Stopped without railcard

[hrh2002]

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some advice about a situation that happened recently and I’m really worried about what may happen next.

I was travelling from Hastings to Brighton using a Trainline ticket with an 18–25 Railcard discount. I have always had a physical Railcard, but during the journey I was stopped at Eastbourne by a member of staff. I’m not completely sure whether they were a ticket inspector/revenue protection officer, but they were wearing a black uniform and showed me a badge when speaking to me.

They asked to see my Railcard. I looked through my bag but could not find it, so I told them I did not have it with me. They then started asking me questions, took my ID, and took pictures of my ticket. I was very overwhelmed and distressed by the situation as I found it quite intimidating, but I remained polite and compliant throughout.

One of the questions they asked was something along the lines of whether I could pay for my ticket now, and I said yes. However, I was not given the opportunity to buy a new ticket or pay a penalty/fare there and then.

Straight after this, I called my family at home and asked them to look for my Railcard in my other bags, drawers, etc., but they could not find it. I panicked at the time because I was worried about how I would get home, so I bought a new digital Railcard through the Trainline app. Without really thinking it through, I then went onto the website shown on the witness statement receipt (which they said to submit my old railcard to) and entered the reference number, uploading only a screenshot of the new Railcard and not adding any further explanation in the text box.

Since returning from my trip, I have searched everywhere for my original physical Railcard and still cannot find it. I now think this was probably massive ignorance on my part, and knowing my luck the Railcard may have expired if I had thrown it out without realising. My aunt used to work for the railway until a few months ago, and I originally got my Railcard through her, so I think I may have just assumed everything was fine without properly checking which I know is 100% my fault.

I understand this is my responsibility and I should have checked that I had a valid Railcard with me before travelling. The difference in fare appears to have only been around £3.50, but I realise that travelling with a discounted ticket without being able to show the Railcard is still an issue.

I have never been in trouble for anything like this before, and the whole situation is really stressing me out. I’m worried that by uploading the new Railcard without explaining properly, I may have made things worse, even though I was panicking and did not intend to mislead anyone.

Does anyone know what is likely to happen next, and whether there is anything I should do now? Should I wait for the train company to contact me, or should I try to send a further explanation? Any advice would be really appreciated.

 

[signed]

Getting a new railcard is a good showing but giving your new railcard is not really

In any case, it will take a few weeks for them to go back to you with a letter in the mail, when it happens post a redacted version here and we'll advise you on the reply as needed

 

[hrh2002]

Getting a new railcard is a good showing but giving your new railcard is not really

In any case, it will take a few weeks for them to go back to you with a letter in the mail, when it happens post a redacted version here and we'll advise you on the reply as needed

Thanks for the reply, I'll make sure to do that.

It's really panicked me how much it's plastered everywhere about conviction. Like I said, I know it was very much my mistake and that even if I had my railcard it probably would've been out of date due to my ignorance. Are first time instances like this usually progressed that far and quickly?

Like I said above I was very compliant and polite, never questioned or resisted anything and would obviously do the same right now. Just all very worrying from my own stupid mistake

 

[James H]

When you say you obtained your railcard through your aunt, what does that actually mean? Did you pay for it yourself? Was it a plastic railcard delivered through the post or one printed on card obtained via a ticket office? If you paid for it you could probably work out whether it was in date or not by finding a receipt/confirmation in your email or on a bank statement, depending on the exact method of purchase.

At the least, it would make it clearer whether it's still worth trying to find the missing railcard or not

 

[hrh2002]

When you say you obtained your railcard through your aunt, what does that actually mean? Did you pay for it yourself? Was it a plastic railcard or one printed on card? If you paid for it you could probably work out whether it was in date or not by finding a receipt/confirmation in your email or on a bank statement, depending on the exact method of purchase.

At the least, it would make it clearer whether it's still worth trying to find the missing railcard or not

Hi James

She would've been working in the ticket office and I would've gone and paid for it. From memory it was a plastic card but I don't use the trains very often (hence the assumption it was just in my bag). I have tried to look back for a purchase of this card on my banking but I'm 99% sure it was with cash as I cannot find anything.

 

[WesternLancer]

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some advice about a situation that happened recently and I’m really worried about what may happen next.

