Family & Friends Railcard

[Willie Bee]

I've just got the opportunity to buy a railcard for £10 .. a bit of a bargain.

Currently, my wife and I each have senior railcards, which we use when together, or myself, when out 'n about on my own.

I often take my granddaughter away too, so was thinking ..

Could my daughter and I get a Family & Friends railcard, then (a) she could travel with her daughter (b) I could travel with my granddaughter (c) or if need be, all together .. each time getting the 30% discount on tickets.

I assume, as long as one of us is travelling (adult) plus granddaughter, other adults / children cold tag along too .. up to the limit

Seems the perfect scheme .. I think

 

[hexagon789]

I've just got the opportunity to buy a railcard for £10 .. a bit of a bargain.

Currently, my wife and I each have senior railcards, which we use when together, or myself, when out 'n about on my own.

I often take my granddaughter away too, so was thinking ..

Could my daughter and I get a Family & Friends railcard, then (a) she could travel with her daughter (b) I could travel with my granddaughter (c) or if need be, all together .. each time getting the 30% discount on tickets.

I assume, as long as one of us is travelling (adult) plus granddaughter, other adults / children cold tag along too .. up to the limit

Seems the perfect scheme .. I think

Yes, you just need one named (adult) cardholder and one child to travel all the time and the card is valid.

So long as that base requirement is met, the card can then be used to discount tickets for up to 4 adults and 4 children.

 

[Willie Bee]

Yes, you just need one named (adult) cardholder and one child to travel all the time and the card is valid.

So long as that base requirement is met, the card can then be used to discount tickets for up to 4 adults and 4 children.

Many thanks Hexagon789

 

[Hadders]

Also worth noting that there’s no limit on the number of railcards you can hold at any one time, as long as you meet the eligibility criteria.

At one point last year I held four railcards. And I don’t qualify for the 16-25, 26-30, Senior, Disabled or HM Forces railcards either.

 

[transportphoto]

If it’s Trip.com offering a discount, it may be worth reading through a recent thread about their app. That being said, a £20 discount is a reasonable trade off!

 

[Willie Bee]

If it’s Trip.com offering a discount, it may be worth reading through a recent thread about their app. That being said, a £20 discount is a reasonable trade off!

Was O2 / Virgin

 

[Trains1]

i heard you could get 60% off children between 5 and 15

 

[Hadders]

i heard you could get 60% off children between 5 and 15

A Family & Friends Railcard is one of the few times in line where having a child makes things cheaper!

If you use a F&F Railcard (ie there must be at least one adult and one child travelling) then the adult gets a 33% discount on the adult fare and the child gets 60% off the child fare.

As an example, let’s say the full adult price is £100:

The adult would pay £67
The child would pay £20
Total £87

Before someone points it out, the actual price would vary by a few pence because the adult railcard discount is 33.4% rounded to 5p.

Also a child must actually travel, you cannot just purchase a discounted child ticket to obtain a cheaper fare as a single adult traveller.

 

[Haywain]

Yes, you just need one named (adult) cardholder and one child to travel all the time and the card is valid.

To use the railcard in the manner suggested by the OP both adults (OP and daughter) will need to be named on the railcard.

 

[neilmc]

When we were younger and had no car, first thing we did was buy a family Railcard, even when our youngest was just a babe in arms and wouldn't have had to pay! But the terms were even better than.

A great "steal" was with a church group of 16 young teens and four adults travelling from Manchester to somewhere on the South Coast. Each leader bought a F&F Railcard and took themselves and four of the kids at reduced fares, having designated a parent of one of the kids as a second adult and that family then got cheap fares for a year without having to buy a railcard themselves.

 

[Hadders]

There’s nothing wrong in purchasing a child discounted ticket for someone under five, who is able to travel for free, as it makes the overall cost cheaper. It’s actually specifically encouraged.

You can also reserve a seat for child an under five if they have a ticket.

 

[hexagon789]

To use the railcard in the manner suggested by the OP both adults (OP and daughter) will need to be named on the railcard.

Which was what the OP was intending to do, no? At least that was how I interpreted their opening post.

 

[Willie Bee]

OP here .. thank you for all the replies.

The family & Friends railcard seems great .. as long as my daughter, or myself is travelling (together with a kid) there are many permutations possible.

too good an offer to refuse

A great "steal" was with a church group of 16 young teens and four adults travelling from Manchester to somewhere on the South Coast. Each leader bought a F&F Railcard and took themselves and four of the kids at reduced fares, having designated a parent of one of the kids as a second adult and that family then got cheap fares for a year without having to buy a railcard themselves.

That seems great

My granddaughter was travelling NCL to YRK last year to a beaver camp .. there were several leaders and numerous kids .. maybe they did have railcards, maybe not .. next time I'll mention to the leader

 

[neilmc]

Yes because there does not need to be any actual family relationships involved in purchasing a F&F railcard!

 

[pokemonsuper9]

Yes because there does not need to be any actual family relationships involved in purchasing a F&F railcard!

That's where the second F for friends comes in (then again, you don't need friends, it can be an entirely business arrangement).