Senior Railcard

[soccermad]

hello All

I hold a Senoir Railcard which is in date.

Today I tried to buy a ticket for tomorrow from my local staffed station , as I did not have my Phone with me, I did not have the card to hand (it is a digital one)
The ticket office staff refused to sell me the discounted ticker as ' I must show the card' to purchase it

I don't believe that this is the case, am I correct or are the ticket office staff correct ?

Thanks


Steve

 

[Farang]

From the Senior Railcard terms and conditions "2.5. You may be asked to show your Railcard when purchasing discounted tickets." https://www.senior-railcard.co.uk/help/railcard-terms-conditions/

 

[jfollows]

They are correct.

If you’re more likely to carry your wallet than your phone, get a plastic railcard when you replace the current one.

They could have used “discretion” and issued your ticket anyway, but I don’t read that they’re required to.

 

[soccermad]

They are correct.

If you’re more likely to carry your wallet than your phone, get a plastic railcard when you replace the current one.

They could have used “discretion” and issued your ticket anyway, but I don’t read that they’re required to.

Thanks Guys.

 

[Ken X]

Our ticket office has a sign by each window asking that any railcards be presented before commencing a purchase.

 

[girothedog]

You could buy your ticket from a ticket vending machine without showing your railcard.

 

[talldave]

You could buy your ticket from a ticket vending machine without showing your railcard.

Which is why ticket offices are on borrowed time....

...and when TVMs implement their own stupid rules (e.g. I used to struggle to get them to sell an off-peak ticket for the following day) you buy online and instantly collect from the same machine that refuses to sell the ticket.

Welcome to Great British Railways - already in breach of trade descriptions legislation !!

 

[Birkonian]

You could buy your ticket from a ticket vending machine without showing your railcard.

Or online

 

[blimmo]

I have had to pretend to be buying two tickets for myself in order to buy a railcard discounted ticket for a friend...

 

[talldave]

My new card arrived today. The T's & C's with the card are different to those on the Railcard website - poor show.

2.5 says "You cannot buy discounted tickets unless you have your Railcard".

Fair enough, but don't show different rules at the point of purchase. They apparently form a contract between me and ATOC , except the contract changes pre and post purchase .

 

[1D54]

I'd have thought that if a member of staff sells you a discounted ticket taking your word that you are entitled to it and it later turns out you are not then they could get into trouble as it is easy to work out who the seller was.

 

[Buzby]

Welcome to Great British Railways - already in breach of trade descriptions legislation !!

They’d escape that by modifying the first word to ‘Grate’!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 Jun 2026 ==

TBO most (all?) Glasgow ticket offices want sight of the Railcard before issuing one. For a time I was showing my old one which I forgot to remove from my wallet, but at least they’re trying!

 

[Robin Edwards]

I've had situation in the past where using my Senior Railcard required me to wait until a given time before the ticket office would sell me an off-peak ticket on the assumption that if they sold me one earlier, I might get on a train that wasn't off-peak. The issue here was that this didn't leave enough time given the queue, to purchase said ticket and get the first off-peak service!
Had I bought in advance online I could have collected my tickets in advance too. I'm not sure if the vending machines at the time offered off-peak tickets before a cut-off time in the morning though?

 

[Kumquat]

I've had situation in the past where using my Senior Railcard required me to wait until a given time before the ticket office would sell me an off-peak ticket on the assumption that if they sold me one earlier, I might get on a train that wasn't off-peak. The issue here was that this didn't leave enough time given the queue, to purchase said ticket and get the first off-peak service!
Had I bought in advance online I could have collected my tickets in advance too. I'm not sure if the vending machines at the time offered off-peak tickets before a cut-off time in the morning though?

Back in the day that was an issue with my Young Persons Railcard (and everyone else's Network Card) - the ticket machine wouldn't sell same-day tickets before they were valid, which was a bit of a problem for the crowd wanting the 9.31 or 10.02 services. But the ticket office guys would sell in advance (while encouraging you to buy a ticket the day before where possible).

If ticket offices are requiring you to show a Railcard at the time of booking, does that make them partly liable if they don't notice the Railcard has expired? I've only had it happen once, showing my Railcard, buying a ticket, and then the fact that it's expired being spotted by the train ticket inspector, but a friend once did weekly trips for 9 months before it was picked up - despite having bought the tickets at King's Cross and shown the Railcard every time!

I suspect holders of Disabled and Senior Railcards get more discretion shown than YPs.

 

[Swedenorer]

I have been asked to show the card ever since my only entitlement was the Network Card. Staff van be instructed to do this and you never know complying might have got or two posters here out of possible trouble.