I was travelling from Hastings to Brighton using a Trainline ticket with an 18–25 Railcard discount. I have always had a physical Railcard, but during the journey I was stopped at Eastbourne by a member of staff. I’m not completely sure whether they were a ticket inspector/revenue protection officer, but they were wearing a black uniform and showed me a badge when speaking to me.

They asked to see my Railcard. I looked through my bag but could not find it, so I told them I did not have it with me. They then started asking me questions, took my ID, and took pictures of my ticket. I was very overwhelmed and distressed by the situation as I found it quite intimidating, but I remained polite and compliant throughout.

One of the questions they asked was something along the lines of whether I could pay for my ticket now, and I said yes. However, I was not given the opportunity to buy a new ticket or pay a penalty/fare there and then.

Straight after this, I called my family at home and asked them to look for my Railcard in my other bags, drawers, etc., but they could not find it. I panicked at the time because I was worried about how I would get home, so I bought a new digital Railcard through the Trainline app. Without really thinking it through, I then went onto the website shown on the witness statement receipt (which they said to submit my old railcard to) and entered the reference number, uploading only a screenshot of the new Railcard and not adding any further explanation in the text box.

Since returning from my trip, I have searched everywhere for my original physical Railcard and still cannot find it. I now think this was probably massive ignorance on my part, and knowing my luck the Railcard may have expired if I had thrown it out without realising. My aunt used to work for the railway until a few months ago, and I originally got my Railcard through her, so I think I may have just assumed everything was fine without properly checking which I know is 100% my fault.

I understand this is my responsibility and I should have checked that I had a valid Railcard with me before travelling. The difference in fare appears to have only been around £3.50, but I realise that travelling with a discounted ticket without being able to show the Railcard is still an issue.

I have never been in trouble for anything like this before, and the whole situation is really stressing me out. I’m worried that by uploading the new Railcard without explaining properly, I may have made things worse, even though I was panicking and did not intend to mislead anyone.

Does anyone know what is likely to happen next, and whether there is anything I should do now? Should I wait for the train company to contact me, or should I try to send a further explanation? Any advice would be really appreciated.

welcome - there is little point in uploading the new railcard you bought after the incident - because that simply confirms that you didn't have one when you travelled.

I assume you have now searched thoroughly enough to have given up hope of finding the old Railcard you thought you had (which might possibly have been valid but you aren't sure) - it sounds like it was a 16-25 Railcard (not 18-25 but minor point)

If you think your auntie might have bought it for you might she have kept the receipt for buying it? Did she buy it on line or at a ticket office? If at a ticket office they usually stamp the form and give you that back as part of the receipt (this is so that is you lose the railcard during it's validity, or if it was stolen, you can get a replacement. It might be worth asking your aunt about it, when she bought it, how etc.
If it was a digital one you would have had to load it on to your phone so as to be able to show it on inspection but it does not sound like you did that - hence my thinking it was a physical railcard from a ticket office. EDIT : Apols - I see you state originally it was a physical one.

Before you respond to the railway in any way it's worth asking your aunt about that sort of thing. She may also recall when it was bought? - they are usually annual so if she can recall when she/you bought it you can work out when it might have expired or if it may still be valid (you can get some 3 year versions however for some railcards)

As to what will happen next this general advice on the forum will help you get an idea of what will happen and how to respond to it - bear in mind this is general advice so covers all sorts of ticketing errors in general including deliberate evasion - which isn't where you are at - you can also look through lots of other threads where people have been unable to show their railcard / it had expired without them realising - to see how things typically play out

It's sometimes suggested on here that when people can't upload a valid railcard then they can try and get ahead of things by uploading a short letter saying why they can't upload the valid one and apologising - if that is an option you want to do after you have talked with your aunt about any purchase records she has - then no doubt people can help you with a draft. (NB - this is if you were given anything at the time requesting you to upload your railcard? Did that happen?)

Here is that general advice:


Firstly, you committed a criminal offence by travelling with an invalid ticket and railway companies are entitled to prosecute you in the Magistrates Court if they want to. The good news is they will normally offer an out of court settlement to people who co-operate with them and who haven't come to their attention before.

