Unintentionally used the wrong railcard discount

[894561kfg]

Hi,

I am new to railcards and applied for one in September. I was not aware of all the different types of discounts each railcard offers. When I was travelling from West Drayton to Reading, I purchased a ticket and added a 16-25 Railcard discount, but it was purely based on me thinking I can use it as I have a railcard and I’m in that age range (22). I showed my railcard to the inspector and he told me I have a Network Railcard which has a different discount. So, I paid £3 less than I had to. I also applied the same discount two more times when I purchased my tickets through the Trainline app. He interviewed me under caution and told me to expect a letter in 3-4 weeks. I understand that it happened because of my negligence and I would never do it on purpose. What should I expect now? Would it be useful to email them? Would I get an out-of-court settlement?

Thank you in advance for all the responses!

 

[signed]

Please post a redacted copy of your railcard

 

[894561kfg]

Please post a redacted copy of your railcard

This is an example of the railcard type I have.

 

[John R]

Were you on an Elizabeth Line service or a GWR one (ie was the inspector a TfL or GWR staff member)?

 

[894561kfg]

Were you on an Elizabeth Line service or a GWR one (ie was the inspector a TfL or GWR staff member)?

It was a GWR staff member

 

[John R]

It was a GWR staff member

Good, that's the "right answer", as TfL adopts a much more hard line approach and nearly always prosecutes.

When you get your letter, if you write a very apologetic response, explaining your mistake, promising to be careful to always ensure you buy the right ticket in future and asking very nicely if they will consider an out of court settlement (assuming they don't offer one up front) then you should be able to avoid a prosecution. It will cost you though, typically a £150 admin fee, together with paying again for any tickets they find on your account where you have used the wrong railcard. If they are only local journeys then that should not cost you much, but if any long distance services are involved then it will be more expensive.

Do post a draft of your reply when you get the letter, and experts here will ensure that you say the right things.

 

[894561kfg]

Good, that's the "right answer", as TfL adopts a much more hard line approach and nearly always prosecutes.

When you get your letter, if you write a very apologetic response, explaining your mistake, promising to be careful to always ensure you buy the right ticket in future and asking very nicely if they will consider an out of court settlement (assuming they don't offer one up front) then you should be able to avoid a prosecution. It will cost you though, typically a £150 admin fee, together with paying again for any tickets they find on your account where you have used the wrong railcard. If they are only local journeys then that should not cost you much, but if any long distance services are involved then it will be more expensive.

Do post a draft of your reply when you get the letter, and experts here will ensure that you say the right things.

Ok, I will. Thank you very much!

 

[furlong]

Why did you choose to buy a Network railcard instead of the 16-25 one? For most people of your age, the 16-25 would be a better choice.

This is one of the differences - that tickets bought using the Network Railcard have a minimum price all day on normal working days. By applying the wrong railcard to the purchase, you would have breached that minimum.

 

[John R]

I am new to railcards and applied for one in September. I was not aware of all the different types of discounts each railcard offers.

Maybe this is why.

 

[894561kfg]

Why did you choose to buy a Network railcard instead of the 16-25 one? For most people of your age, the 16-25 would be a better choice.

This is one of the differences - that tickets bought using the Network Railcard have a minimum price all day on normal working days. By applying the wrong railcard to the purchase, you would have breached that minimum.

I realised it after the incident. I was trying to see how I can save on my journeys to Reading and was suggested this Network card, so I decided to apply for it. I wasn’t aware there were other options I could be eligible for. When it came to selecting the discount I didn’t know these are totally different railcards, I just clicked the one with my age range.

 

[WesternLancer]

Hi,

I am new to railcards and applied for one in September. I was not aware of all the different types of discounts each railcard offers. When I was travelling from West Drayton to Reading, I purchased a ticket and added a 16-25 Railcard discount, but it was purely based on me thinking I can use it as I have a railcard and I’m in that age range (22). I showed my railcard to the inspector and he told me I have a Network Railcard which has a different discount. So, I paid £3 less than I had to. I also applied the same discount two more times when I purchased my tickets through the Trainline app. He interviewed me under caution and told me to expect a letter in 3-4 weeks. I understand that it happened because of my negligence and I would never do it on purpose. What should I expect now? Would it be useful to email them? Would I get an out-of-court settlement?

