Ticmet purchased with wrong railcard help

[zakgray98]

I'm looking for some advice on a situation I'm in.

A couple of months ago I bought two advance single tickets and used my 16-25 railcard for them.

This railcard expired in November, I bought a new railcard this week however I also turned 26 this week so I had to buy the 26-30 railcard.

Will I be okay when travelling? I really can't afford the fine but I need to get home for Christmas.

Is there any way I can explain this to the ticket inspector?

Thanks

 

[jfollows]

No, the ticket you bought specifies the type of railcard used for its purchase and this has to be valid at time of travel, which it won’t be. You might get away with it but you need to buy a new ticket, refund the old one and pay a change fee.

 

[crablab]

You might get away with it but you need to buy a new ticket, refund the old one and pay a change fee.

Advance fares are non-refundable and the ticket is invalid without the specified Railcard.
Once purchased, discounts cannot be excessed away or modified. You can only (if permitted) refund the ticket and buy it again with the correct discount applied.

This is particularly perverse when the discounted ticket price would be the same and there is no overall revenue loss to the railway (which is likely to be the case here).

Unfortunately @zakgray98 will need to purchase a new ticket. You could try your luck with the customer services of the TOC you're travelling with and/or the ticket retailer to see what they suggest. I wouldn't hold your breath.

The ticket is transferable though, so if you can find someone else that has a 16-25 Railcard and can use the ticket...

I hadn't really considered this particular failure mode, but it's a good example of another passenger unfriendly aspect of the push towards fixed fares. Might be worth mentioning it here: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/expansion-of-lner-70-min-flex-trial-area-simpler-fares.272643/