Prosecution Letter from Greater Anglia

[bombassett]

Hey Everyone.

So I was travelling to Stanstead from London Liverpool Street the other month and I got stopped as on my railcard app it said my railcard had expired and I couldn't double-check as my 3g was not working. they read me my rights and took my details and then when I got up to the terminal I double-checked and realised I did have an in-date railcard the whole time I had just not added it to my app. My railcard has been in date since September last year. but when I went back to show the person who had charged me they said they couldn't do anything and I would have to wait for the letter to come through.

I have sent them an email and will give them a call, but this is something I should be able to sort right? they have sent me a letter with the out-of-court settlement 'threat' on it but since I had a valid railcard the whole time I don't think i should have to pay it

Thanks in advance for any replies, any advice would be amazing.

 

[Horizon22]

Hey Everyone.

So I was travelling to Stanstead from London Liverpool Street the other month and I got stopped as on my railcard app it said my railcard had expired and I couldn't double-check as my 3g was not working. they read me my rights and took my details and then when I got up to the terminal I double-checked and realised I did have an in-date railcard the whole time I had just not added it to my app. My railcard has been in date since September last year. but when I went back to show the person who had charged me they said they couldn't do anything and I would have to wait for the letter to come through.

I have sent them an email and will give them a call, but this is something I should be able to sort right? they have sent me a letter with the out-of-court settlement 'threat' on it but since I had a valid railcard the whole time I don't think i should have to pay it

Thanks in advance for any replies, any advice would be amazing.

When does your railcard expire? And you say you bought it, September 2024?

Even without mobile signal, it should not show "expired".

 

[WesternLancer]

Hey Everyone.

So I was travelling to Stanstead from London Liverpool Street the other month and I got stopped as on my railcard app it said my railcard had expired and I couldn't double-check as my 3g was not working. they read me my rights and took my details and then when I got up to the terminal I double-checked and realised I did have an in-date railcard the whole time I had just not added it to my app. My railcard has been in date since September last year. but when I went back to show the person who had charged me they said they couldn't do anything and I would have to wait for the letter to come through.

I have sent them an email and will give them a call, but this is something I should be able to sort right? they have sent me a letter with the out-of-court settlement 'threat' on it but since I had a valid railcard the whole time I don't think i should have to pay it

Thanks in advance for any replies, any advice would be amazing.

See faq on railcard website. You maybe able to resolve this using the ‘forgotten railcard policy’ which allows one occasion per year grace if you are unable to show your Railcard.

You would have to prove you held an in date valid railcard on the day of travel.

 

[GadgetMan]

Hey Everyone.

So I was travelling to Stanstead from London Liverpool Street the other month and I got stopped as on my railcard app it said my railcard had expired and I couldn't double-check as my 3g was not working. they read me my rights and took my details and then when I got up to the terminal I double-checked and realised I did have an in-date railcard the whole time I had just not added it to my app. My railcard has been in date since September last year. but when I went back to show the person who had charged me they said they couldn't do anything and I would have to wait for the letter to come through.

I have sent them an email and will give them a call, but this is something I should be able to sort right? they have sent me a letter with the out-of-court settlement 'threat' on it but since I had a valid railcard the whole time I don't think i should have to pay it

Thanks in advance for any replies, any advice would be amazing.

You are allowed to 'forget' you railcard on a journey once a year.
So, as long as you haven't been detected for traveling without a railcard within the last 12 months other than on this occasion then yes you should be able to resolve this without having to pay anything. However the normal procedure is to be sold a new full price ticket and then apply for a refund. But as you weren't offered this option, partly because the inspector suspected the railcard has expired you couldn't have followed this procedure. Therefore I don't feel you should be penalised.

 

[30907]

See faq on railcard website. You maybe able to resolve this using the ‘forgotten railcard policy’ which allows one occasion per year grace if you are unable to show your Railcard.

You would have to prove you held an in date valid railcard on the day of travel.

Worth saying that many TOCs reference this in their standard letter.

 

[WesternLancer]

Hey Everyone.

So I was travelling to Stanstead from London Liverpool Street the other month and I got stopped as on my railcard app it said my railcard had expired and I couldn't double-check as my 3g was not working. they read me my rights and took my details and then when I got up to the terminal I double-checked and realised I did have an in-date railcard the whole time I had just not added it to my app. My railcard has been in date since September last year. but when I went back to show the person who had charged me they said they couldn't do anything and I would have to wait for the letter to come through.

I have sent them an email and will give them a call, but this is something I should be able to sort right? they have sent me a letter with the out-of-court settlement 'threat' on it but since I had a valid railcard the whole time I don't think i should have to pay it

Thanks in advance for any replies, any advice would be amazing.

What type of Railcard was it?

You may need help from here in what form of words to use when requesting the exemption from further action, as the issue is slightly different than 'forgetting it' - a form of words in the T&Cs that presumably dates back to the use of physical card Railcards

here's an example

What happens if I don't have my Railcard with me and I have to buy a new ticket or pay a Penalty Fare? - 16-25 Railcard

A 16-25 Railcard costs just �30 and it'll save you 1/3 on rail fares throughout Great Britain for a whole year.

www.16-25railcard.co.uk

What happens if I don't have my Railcard with me and I have to buy a new ticket or pay a Penalty Fare?​

If you are travelling by train on a ticket with a Railcard discount, you must travel with your valid Railcard. If you forget your Railcard you will either be required to buy a new ticket or you may on certain services be liable for a Penalty Fare. However, a train company will normally allow you to claim back this extra expense on the first occasion in each year where this happens.

Each train company will have their own process for doing this. You will need to provide proof of your Railcard and either the original and additional tickets that you have purchased, or if you have not yet paid, details of the notice to pay or notice of Penalty Fare. Where you have already paid for additional tickets you should contact the relevant train company’s customer services department; in the case of a notice to pay or notice of Penalty Fare, you should follow the instructions included on how to challenge or appeal the charge.

 

[MotCO]

Did the railcard discount on your ticket match your railcard - e.g. did you buy a 16-17 ticket but held a 16-25 railcard?

 

[Hadders]

Welcome to the forum! Assuming the railcard has a September 2025 expiry date and not a January 2026 expiry (i.e. a year from when you downloaded it on your app) then you should be able to make this go away inder the forgottten railcard policy.

When the letter from Greater Anglia arrives post a redacted copy of it in this thread and we will assist with getting the exact wording right. This is important because you need to make it clear to GA that you did possess a valid railcard on the day of the journey but that it was unavailable for inspection. I wouldn't suggest getting into detail about it not being downloaded etc.

Don't call them until you receive their letter. It's unlikely you that the Prosecutions Department will talk to you on the phone and customer services will not be able to assist. There's also the risk that you will just confuse matters further by trying to explain what happened on the phone with someone who potentially won't understand the issue either!

 

[bombassett]

Thanks everyone for your replies, i have spoken to greater anglia and they have agreed to let me off with proof of a valid railcard

 

[MotCO]

That's good news. Just remember to take your railcard everywhere with you, and don't let it expire!

 

[Hadders]

This is a good outcome. Thanks for updating us.

 

[WesternLancer]

Thanks everyone for your replies, i have spoken to greater anglia and they have agreed to let me off with proof of a valid railcard

Great. To be on safe side keep copies of everything just in case needed.