Network Card Separate Ticket Query

[embers25]

I have a network card and already have a ticket from A to B and so I will be using the return portion from B to A within a month. My partner now wishes to travel with me too from B to A. As long as they travel with me can I also get them a ticket with my network card discount, even though their ticket will have a different date than mine? (so I would have a return ticket from A to B and would be using the return portion to travel within the month validity from B to A and they would have a single from B to A but with my network card discount and we will travel together)

 

[Bletchleyite]

It's not clear from the T&C on any Railcard if that is officially allowed or not (the T&C are all designed around the same tickets being held and purchased at the same time), but in practice it is very unlikely to be an issue because individual Network Railcard discounted tickets can be purchased (unlike e.g. individual Two Together ones).

Purchase it from a TVM or online to avoid awkward booking office staff deciding they think otherwise.

The confusion relates to condition 4.5 which reads "The group must travel with you throughout the journey." - this is to me clearly intended just to mean that every ticket holder must be where the Railcard is so it can be shown, but a small number of staff interpret it differently, i.e. that everyone must be doing the exact same thing on identical tickets and you can't add/remove people to/from a group along the way.

I've certainly done things like that without problems.

(T&C here: https://www.network-railcard.co.uk/help/railcard-terms-conditions/)

Network Railcard Terms & Conditions
1. Introduction
1.1. These terms and conditions (“Railcard Conditions”) apply to the use of the Network Railcard and reduced priced tickets ('discounted tickets') bought with the Network Railcard.
1.2. In addition to the Railcard Conditions, the National Rail Conditions of Travel (“NRCoT”) apply to any journey on the rail network. Where the NRCoT conflict with these Railcard Conditions, the NRCoT override the Railcard Conditions. Copies of the NRCoT are available online at nationalrail.co.uk/nrcot or at staffed National Rail stations.
1.3. These Railcard Conditions form a contract between you and ATOC Ltd (Registered in England and Wales No. 03069033, Company Registered Office: First Floor North, 1 Puddle Dock, London, EC4V 3DS. ATOC Ltd enters into this contract on behalf of the train companies listed at railcard.co.uk/traincompanies (“Train Companies”).
1.4. Train Companies shall have rights under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 to enforce any of these Railcard Conditions.
1.5. These Railcard Conditions are valid up to and including 8 September 2024.
1.6. Train Companies may change the Railcard Conditions during the validity of your Railcard. Where possible, the Train Companies will communicate these changes to you by displaying information at stations at least three months prior to the change.
2. General conditions of use of the Railcard
2.1. If you have a physical Railcard, your Railcard is not valid, and you cannot use it, until you have signed it.
2.2. The Railcard does not become your property and, if requested:
2.2.1 You must hand it to a representative of any of the Train Companies, if you have a physical Railcard.
2.2.2. You must remove it from your mobile device if requested by a representative of any of the Train Companies, if you have a digital Railcard.
2.3. The Railcard and tickets bought with it are not transferable to anyone else and you must not give, lend, or resell them. Only the named cardholder can use the Railcard.
2.4. Train Companies will not issue refunds on unused/unwanted Railcards, or extend their validity period.
2.5. You may be asked to show your Railcard when purchasing discounted tickets.
2.6. Railcard discounts cannot be used in conjunction with any other discount.
2.7. You must buy the Tickets before boarding the train unless:
2.7.1. there was no ticket office at the station at which you began the journey or if the ticket office was closed, and there was no working ticket machine from which you could buy discounted tickets; or
2.7.2. you have a disability which prevented you accessing ticket retailing facilities.
In these cases you will be able to use your Railcard to buy tickets on the train or at your destination.
2.8. You must carry your valid Railcard with you on your journey. When asked by rail staff, you must show a valid ticket and valid Railcard within its period of validity when you travel.
2.8.1. If you have a physical Railcard, it must be signed by you and should be legible so staff can read it, as further detailed in the NRCoT.
2.8.2. If you have a digital Railcard, you must be able to show it on a mobile device throughout your journey.
2.9 The photo of the cardholder must meet our guidelines and be recognisable as the cardholder.
2.10. If you fail to comply with condition 2.7, 2.8 and/or 2.9, the Train Company reserves the right to charge you the full price for the single fare applicable to your journey, as if no ticket had been purchased before starting the journey. In some cases you may also be issued with a Penalty Fare. If you are using your Railcard to get discounts for another person, they will also be charged the full price for the applicable single fare for their journey, as if no ticket had been purchased before starting the journey. In some cases they may also be issued with a Penalty Fare.
2.11. Fraudulent applications and fraudulent use of Railcards and Railcard discounted tickets may lead to criminal prosecution.
INFORMATION:

• See the NRCoT for more information about Penalty Fares.
• Railcard discounts do not apply to Season tickets, train company promotional tickets,
• Eurostar tickets, and most London Underground and DLR tickets.