Thank you in advance for all the responses!

just as an aside to the problem you face - if you are eligible for a 16-25 Railcard I'd actually buy one of those as well maybe, and use that instead of the Network card you already have (but no refunds available sadly). IIRC the Network Railcard has significantly less benefits to it (I actually have a Network Railcard but that's because I'm not eligible for any of the other age related Railcard)

Also you can use the 16-25 Railcard across the country - the Network Railcard is only valid to use in South East England - so significantly less use if you need to travel to another part of the UK

it's probably worth you looking at the official Railcard website to compare the different cards so you know what is what. Having said that the paper leaflet they have at station ticket offices and leaflet racks which details all the main Railcards is actually easier to use to make comparisons with in my view, so you could pick one up next time you are at a station.

ref the problem, you should not have difficulty resolving this with the railway company using advice form here - just vital you get the letter and respond to it - prosecution can almost certainly be avoided (unless you ignore the letter or for some reason never receive it). You've had some bad luck because for a genuine misunderstanding like yours then a Penalty Fare might have been a preferable 'sanction'.

 

[894561kfg]

just as an aside to the problem you face - if you are eligible for a 16-25 Railcard I'd actually buy one of those as well maybe, and use that instead of the Network card you already have (but no refunds available sadly). IIRC the Network Railcard has significantly less benefits to it (I actually have a Network Railcard but that's because I'm not eligible for any of the other age related Railcard)

Also you can use the 16-25 Railcard across the country - the Network Railcard is only valid to use in South East England - so significantly less use if you need to travel to another part of the UK

it's probably worth you looking at the official Railcard website to compare the different cards so you know what is what. Having said that the paper leaflet they have at station ticket offices and leaflet racks which details all the main Railcards is actually easier to use to make comparisons with in my view, so you could pick one up next time you are at a station.

ref the problem, you should not have difficulty resolving this with the railway company using advice form here - just vital you get the letter and respond to it - prosecution can almost certainly be avoided (unless you ignore the letter or for some reason never receive it). You've had some bad luck because for a genuine misunderstanding like yours then a Penalty Fare might have been a preferable 'sanction'.

Thank you for your advice!

 

[furlong]

The basic explanation that you bought the wrong railcard should go a long way. There are only niche situations when someone eligible for a 16-25 would choose to buy a Network railcard instead so everyone will believe that was an error etc. (If you'd used a ticket office to buy the railcard, there's a good chance they would have asked questions to check. Arguably the websites/apps should be asking similar questions to check the product sold is correct and understood.)

 

[WesternLancer]

Why did you choose to buy a Network railcard instead of the 16-25 one? For most people of your age, the 16-25 would be a better choice.

This is one of the differences - that tickets bought using the Network Railcard have a minimum price all day on normal working days. By applying the wrong railcard to the purchase, you would have breached that minimum.

A good example of how on line retail is good for selling things, less good for the pesky and time consuming task of help and advice...your point in post #13 being very well made there.
'self service' being about making any problem that arises the consumers problem, not the retailers.

Just recently on another thread I was posting on, and even using the official Railcard website, I found it not as easy as it should be to find out the key difference(s) between the 16-25 and the 26-30 railcard - until you read the T&Cs where the main differences are buried amongst extracts form the National Conditions of Travel etc etc

 

[Dai Corner]

A good example of how on line retail is good for selling things, less good for the pesky and time consuming task of help and advice...your point in post #13 being very well made there.
'self service' being about making any problem that arises the consumers problem, not the retailers.

Just recently on another thread I was posting on, and even using the official Railcard website, I found it not as easy as it should be to find out the key difference(s) between the 16-25 and the 26-30 railcard - until you read the T&Cs where the main differences are buried amongst extracts form the National Conditions of Travel etc etc

The OP was given advice, though we don't know who by

I was trying to see how I can save on my journeys to Reading and was suggested this Network card, so I decided to apply for it.

 

[894561kfg]

The OP was given advice, though we don't know who by

Sorry, didn’t make it clear, I came across such a suggestion on a website and applied online, it was the first thing that came up, so I didn’t do enough research, it was my fault

 

[Dai Corner]

Sorry, didn’t make it clear, I came across such a suggestion on a website and applied online, it was the first thing that came up, so I didn’t do enough research, it was my fault

Ah I see.

I hope you reach the best possible outcome after the good advice given above. Please let us know what happens.

 

[894561kfg]

Ah I see.

I hope you reach the best possible outcome after the good advice given above. Please let us know what happens.

Thank you! All the advice and support I’ve received here has been really helpful. I will definitely let you know what happens.