Gold Card - Partner Cards query

[jon0844]

As a Gold Card user, I always make sure I get the partner card for £1 for my wife. No doubt as part of the recent increases, the card will be £100 next time I ask for one!

My question is; is there a specific 'Partner Card' or is it simply what I end up getting, which is a Network Railcard. I ask because my wife came into London yesterday and I asked her how much she paid, to be told it was £13!

The last time I bought a ticket for her on my card, it was about £9.50 for a one day travelcard with a Gold Card discount. She pointed out that she had to pay £10 with hers, but £13 now - and I remembered the minimum charge on network railcards.

A £13 minimum is taking the p**s! It means her 1/3 discount is now about £1-2 tops. Some incentive for her to have one and travel by train instead of the car! I wonder how far out in the former NSE area you need to go to get your actual 1/3 discount!!

 

[paul1609]

On most Southern routes theres not much point in a Network Card anyway 9 times out of 10 youll be better off with a super off peak return and oyster pay as you go. reckon its only a matter of time before its withdrawn because of falling sales!

 

[hairyhandedfool]

....My question is; is there a specific 'Partner Card' or is it simply what I end up getting....

....I wonder how far out in the former NSE area you need to go to get your actual 1/3 discount!!

The Network Railcard is the only 'Partner card' which you can purchase as supplement to your Gold card, but for the reduced price of £1.

On a weekday, a single ticket from Bedford to Sydenham (London) would be reduced by the full third after 1000hrs, as would a Huntingdon to London Terminals single ticket and a Brighton to Mill Hill Broadway single.

The £13 minimum fare doesn't apply at weekends.

Using a Network Railcard to purchase an Off peak single ticket from Ramsgate to Exeter (going via Salisbury) would save enough money to purchase the full price Network Railcard (£25), and a chocolate bar (upto 65p)

 

[jon0844]

Having the minimum on weekdays kind of kills off the real benefit of the card, as weekends are surely (generally speaking) for leisure travel only.

Of course, it can only be used after 10am (and there may be evening restrictions too) in the week, but with all that excess capacity, I wonder why there's an obvious attempt to either cash in, or put people off.

Perhaps, as mentioned, the plan is to one day kill off the card completely. I guess, one day, there may well be a minimum charge introduced for Gold Card owners too.

Meanwhile, we'll have to consider moving to Huntingdon.

 

[LondonLarry]

An RPI +1% increase has been applied for each year since the minimum fare was introduced. Effectively, treating the railcard as a regulated rail fare and applying the increase in one go rather than incremental increase each year.