SWR expired railcard

[vicem0n]

Hi there.

I see there are a bunch of other posts on expired railcard but just for my peace of mind as i have been worrying about it all morning just wanted some clarity.

So i got stopped on arrival by revenue protection officer that the ticket for my train had an expired railcard and he raised an mg11. I realised i was 2 weeks out of date. Now this was first train travel since the it expired as i regularly cycle everywhere or tube.

Agree completely at fault and forgot to check , lesson learnt.

However, i hear they check trainline and previous railcards. Now fortunately i have managed to check all of those expiry dates and see if any journeys were outside of the dates and I found nothing irregular.

But, back when i was a student 3 years ago a may have been a bit cheeky and refunded a few (~5) on trainline when actually did travel. If they investigate will they flag this up?

Can they investigate something else not related to expiry of railcard.

Note- i was a student at the time and yes looking back was a silly thing to do and have not done since.

Also one further question- i will be going travelling in a few months and leaving my current address- what would be the best thing to do here if the letter does not arrive before then? Do i tell them to send it to my parents place now?

Thanks!

 

[Haywain]

So i got stopped on arrival by revenue protection officer

Which company was involved? We can't really advise on potential outcomes and timescales without knowing that.

Edit: Reading the thread title I note it was SWR. I expect that you will receive a letter in two or three weeks and should be able to resolve this relatively quickly. If it is a few months before you go away you don't need to worry about receiving letters until closer to that time.

 

[AlterEgo]

But, back when i was a student 3 years ago a may have been a bit cheeky and refunded a few (~5) on trainline when actually did travel. If they investigate will they flag this up?

It depends on whether it was possible to detect if the tickets were used for travel, for example by scanning an e-ticket.

Can they investigate something else not related to expiry of railcard.

Yes.

Also one further question- i will be going travelling in a few months and leaving my current address- what would be the best thing to do here if the letter does not arrive before then? Do i tell them to send it to my parents place now?

You could set up a mail redirection to them, or inform SWR of the new address, either will work.

 

[vicem0n]

Which company was involved? We can't really advise on potential outcomes and timescales without knowing that.

Edit: Reading the thread title I note it was SWR. I expect that you will receive a letter in two or three weeks and should be able to resolve this relatively quickly. If it is a few months before you go away you don't need to worry about receiving letters until closer to that time.

Yes it was SWR- so would most likely this situation end up in a out of court settlement?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 17 Feb 2025 ==

It depends on whether it was possible to detect if the tickets were used for travel, for example by scanning an e-ticket.


Yes.


You could set up a mail redirection to them, or inform SWR of the new address, either will work.

Does the checking of tickets apply if this was with another operator?

If they also flagged this, would they add it to my expiry card out of settlement fee (presuming this would not go to court right?) or raise a new independent case?

 

[AlterEgo]

Does the checking of tickets apply if this was with another operator?

Yes.

If they also flagged this, would they add it to my expiry card out of settlement fee (presuming this would not go to court right?) or raise a new independent case?

They would deal with it all in the one case.

 

[Haywain]

so would most likely this situation end up in a out of court settlement?

If you engage with them when they write to you there is a very good chance that you will achieve that. SWR tend to prosecute only as a last resort.

 

[vicem0n]

Yes.


They would deal with it all in the one case.

So if i did railcard expiry with swr and refund stuff with northern. Would swr alert northern and then they prosecute me together with one case?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 17 Feb 2025 ==

If you engage with them when they write to you there is a very good chance that you will achieve that. SWR tend to prosecute only as a last resort.

Thanks, that’s reassuring. I also gave them my email and phone number and looking on these forums seems like there are good templates to work with.

Now is that anxious wait but can only wait i guess- thanks for your help

 

[AlterEgo]

So if i did railcard expiry with swr and refund stuff with northern. Would swr alert northern and then they combine their cases?

No they would deal with it as one case. There's no need for them to contact Northern, train companies act on behalf of each other.

 

[vicem0n]

No they would deal with it as one case. There's no need for them to contact Northern, train companies act on behalf of each other.

Ah i see- do you know how reasonable are SWR typically compared to other operators? Whats your thoughts if this situation goes to an out of court settlement or courts and fine?

I understand this is abit of a crystal ball question but hoping your experience can help

 

[AlterEgo]

Ah i see- do you know how reasonable are SWR typically compared to other operators? Whats your thoughts if this situation goes to an out of court settlement or courts and fine?

I understand this is abit of a crystal ball question but hoping you’re experience can help

They basically settle out of court every time, as @Haywain says. I wouldn't worry too much about this.

 

[vicem0n]

They basically settle out of court every time, as @Haywain says. I wouldn't worry too much about this.

Thanks for the help! Appreciated