Next, what happens is the railway company will write to you. The letter will go to the address that you gave them / on any of your ID they checked so you need to be able to access hard copy post at that address as they often send things that way (but also check e-mail and spam). It is extremely important that you reply, and you'll only have a limited time to do so (often 14 days from the date on their communication).

When you receive the letter post a redacted copy of it in this thread, along with your draft reply and forum members will proof read it for you. You'll find lots of example letters you can use in this section of the forum but the reply basically needs to mention:

- That you are sorry for what has happened
- What you have learned from the incident and will not do this again
- That you are keen to settle the matter without the need for court action
- Offer to pay the outstanding fare and the railway company’s administrative costs in dealing with the matter

The railway will probably offer you an out of court settlement. Expect to have to pay the cost of the fare for the journey you made at the full Anytime rate with no credit given for the invalid ticket you purchased. In addition they will charge an admin fee, typically £150. They will also audit your online ticket purchase history and if this shows you've purchased other tickets that were not valid (eg railcard discounted tickets when you did not have a valid railcard, or tickets for only part of the journey, or tickets bought after boarding the train you travelled on ) they will probably factor the cost of these journeys into the settlement offer. Depending on how many journeys you've made over the period concerned this could end up being expensive.

Settlements usually have to be paid in full within a few days of them being offered so if money is tight you might want to think about how you will raise the sum required at short notice.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Jul 2026 ==

Hi James

She would've been working in the ticket office and I would've gone and paid for it. From memory it was a plastic card but I don't use the trains very often (hence the assumption it was just in my bag). I have tried to look back for a purchase of this card on my banking but I'm 99% sure it was with cash as I cannot find anything.

probably just a case then of asking your aunt if she can recall the approx. date of purchase just to rule it in or our as to if worth looking further for it. Two minds being better than one as it were.

If your aunt was the ticket office staff member that issued it she will have certainly given you the receipt slip (they fill it in by hand and rubber stamp it with an official railway ticket office stamp showing date and place of purchase - it's not from the till - it's a page in the booklet that you apply with if you get one over the counter at a ticket office) - which is not to say you didn't then discard it....

See what she says when you speak to her about it - then depending on that we can take it from there in terms of what it's best for you to do now (which might be do nothing until you receive their formal letter)

You can quite easily avoid prosecution for this with Southern so long as you get their letter in due course and respond to it appropriately.

 

[hrh2002]

welcome - there is little point in uploading the new railcard you bought after the incident - because that simply confirms that you didn't have one when you travelled.

I assume you have now searched thoroughly enough to have given up hope of finding the old Railcard you thought you had (which might possibly have been valid but you aren't sure) - it sounds like it was a 16-25 Railcard (not 18-25 but minor point)

If you think your auntie might have bought it for you might she have kept the receipt for buying it? Did she buy it on line or at a ticket office? If at a ticket office they usually stamp the form and give you that back as part of the receipt (this is so that is you lose the railcard during it's validity, or if it was stolen, you can get a replacement. It might be worth asking your aunt about it, when she bought it, how etc.
If it was a digital one you would have had to load it on to your phone so as to be able to show it on inspection but it does not sound like you did that - hence my thinking it was a physical railcard from a ticket office. EDIT : Apols - I see you state originally it was a physical one.

Before you respond to the railway in any way it's worth asking your aunt about that sort of thing. She may also recall when it was bought? - they are usually annual so if she can recall when she/you bought it you can work out when it might have expired or if it may still be valid (you can get some 3 year versions however for some railcards)

As to what will happen next this general advice on the forum will help you get an idea of what will happen and how to respond to it - bear in mind this is general advice so covers all sorts of ticketing errors in general including deliberate evasion - which isn't where you are at - you can also look through lots of other threads where people have been unable to show their railcard / it had expired without them realising - to see how things typically play out

It's sometimes suggested on here that when people can't upload a valid railcard then they can try and get ahead of things by uploading a short letter saying why they can't upload the valid one and apologising - if that is an option you want to do after you have talked with your aunt about any purchase records she has - then no doubt people can help you with a draft. (NB - this is if you were given anything at the time requesting you to upload your railcard? Did that happen?)

