Railcard validity

[ajhard]

I’m hoping you guys can advise.

I have a family & friends railcard and also a season ticket. I’m planning a trip with my son, and I want to know if I can buy him a discounted ticket with the railcard as we are travelling together, even though I don’t need a ticket myself? The GWR website won’t allow me to add the railcard without an adult.

As it happens my wife is also taking my daughter to London separately on the same day, so if the ticket is valid I could buy both kids tickets at the same time as hers.

Would that be valid when used with just me present. My wife and I are the two named railcard users.

Thanks!

 

[CyrusWuff]

Only if you've got an Annual Season that's valid for the journey, though there doesn't seem to be any public-facing documentation for it. The below comes from Knowledgebase (rail industry retail information intranet):

Family & Friends Railcard holders who also hold a Season Ticket

A Customer may present both a Family & Friends Railcard and an Annual Season Ticket and purchase a Child’s discounted price ticket if the journey is over the route covered by the Season ticket. The customer would therefore use their Annual Season Ticket for travel on this journey. Should the customer’s journey deviate from the route of their Annual Season Ticket, further tickets should be purchased for the adult and child as usual.

If a customer shows a Season Ticket valid for less than one year, the customer cannot use their Season Ticket for the journey. The customer must buy both a discounted priced ticket for their use and for a child or children.

If an adult is travelling with a child who has a valid Season Ticket for the journey concerned, the adult fare is still eligible for the Family & Friends Railcard discount. Should the customer’s journey deviate from the route of the child’s Season Ticket, further tickets should be purchased for the adult and child as usual.

 

[ajhard]

Thank you - although not the answer I wanted! I have a weekly season

 

[Haywain]

I’m hoping you guys can advise.

I have a family & friends railcard and also a season ticket. I’m planning a trip with my son, and I want to know if I can buy him a discounted ticket with the railcard as we are travelling together, even though I don’t need a ticket myself? The GWR website won’t allow me to add the railcard without an adult.

As it happens my wife is also taking my daughter to London separately on the same day, so if the ticket is valid I could buy both kids tickets at the same time as hers.

Would that be valid when used with just me present. My wife and I are the two named railcard users.

Thanks!

Is it a physical railcard? If so, the need for the railcard to be presented alongside the discounted tickets would preclude you and your wife using it and travelling separately.

 

[ajhard]

It's a digital one, we both have it in the trip app.
But as above my season is weekly so no bueno.
Will be cheaper for me to buy him a regular child fare unfortunately.

Thanks to both!

 

[Watershed]

I cannot see the basis for any difference between the rules for a weekly/monthly and an annual season ticket. This sounds like just another part of the iKB that makes up rules in the rail industry's favour!

The practical difficulty lies in actually buying a Family Railcard-discounted child ticket on its own. But if you do manage to buy it, I can't see how the validity period of the season ticket would make any difference to the ability to use it with an existing adult ticket.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I cannot see the basis for any difference between the rules for a weekly/monthly and an annual season ticket. This sounds like just another part of the iKB that makes up rules in the rail industry's favour!

Or something that's been extrapolated from that specific rule existing *purely* for Gold Cards when someone asked about it. It's specifically in the Gold Card T&Cs but not those of other Railcards (though also nothing I can see to ban it).