Help in regards to a fine

[beiox]

Hiya everyone, so I need help as this is my first time dealing with this.

I bought a ticket from Brighton to Manchester, I did my trip on Monday, and today I was travelling back on an off-peak one-month return ticket. I had actually come down to attend my nanas funeral and I forgot my railcard (16-25) in a hurry.

Today while on the Avanti west coast train, the conductor tried to get me to pay the difference, however I’m broke and buying the Manchester ticket took all of my money.

Now I told her I can’t pay on the spot, and she asked me for my ID. Now what do I do? Do I pay the fine or appeal?

I am hoping to appeal because I don’t have the extra £48 she was asking for. My financial situation has been very bad and I don't know what to do.

 

[SuspectUsual]

Do you actually have a valid, in date railcard?

 

[island]

Fines aren't issued on trains. What exactly have you received? An unpaid fare notice?

Do you hold a valid 16-25 Railcard? There is provision to be let off, once a year, for "forgotten Railcards".

 

[MotCO]

I assume you had no difficulties on your outward journey.

As @island says, you are allowed to forget your railcard once a year, but you will be asked to provide evidence of ownership at some stage. Were you given a piece of paper? Did the ticket inspector take details off your ticket? Did the ticket inspector note down your name and address? If so, did you comply and were you polite? If you didn't receive anything, you might have been let off with a warning.

 

[jfollows]

See https://assets.nationalrail.co.uk/e...2/National_Rail_Conditions_of_Travel_2025.pdf

8. Railcards

8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 If you use a Railcard to purchase a discounted Ticket, you must carry the Railcard (and have it available for inspection) when you travel. The Railcard must be within its period of validity when you travel (in other words it should not have expired).

The Railcard may have additional restrictions which will apply to any Tickets you buy when using it. When you buy a Railcard the full terms and conditions will be provided.

These are also available either from the relevant website from which the Railcard was purchased or from staffed Ticket offices within the validity of the Railcard.

If you have a Railcard, you must ensure that the information on it can be read by rail staff. On occasions this printed information may fade over time. If your Railcard starts to become illegible for this reason, we will replace it without charge. This can be done at any station with a Ticket office or through the Licensed Retailer from which it was purchased.

If you are travelling with a Railcard discounted Ticket and are unable to present the Railcard when asked by the staff or authorised agents of a Train Company, you will be treated as having joined a train without a valid Ticket and Conditions 9.1 – 9.5 will apply.

However, if you were unable to present the Railcard because you had forgotten to carry it on that particular journey or were unable to display it on an electronic device, the Train Company concerned will refund any fare or Penalty Fare paid in accordance with Condition 10.

In order to claim such a refund, you will need to contact the customer service department of the Train Company that charged you the additional fare or Penalty Fare, providing the full details of your Railcard, together with the additional Tickets you have purchased or any Penalty Fares notices. A maximum of one such claim will be considered in any 12-month period.

 

[ikcdab]

On what grounds would you appeal? Appeals only work if there has been an error in the procedure in some way. You can't appeal just because you can't pay.

 

[AlterEgo]

On what grounds would you appeal? Appeals only work if there has been an error in the procedure in some way. You can't appeal just because you can't pay.

Unpaid Fares Notices do not have a formal appeals process, but regardless, as this is a forgotten railcard, furnishing proof of the same should see the debt dropped.

OP - show us the paperwork, with your name removed, and please confirm you hold a valid and in date railcard which you simply left at home that day.