Issue purchasing railcard

[dmbcornwall]

Hi everyone,

I would appreciate any help in giving me clarity over an issue at my local ticket office today.
I have some expiring national rail vouchers and won't be able to use them before they expire.
My understanding is that I can use these to purchase a railcard, so that was my plan today to 'bank' the value
At the station I was informed that I cannot purchase a railcard using these vouchers.
Is this right?
Appreciate your help

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Normally RTV's are only available as payment/part payment for rail travel, which would seem to preclude the purchase of a railcard. Having said that, I think that at least one TOC (= LNER - see link below) also accepts them when buying onboard food & drinks.

How can I use the National Rail Travel Vouchers?

www.lner.co.uk

Extract from linked webpage...

How can I use the National Rail Travel Vouchers?

National Rail Travel Vouchers are valid for 12 months and you can use them with any train journey in Great Britain. You can use your at any station with a ticket office, and you can use them onboard to buy food and drinks from the Let's Eat Cafe bar.

 

[gray1404]

I have use Rail travel vouchers to purchase Railcard at ticket offices

 

[Haywain]

Rail Travel Vouchers can be used to buy railcards. The office stating otherwise were (very) wrong.

 

[furlong]

Can you be specific? Which ticket office (or train company)? Which railcard? Which company issued the RTVs? Was the price of the railcard lower or higher than the voucher value?
- Might the transaction have been refused for a different reason, and might there be other options for 'banking' the value for later use? E.g. some will convert to cash, or you might be able to buy a ticket dated well in the future that you can later amend or add the value to an Oyster card.

 

[Hadders]

It is not unusual for ticket office staff to be mistaken and get things like this wrong. It isn't their fault, unfortunately in many cases the training they get is inadequate.

You can use Rail Travel Vouchers to purchase a railcard. Looking at your location I assume it's a GWR ticket office. I would raise a complaint with them and ask them to issue a reminder to the relevent ticket office.

 

[MikeWh]

or add the value to an Oyster card.

Not possible anymore, sadly.

 

[dmbcornwall]

Can you be specific? Which ticket office (or train company)? Which railcard? Which company issued the RTVs? Was the price of the railcard lower or higher than the voucher value?
- Might the transaction have been refused for a different reason, and might there be other options for 'banking' the value for later use? E.g. some will convert to cash, or you might be able to buy a ticket dated well in the future that you can later amend or add the value to an Oyster card.

Hi - It is GWR and National Rail Vouchers. Price of railcard was higher than the vouchers.
Thanks
David

 

[WesternLancer]

Hi - It is GWR and National Rail Vouchers. Price of railcard was higher than the vouchers.
Thanks
David

Maybe you could get something from GWR customer relations to confirm this is possible - that you could then take to the ticket office to show the staff (eg e-mail them or tweet?) - it's a pain for you otherwise. Of course you then pay the difference between the value of the vouchers and the cost of the Railcard as I'm sure you know - juts the same as if you used vouchers for part payment for a train fare.

Or otherwise you might have to be politely insistent at the ticket office - ask the staff member to check this by ringing a manager or staff help line as you have been assured that it is possible to use the vouchers to buy a Railcard.

Out of interest - who issued the vouchers, was that also GWR or a different train company?

How long have you got before the vouchers expire?

I have to say that having had a few vouchers over the last year or two (I've got one to exchange at the moment as it happens) I have noticed that staff at my local East Mids Railway station ticket office are less and less familiar with them than once was the case, often double checking how to use them with a colleague to make sure they get it right. I guess whilst they were once issued as the norm, since Delay-Repay became more widespread and 'modernised' to on line repayments in money, they see fewer of them. I had a Thameslink one which I also noted could be also exchanged for cash at a Govia Thameslink run station ticket office only, if desired, and this was stated clearly on the letter with the voucher. I digress.

 

[MrJeeves]

I had a Thameslink one which I also noted could be also exchanged for cash at a Govia Thameslink run station ticket office only, if desired, and this was stated clearly on the letter with the voucher.

Now you can also get the value added directly to a debit card, too, or so I've been told in a letter that arrived for £4.20 this morning.

 

[Barnsley]

The Ticket Office is wrong, I can, and do, happily accept them for Railcards, if they are more than the value of the Railcard, I inform them they don't get change before I scan them, so they choose whether to still use them