3. Replacing your lost, damaged or stolen Railcard
3.1. If you have a physical Railcard and lose or damage your Railcard or it is stolen, you can apply for a replacement. If you bought the original Railcard at a rail station, you can request a replacement only at a ticket office and you must show the completed ‘Receipt’ voucher from the original application form. You will be requested to show some form of identification when obtaining a replacement at a station. If you purchased your Railcard online, you must request a replacement online.
3.2. You will only be issued with one replacement of a physical Railcard in any 12 month period, and you will need to pay an administration fee, unless your physical Railcard was stolen and you have a crime reference number or documentation issued by the Police. For Network Railcard, the administration fee is £10.
3.3. If you have a digital Railcard and lose or damage the mobile device that it is stored on, you can upload it to a new mobile device with no administration fee by accessing your online account at network-railcard.co.uk.
4. Conditions of use of the Network Railcard
4.1. You must be aged 16 years old or over to purchase a Railcard.
4.2. Network Railcard discounts apply for travel at or after 10.00 Monday to Friday (excluding Public Holidays) and any time on weekends.  Discounts apply to services in the Network Railcard area only (see network-railcard.co.uk/map).
4.3. A minimum fare applies to all journeys Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays. At the time of printing, the minimum fare is £13. The minimum fare is subject to change during the validity of your Railcard - see network-railcard.co.uk for the most up to date information.
4.4. All child fares are subject to a £1 minimum fare at all times.
4.5. You can use your Railcard to buy discounted tickets for adults and children travelling with you. The maximum group size is four adults (aged 16 years and over) including you, and four children aged between 5 and 15 years. The group must travel with you throughout the journey.
4.6. Discounted tickets entitle you to travel in standard class only.
4.7. You will be asked to pay the difference between the price of your discounted ticket and the full price applicable fare (or the Penalty Fare if travelling in the Penalty Fares area) if you travel:
4.7.1. beyond the station for which your ticket is issued; or
4.7.2. to a destination beyond the area shown on the Network Railcard map (network-railcard.co.uk/map), without having first obtained the correct ticket for your journey; or
4.7.3. on a route to which a higher fare applies or at a time when reduced fares do not apply.
Train Companies providing Network Railcard discounts:

• Avanti West Coast
• c2c
• Chiltern Railways †
• CrossCountry †
• East Midland Trains
• Gatwick Express
• Great Northern
• Great Western Railway ††
• Greater Anglia †
• Heathrow Connect
• Heathrow Express
• London Northwestern Railway †
• London North Eastern Railway
• London Overground
• Southeastern
• Southern
• South Western Railway
• Stansted Express
• TfL Rail
• Thameslink

† Some restrictions apply on services provided by these train companies.
†† Some restrictions apply on services provided by Great Western Railway. Network Railcard discounts are not available on tickets routed Evesham/Stroud.

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[jacksonbang]

I've often wondered how that would play out if I was "caught" by Revenue Protection. I often travel to Gravesend from Appledore and meet my wife from work at Ashford International using a Network Card on both tickets. Once or twice she's been asked at the gate about the railcard and both times she has said she is meeting me on the platform and that has been accepted - but that is gateline staff at Ashford who, to be fair, have bigger fish to fry I expect.

 

[Watershed]

I've often wondered how that would play out if I was "caught" by Revenue Protection. I often travel to Gravesend from Appledore and meet my wife from work at Ashford International using a Network Card on both tickets. Once or twice she's been asked at the gate about the railcard and both times she has said she is meeting me on the platform and that has been accepted - but that is gateline staff at Ashford who, to be fair, have bigger fish to fry I expect.

As Railcard-discounted tickets aren't valid without showing the relevant Railcard, I would be very wary of doing this unless you get a digital Network Railcard that you have downloaded to both your phone as well as your wife's. Your wife could be checked by an RPI before or after boarding the train and quite lawfully be issued with a Penalty Fare or have her details taken for prosecution.

It would be complete overkill, no doubt, if your Railcard were later shown. But it's nevertheless a risk I wouldn't take.