Here is that general advice:


Firstly, you committed a criminal offence by travelling with an invalid ticket and railway companies are entitled to prosecute you in the Magistrates Court if they want to. The good news is they will normally offer an out of court settlement to people who co-operate with them and who haven't come to their attention before.

Next, what happens is the railway company will write to you. The letter will go to the address that you gave them / on any of your ID they checked so you need to be able to access hard copy post at that address as they often send things that way (but also check e-mail and spam). It is extremely important that you reply, and you'll only have a limited time to do so (often 14 days from the date on their communication).

When you receive the letter post a redacted copy of it in this thread, along with your draft reply and forum members will proof read it for you. You'll find lots of example letters you can use in this section of the forum but the reply basically needs to mention:

- That you are sorry for what has happened
- What you have learned from the incident and will not do this again
- That you are keen to settle the matter without the need for court action
- Offer to pay the outstanding fare and the railway company’s administrative costs in dealing with the matter

The railway will probably offer you an out of court settlement. Expect to have to pay the cost of the fare for the journey you made at the full Anytime rate with no credit given for the invalid ticket you purchased. In addition they will charge an admin fee, typically £150. They will also audit your online ticket purchase history and if this shows you've purchased other tickets that were not valid (eg railcard discounted tickets when you did not have a valid railcard, or tickets for only part of the journey, or tickets bought after boarding the train you travelled on ) they will probably factor the cost of these journeys into the settlement offer. Depending on how many journeys you've made over the period concerned this could end up being expensive.

Settlements usually have to be paid in full within a few days of them being offered so if money is tight you might want to think about how you will raise the sum required at short notice.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Jul 2026 ==


probably just a case then of asking your aunt if she can recall the approx. date of purchase just to rule it in or our as to if worth looking further for it. Two minds being better than one as it were.

If your aunt was the ticket office staff member that issued it she will have certainly given you the receipt slip (they fill it in by hand and rubber stamp it with an official railway ticket office stamp showing date and place of purchase - it's not from the till - it's a page in the booklet that you apply with if you get one over the counter at a ticket office) - which is not to say you didn't then discard it....

See what she says when you speak to her about it - then depending on that we can take it from there in terms of what it's best for you to do now (which might be do nothing until you receive their formal letter)

You can quite easily avoid prosecution for this with Southern so long as you get their letter in due course and respond to it appropriately.

Thank you very much for your help.

I have spoken to her, and unfortunately she cannot remember when it was that I came in (as she saw plenty of people every day, her words!) so not much help there.

And being a part of stupid Gen Z I'm 99% sure any paperwork or receipts would be long gone by now. I quite literally searched everywhere for anything related to it and found nothing. I think when switching or clearing out my bag I probably just tossed it without thinking, which is clearly my own fault.

It was the thameslinkrailway website I had to submit the 'in date' rail card to. Like I've said I know this is 100% my fault and I am happy to pay any difference, fee's, fines etc. I just can't believe I've done something so stupid due to ignorance!

 

[WesternLancer]

Thank you very much for your help.

I have spoken to her, and unfortunately she cannot remember when it was that I came in (as she saw plenty of people every day, her words!) so not much help there.

And being a part of stupid Gen Z I'm 99% sure any paperwork or receipts would be long gone by now. I quite literally searched everywhere for anything related to it and found nothing. I think when switching or clearing out my bag I probably just tossed it without thinking, which is clearly my own fault.

It was the thameslinkrailway website I had to submit the 'in date' rail card to. Like I've said I know this is 100% my fault and I am happy to pay any difference, fee's, fines etc. I just can't believe I've done something so stupid due to ignorance!

OK - so on basis that you are not going to find it
are you minded to:

a) try to upload a short letter now explaining why you can't upload a valid railcard (ie that you have lost it and do not have any proof of purchase either), apologise for this, mention you have now bought a new railcard, and ask them to contact you about next seps to resolve matters

What is the deadline by which they wanted something uploading? and do you have a ref number etc on whatever you were given when interviewed on your journey?

or

b) do nothing now and wait for them to contact you which will ultimately happen as a consequence of you not unloading anything, and deal with it then.

If (a) - have a go at drafting something up and post it here for checking before you upload it.

