are various ways to save the money on rail travel still, just speak to RJ! I have experiences massive savings myself through splitting, my most recent example being a Redruth - Gatwick - Redruth return which saved me 75% by Splitting once. I left Gatwick at peak time, I split my ticket at the station where an off peak became valid and it reduced my cost from around £200 down to around £50

The biggest factor is either the loss of one income or the cost of child care, however you choose to work it. Also, as people always told me and I refused to accept :roll:, kids just get more and more expensive until they are about 60 (or some such).

 

[Butts]

Back to the OP, there are various ways to save the money on rail travel still, just speak to RJ! I have experiences massive savings myself through splitting, my most recent example being a Redruth - Gatwick - Redruth return which saved me 75% by Splitting once. I left Gatwick at peak time, I split my ticket at the station where an off peak became valid and it reduced my cost from around £200 down to around £50

Find me a split that get's me from Falkirk to the North of England 1st Class for anywhere near the £12 odd I used to pay :cry:

 

[richw]

Find me a split that get's me from Falkirk to the North of England 1st Class for anywhere near the £12 odd I used to pay :cry:

Any specific time of the day? Where to in the North of England? What is the standard fare you pay and I will aim to beat that at least.

 

[Butts]

Any specific time of the day? Where to in the North of England? What is the standard fare you pay and I will aim to beat that at least.

The lowest 1st Class fare from Falkirk to Darlington one way - it was £12.55 with a railcard for an advanced ticket. Any time of day one way (i'm a poet and I don't even know it )

 

[richw]

The lowest 1st Class fare from Falkirk to Darlington one way - it was £12.55 with a railcard for an advanced ticket. Any time of day one way (i'm a poet and I don't even know it )

Cheapest advance first class with a railcard between these two is now £14.10.
£21.35 without a railcard.

£12.50 standard advance. I'm yet to find any suitable splits. RJ should be of help!

 

[alexjames]

I very much sympathise with the OP's sentiments.

I'm still in mourning from the loss of my family railcard some 5 years ago. No, I didn't leave it in a pub somewhere, my son got to be 17 and thus no more entitlement. It continues to **** me off. He does, of course, own a YP railcard but that's no use to me. Just got to be stoical and tick off the days until I'm eligible for a fossil rail card. Depressing prospect tho'.

Paying published retail prices for UK rail travel is not a sensible option. Way too expensive and, as a matter of policy, I refuse to pay more than cost for any public transport other than the occasional taxi. And that is not a policy that is in any way sustainable for somebody, like me, who generally concurs with a capitalist economy. Its simply that I feel that others should pay for the dividends that, for example, flow into Branson's pocket.

Fortunately I joined this forum shortly after my F & F railcard entitlement got terminated and, with the additional benefit of my own research efforts, I'm now able to plan trips on some routes that cost a whole lot less than the headline price. Thanks chaps.

 

[Deerfold]

You could try for a job with a TOC. Perks vary but most allow some free or reduced rate travel.

 

[HST Power]

How about life after child tickets?

I used to do Stevenage to Newcastle for £45.00 return, in First Class. It's now about £90.00, and that's booked well in Advance.

Last summer, still enjoying the provision of child tickets, I could go from Letchworth to Central London at £22.00 a day, which cost me about £110 for the week. This summer (2013) I was paying in the area of £45.00 a day, leaving me with an end of week bill of £180.

I could do London - Stevenage with East Coast for around £11.50. Often I could get tea, crisps, sometimes even sandwiches, in just 30 minutes. It's not quite the same when you're paying the adult fare!

Needless to say I'm in the market for a Railcard!

 

[IanD]

Needless to say I'm in the market for a Railcard!

I'm sure they're available on-line or at a staffed station. Or are you waiting for one of those railcard touts to approach you?

 

[HST Power]

I'm sure they're available on-line or at a staffed station. Or are you waiting for one of those railcard touts to approach you?

I know I can get one, I just haven't got round to doing it.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Does anybody know what the outcome of the trial for the Two Together railcard was? I suspect that ATOC set it up to fail, but was wondering if they've said anything publicly about it?

 

[Be3G]

Nothing concrete, but there was this intriguing nugget of information posted a few weeks ago.

 

[Yew]

Write to your MP and demand a National railcard. And while youre there mention something about how unfair our railway laws can be

 

[MKB]

Since we lost our Two Together railcard in May, my travel (with my partner) by train has plummeted. We're driving to far more places and enjoying the freedom that brings. For two or more people travelling, it's very difficult to cost-justify many train journeys.