 

[Meole]

Which is why ticket offices are on borrowed time....

...and when TVMs implement their own stupid rules (e.g. I used to struggle to get them to sell an off-peak ticket for the following day) you buy online and instantly collect from the same machine that refuses to sell the ticket.

Welcome to Great British Railways - already in breach of trade descriptions legislation !!

What has this to do with GBR ? The regulation regarding rail card production when requested pre dates GBR by rather a long time.

 

[Haywain]

What has this to do with GBR ?

It can't have anything to do with a company that doesn't exist yet.

 

[Coleridge]

I suspect holders of Disabled and Senior Railcards get more discretion shown than YPs.

I would estimate that I am asked to show my Senior Railcard roughly once in every 20 or 25 journeys. My young relatives say that they are almost always asked to show their railcards.

 

[CarltonA]

I've had situation in the past where using my Senior Railcard required me to wait until a given time before the ticket office would sell me an off-peak ticket on the assumption that if they sold me one earlier, I might get on a train that wasn't off-peak. The issue here was that this didn't leave enough time given the queue, to purchase said ticket and get the first off-peak service!

Chiltern clerks (and I suspect, others) had a stamp that stated "not to be used on trains departing before 10:00hrs" which they used if another train was due before the one I was going to catch using my Network Railcard. Not sure if there was a ticket stamp for other time limits.

 

[Meole]

It can't have anything to do with a company that doesn't exist yet.

I am not claiming it has anything to do with GBR.

 

[talldave]

What has this to do with GBR ? The regulation regarding rail card production when requested pre dates GBR by rather a long time.

Everything once they exist. There's no "regulation" - before Railcard purchase there's a "may" (have to show it) and after purchase there's a (cannot purchase) "unless" (you have it).

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Everything once they exist. There's no "regulation" - before Railcard purchase there's a "may" (have to show it) and after purchase there's a (cannot purchase) "unless" (you have it).

But (1) GTR doesn't exist yet and (2) you appear to be speculating that GTR will bring in a requirement to hold a railcard before buying a railcard ticket: are you in a position to confirm that this will happen?

 

[AlterEgo]

But (1) GTR doesn't exist yet and (2) you appear to be speculating that GTR will bring in a requirement to hold a railcard before buying a railcard ticket: are you in a position to confirm that this will happen?

This was discussed recently as it was in the news: https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...additional-checks-when-buying-tickets.299891/

 

[swt_passenger]

Chiltern clerks (and I suspect, others) had a stamp that stated "not to be used on trains departing before 10:00hrs" which they used if another train was due before the one I was going to catch using my Network Railcard. Not sure if there was a ticket stamp for other time limits.

SWT often used a generic “restrictions advised” stamp, if they sold you a fare at the ticket office that wasn’t valid yet.

 

[Willie Bee]

I would estimate that I am asked to show my Senior Railcard roughly once in every 20 or 25 journeys.

me too, but I do look old .. 4 hairs on my head and only three teeth

 

[Fawkes Cat]

me too, but I do look old .. 4 hairs on my head and only three teeth

If it's any help, of the five or so return trips I've made with my senior Railcard, I think it has been checked on 4 of them.

A small sample, but it suggests you have honest faces.

 

[talldave]

But (1) GTR doesn't exist yet and (2) you appear to be speculating that GTR will bring in a requirement to hold a railcard before buying a railcard ticket: are you in a position to confirm that this will happen?

(1) I never mentioned GTR (2) I was slightly tongue-in-cheek referring to the Ts& Cs of my Railcard that says I cannot buy discounted tickets unless I have my Railcard. Whilst observing that these are different Ts & Cs to those on the Railcard website that formed the contract when I purchased it. What I call shambolic.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

(1) I never mentioned GTR

Welcome to Great British Railways - already in breach of trade descriptions legislation !!

Now I read it again, you have a point: I can't type straight.

 

[NeilCr]

I would estimate that I am asked to show my Senior Railcard roughly once in every 20 or 25 journeys. My young relatives say that they are almost always asked to show their railcards.

I had a Senior Railcard for twelve years and was rarely asked to show it. Use trains once or twice a week

Now have a Disabled Railcard (10 months for a not obvious disability). Have had to produce it once at a revenue block. Been through other blocks - ticket only.

 

[fandroid]

If it's any help, of the five or so return trips I've made with my senior Railcard, I think it has been checked on 4 of them.

A small sample, but it suggests you have honest faces.

My experience (with a Senior Railcard) is that it depends on which TOC you travel. On my home SWT/SWR checks have only been occasional but on EMR and predecessors they have just about been 100%.