 

[AlterEgo]

How was the original railcard purchased? You say it was through your mother - does she not have a receipt or email confirmation?

 

[hrh2002]

OK - so on basis that you are not going to find it
are you minded to:

a) try to upload a short letter now explaining why you can't upload a valid railcard (ie that you have lost it and do not have any proof of purchase either), apologise for this, mention you have now bought a new railcard, and ask them to contact you about next seps to resolve matters

What is the deadline by which they wanted something uploading? and do you have a ref number etc on whatever you were given when interviewed on your journey?

or

b) do nothing now and wait for them to contact you which will ultimately happen as a consequence of you not unloading anything, and deal with it then.

If (a) - have a go at drafting something up and post it here for checking before you upload it.

On the receipt they gave me there was a portal to submit a screenshot of my railcard and also a free text box.

As mentioned above, at the time in a panic I bought a new railcard, submitted the picture and nothing in the text box. I can look to see if it will let me resubmit? I did get a reference number and I believe they said within 14 days. I will see if it will allow me to upload anything, then will draft something. Thank you

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Jul 2026 ==

How was the original railcard purchased? You say it was through your mother - does she not have a receipt or email confirmation?

It was not my mother, but my aunt. Who used to work for the railway.

 

[WesternLancer]

How was the original railcard purchased? You say it was through your mother - does she not have a receipt or email confirmation?

see post #5 and 7 - sounds unlikely that the OPs aunt has any details and it was possibly bought with cash.

 

[hrh2002]

OK - so on basis that you are not going to find it
are you minded to:

a) try to upload a short letter now explaining why you can't upload a valid railcard (ie that you have lost it and do not have any proof of purchase either), apologise for this, mention you have now bought a new railcard, and ask them to contact you about next seps to resolve matters

What is the deadline by which they wanted something uploading? and do you have a ref number etc on whatever you were given when interviewed on your journey?

or

b) do nothing now and wait for them to contact you which will ultimately happen as a consequence of you not unloading anything, and deal with it then.

If (a) - have a go at drafting something up and post it here for checking before you upload it.

I'm yet to see if I can resubmit, but how does something like this sound?

Dear Prosecutions Team,

I am writing in relation to reference [I'll put my number here].

I sincerely apologise for travelling without being able to produce my Railcard when requested. I fully accept that it was my responsibility to ensure I had it with me before travelling.

Following the incident, I asked my family to search for my physical Railcard so that I could upload it as requested. Unfortunately, despite their efforts and my own searches since returning home, I have been unable to locate it and therefore cannot provide it.

As I was travelling again the following day, I purchased a new digital 16–25 Railcard and uploaded it to the portal. I appreciate that this does not apply to the journey in question, but I wanted to ensure I was fully compliant going forward.

I am very sorry for my mistake and would be grateful if you could let me know the next steps so that I can resolve this matter.

 

[Haywain]

I have never been in trouble for anything like this before, and the whole situation is really stressing me out.

Really, try not to worry about it too much. You can't turn the clock back and, in a way, you couldn't have chosen a better train company to have this problem with. GTR settle in almost all cases and do so at much more reasonable rates than other train companies. It is also not the case that they look at ticket buying history in every case. If you can't provide evidence of an in-date railcard this is not likely to be to financially punishing.

 

[hrh2002]

Really, try not to worry about it too much. You can't turn the clock back and, in a way, you couldn't have chosen a better train company to have this problem with. GTR settle in almost all cases and do so at much more reasonable rates than other train companies. It is also not the case that they look at ticket buying history in every case. If you can't provide evidence of an in-date railcard this is not likely to be to financially punishing.

Thank you very much for this, I will try to let it keep my mind at ease. Have definitely learned to be more observant of these things now!

 

[WesternLancer]

I'm yet to see if I can resubmit, but how does something like this sound?

Dear Prosecutions Team,

I am writing in relation to reference [I'll put my number here].

I sincerely apologise for travelling without being able to produce my Railcard when requested. I fully accept that it was my responsibility to ensure I had it with me before travelling.

Following the incident, I asked my family to search for my physical Railcard so that I could upload it as requested. Unfortunately, despite their efforts and my own searches since returning home, I have been unable to locate it and therefore cannot provide it.