When travelling by train, we're booking first-class much less, and make more effort to book advance fares when they're first released.

I would say our total train spend per month since May (at full fares) is about 50% of what is was prior to May (at 35% discount rates). But we're not travelling any less. Just not using the train.

 

[Requeststop]

I'm just 60 years old plus 3 days and now for once in my life I can apply for a Senior Rail Card and get 1/3 of rail journeys. Hooray.

When I was young, there never was a YP rail card, or student rail card. Sod's Law was that they were introduced just after I ended being a student, or when I was deemed to be just too old for a YP card. Anyone born around 1953 will tell you. OK I was for a few years able to get a Cornwall Residents Card for travel within the Duchy and to Plymouth. That was it.

PS Thanks to the site for the birthday greetings by e-mail.

 

[s3an]

Earlier this week I spoke to someone sitting next to me about his (mature) student railcard. He said he had joined a full time course last year, got a railcard in October, but left when he got a job. He said he asked at a station if he could continue using it and they told him if he complied with the conditions when he bought it then the railcard would valid.
I notice my local college has some very cheap full time courses. Too late for this year, but maybe I should sign up for A levels, or hairdressing, or bricklaying next year?

 

[richw]

Earlier this week I spoke to someone sitting next to me about his (mature) student railcard. He said he had joined a full time course last year, got a railcard in October, but left when he got a job. He said he asked at a station if he could continue using it and they told him if he complied with the conditions when he bought it then the railcard would valid.
I notice my local college has some very cheap full time courses. Too late for this year, but maybe I should sign up for A levels, or hairdressing, or bricklaying next year?

Only got to do 15 hours a week to be classed as full time.

 

[MikeWh]

Personally, I lived through an age when there was neither student nor family railcard, and not having worked in the industry either, have been paying full whack for my travelling since the age of 16, including my three years as a student going to and from university.

So for me, the Senior Railcard is about the only thing I can find that sugars the pill of growing old.

I remember getting my school to stamp the student railcard forms in the days when you had to be one to qualify. Mind you, I also vividly remember that on my 14th birthday I'd had to start paying adult fares. Young adults today really can have their cake and eat it!

 

[Butts]

Just to update members on my predicament with the loss of my Railcard, all may not be lost.

I have been sent a discount code which gives 50% off Advanced First Class Tickets if booked within certain timeframes.

Have not had the opportunity to check it out yet , but if the Fares are reasonable I may be indulging in Free East Coast Fayre shortly

 

[jamesr]

Not wishing to annoy those who use them, but I don't really understand why First Class Railcard fares exist. Surely the whole point of most railcards is to offer financial assistance to parts of the community who are more likely to require financial assistance to use public transport - students, families, pensioners. If specific individuals can afford to pay more than the baseline standard class rail fare, I don't see why they should have a discount on first class rail fares.

If the reason for these fares existing is that a railcard is actually a loyalty card, it's nothing short of discrimatory only to offer it to certain segments of the community and bump up the fares of others to compensate.

 

[Butts]

Not wishing to annoy those who use them, but I don't really understand why First Class Railcard fares exist. Surely the whole point of most railcards is to offer financial assistance to parts of the community who are more likely to require financial assistance to use public transport - students, families, pensioners. If specific individuals can afford to pay more than the baseline standard class rail fare, I don't see why they should have a discount on first class rail fares.

If the reason for these fares existing is that a railcard is actually a loyalty card, it's nothing short of discrimatory only to offer it to certain segments of the community and bump up the fares of others to compensate.

First Class Advanced Fares are often cheaper than ordinary Standard Class Fares.

I agree though Disabled and Senior Railcards should not have better 1st Class access than 16-25 ones.

Most pensioners who use them for 1st Class fares are probably loaded anyway.

Just as they all pile on the 747 Jet from Ferrytoll to Edinburgh Airport free of charge to jet off to exotic locations :cry:

ps....I'm only envious !!!

 

[richw]

Not wishing to annoy those who use them, but I don't really understand why First Class Railcard fares exist. Surely the whole point of most railcards is to offer financial assistance to parts of the community who are more likely to require financial assistance to use public transport - students, families, pensioners. If specific individuals can afford to pay more than the baseline standard class rail fare, I don't see why they should have a discount on first class rail fares.

If the reason for these fares existing is that a railcard is actually a loyalty card, it's nothing short of discrimatory only to offer it to certain segments of the community and bump up the fares of others to compensate.