As I was travelling again the following day, I purchased a new digital 16–25 Railcard and uploaded it to the portal. I appreciate that this does not apply to the journey in question, but I wanted to ensure I was fully compliant going forward.

I am very sorry for my mistake and would be grateful if you could let me know the next steps so that I can resolve this matter.

Looking good - some minor suggestions from me that I have added in - hope these are clear below - might be worth you waiting 24 hours for others to comment if you are not up against the uploading deadline

Given it looks like you already uploaded the new Railcard it's possible that if you upload this now it might get ignored - don't be too concerned about that - if you subsequently get a formal letter from them (usually hard coy) likely entitled 'Notice of Intention to Prosecute' which is written in such a way to make people take it seriously, then you can respond to that with pretty much the same text as below, assuming that letter is in the standard format that you can find in numerous threads on here involving Southern / Thameslink.

- Include your postal address and e-mail address on it (and then watch out for responses by post / e-mail / check spam)
- Probably best if you can sign it (scanned signature inserted maybe or printed, signed and scan uploaded)
- alternatively if the upload does not work here is their postal address. They do not accept mitigation letters like this by e-mail (if you post it and want to be sure it was delivered then use Royal Mail Tracked 48 from a post office):
Prosecutions Department
Govia Thameslink Railway
Eastside Offices
Kings Cross Railway Station
London N1C 4AX.



Dear Revenue Protection & Prosecutions Team,

I am writing in relation to reference [I'll put my number here].

On x date at y location I was questioned about my ticket validity and was unable to show a valid railcard. I believed it was at home and I was asked to upload a copy.

Following the incident, I asked my family to search for my physical Railcard so that I could upload it as requested. Unfortunately, despite their efforts and my own searches since returning home, I have been unable to locate it and therefore cannot provide it now.

Please be assured I had no intention to avoid paying the proper fare.

I sincerely apologise for travelling without being able to produce my Railcard when requested. I fully accept that it was my responsibility to ensure I had it with me before travelling.

As I was travelling again the following day, I purchased a new digital 16–25 Railcard (insert Railcard serial number) and uploaded it to the portal. I appreciate that this does not apply to the journey in question, but I wanted to ensure I was fully compliant going forward.

I am very sorry for my mistake and would be grateful if you could let me know the next steps so that I can resolve this matter. I would be happy to make a prompt payment of any fare owed in respect of this matter.

Yours faithfully

 

[SECR 65]

I'm yet to see if I can resubmit, but how does something like this sound?

Dear Prosecutions Team,

I am writing in relation to reference [I'll put my number here].

I sincerely apologise for travelling without being able to produce my Railcard when requested. I fully accept that it was my responsibility to ensure I had it with me before travelling.

Following the incident, I asked my family to search for my physical Railcard so that I could upload it as requested. Unfortunately, despite their efforts and my own searches since returning home, I have been unable to locate it and therefore cannot provide it.

As I was travelling again the following day, I purchased a new digital 16–25 Railcard and uploaded it to the portal. I appreciate that this does not apply to the journey in question, but I wanted to ensure I was fully compliant going forward.

I am very sorry for my mistake and would be grateful if you could let me know the next steps so that I can resolve this matter.

If it were me (this is not 'absolute' criticism - you and others may feel differently to me) I would just mention about searching for the railcard yourself. Even though what you've said makes perfect sense, the railway take any opportunity possible to interpret things incorrectly. So personally I would ommit the part about family members checking. We don't want them to think it was a family member's railcard or anything! You never know..... some of the things they think....

 

[WesternLancer]

If it were me (this is not 'absolute' criticism - you and others may feel differently to me) I would just mention about searching for the railcard yourself. Even though what you've said makes perfect sense, the railway take any opportunity possible to interpret things incorrectly. So personally I would ommit the part about family members checking. We don't want them to think it was a family member's railcard or anything! You never know..... some of the things they think....

good idea I'd say. Simplifies it too.

could amend that sentence to : " Following the incident, I attempted to find the Railcard so that I could upload it as requested. Unfortunately, I have been unable to locate it and therefore cannot provide it. "