I have just found the following information on why railcards were introduced

Before the rail network was privatised, British Rail introduced several discount cards that were available to certain groups of people. Various reasons are usually cited:
To encourage off-peak and leisure travel
To provide greater access to rail services for low-income groups, creating a social benefit
To generate new sources of income: certain groups of people may be encouraged to perform a modal switch to rail transport if given the benefit of cheaper fares

The first and third points should have no reason not to use first class.

 

[Welshman]

Most pensioners who use them for 1st Class fares are probably loaded anyway.

Just as they all pile on the 747 Jet from Ferrytoll to Edinburgh Airport free of charge to jet off to exotic locations :cry:

ps....I'm only envious !!!

Take it from me, Young Sir, there's nothing to envy about growing old!

Enjoy your youth while you can.

 

[Butts]

Take it from me, Young Sir, there's nothing to envy about growing old!

Enjoy your youth while you can.

I'm no spring chicken......:cry:

By the way my discount code is genuine....

From Falkirk I've got 1st class fares to ....

Alnmouth £8

Newcastle £10

Inverness £12

York £15

Butts will be back to the road or should that be Rail shortly...dining and drinking courtesy of East Coast

These fares are even cheaper than I used to get with my Railcard

 

[rebmcr]

Not wishing to annoy those who use them, but I don't really understand why First Class Railcard fares exist. Surely the whole point of most railcards is to offer financial assistance to parts of the community who are more likely to require financial assistance to use public transport - students, families, pensioners. If specific individuals can afford to pay more than the baseline standard class rail fare, I don't see why they should have a discount on first class rail fares.

A fair amount of the time for Manchester-London, a Railcard Standard Advance can be more expensive than a Railcard 1st Advance on a given train, due to allocations catching up. I'm sure there are more examples of where a Standard restriction would produce similar silly situations.

I've also chosen to pay for 1st on highly crowded TPE services on the past (usually after a cancellation).

 

[JGR]

Not wishing to annoy those who use them, but I don't really understand why First Class Railcard fares exist. Surely the whole point of most railcards is to offer financial assistance to parts of the community who are more likely to require financial assistance to use public transport - students, families, pensioners. If specific individuals can afford to pay more than the baseline standard class rail fare, I don't see why they should have a discount on first class rail fares.

If the reason for these fares existing is that a railcard is actually a loyalty card, it's nothing short of discrimatory only to offer it to certain segments of the community and bump up the fares of others to compensate.

If railcard-holders were not entitled to discounted first-class fares, it'd be a significant disincentive for them to travel first class.
Given the higher fares associated with first class, even a discounted purchase is a significant margin over the standard fare.
I would be unsurprised if, once the numbers had been run through, that the TOCs were better off offering discount first-class tickets. An empty first-class seat does not make the TOC any money, after all.

 

[yorksrob]

If railcard-holders were not entitled to discounted first-class fares, it'd be a significant disincentive for them to travel first class.
Given the higher fares associated with first class, even a discounted purchase is a significant margin over the standard fare.
I would be unsurprised if, once the numbers had been run through, that the TOCs were better off offering discount first-class tickets. An empty first-class seat does not make the TOC any money, after all.

This is true. It‘s also the reason why they need a National Railcard.

 

[anme]

I believe British Rail introduced railcards primarily to make money. They generate income from the cost of the card, and they encourage travel, especially off peak when there is spare capacity. I don't know if this logic still applies in the modern franchised railway, but railcards are protected by law and in this era of massive central government control of the railways, politicians would not risk the outcry of abolishing them.

Personally, I've always favoured the German "bahncard" system, which allows anyone to have a railcard. Students, 60+, etc, still have the extra benefit of getting the card more cheaply. Would be interesting to know whether something similar is viable in the UK.

 

[richw]

I have a Devon and Cornwall railcard, I would drive more often without it. Just looking I've spent £500 in the last 12 months. Although probably a small amount to the TOCs by itself I would assume I am not the only one using the train just because the D+C railcard makes it cheaper than driving. Without the railcard the train costs similar to driving for 2 of us, but driving wins on convenience. knock a third off prices and the convenience then is outweighed by the financial saving.

 

[Butts]

I shouldn't be saying this as I'm not decades away from a Senior Card, but it seems crazy that people are able to use them to go to work particularly on Buses as I believe the old "9.30" restriction has gone in most areas.

Surprised it hasn't been jacked up to 65.....but perhaps therein lies an answer somewhere