Railcard - Digital or Plastic?

[Par]

Definitely in the digital category.

The last two Railcards I've bought (Two Together) have been discounted by purchasing online and have been instantly fulfilled digitally (most recently using a code from O2 which brought the cost down to a tenner). No worries about loss of a phone or battery life because this is a joint Railcard, we have it installed on two phones.

Doesn't need Wi-Fi either (its a misconception that it does).

 

[Watershed]

Doesn't need Wi-Fi either (its a misconception that it does).

It's not a misconception at all, although the details vary by app. For the official one, AIUI you need to have opened the app in the last 72 hours whilst having a working internet connection, otherwise the Railcard will not display.

If you don't do this and have no/dodgy signal when you're asked to show your Railcard (as is the case on a significant proportion of the network), good luck...

 

[Par]

It's not a misconception at all, although the details vary by app. For the official one, AIUI you need to have opened the app in the last 72 hours whilst having a working internet connection, otherwise the Railcard will not display.

If you don't do this and have no/dodgy signal when you're asked to show your Railcard (as is the case on a significant proportion of the network), good luck...

Quite, so you don’t need a connection as I said.

 

[jfollows]

Quite, so you don’t need a connection as I said.

I interpret @Watershed 's post above yours to say that I do need a connection unless I've opened the "app" recently, which would be very unlikely in my case. And, yes, it'd be unusual for me to be unable to make such a connection on my ‘phone but it'd still be a reason not to want such a railcard.

EDIT Unless I made a point of opening the app before leaving home each time, of course, but that’s just silly.

 

[Caersws]

Well my senior railcard is good old fashioned paper in a blue wallet. I keep it with my credit cards so always able to comply with ticket checks. I think that the plastic option hasn’t come to rural Wales yet.

Never had a problem with fading as long as I keep it in the wallet. And fully easily recyclable.

also….rarely do I get asked for my card, I think they just see an old fart and figure I must have one.

 

[jfollows]

Well my senior railcard is good old fashioned paper in a blue wallet. I keep it with my credit cards so always able to comply with ticket checks. I think that the plastic option hasn’t come to rural Wales yet.

Never had a problem with fading as long as I keep it in the wallet. And fully easily recyclable.

also….rarely do I get asked for my card, I think they just see an old fart and figure I must have one.

Unless you’re saying that you don’t get post delivered to you in Wales then you definitely have a plastic option!
But I also agree that I rarely get asked for my railcard either, I like to think I’m a youthful 63.

 

[Caersws]

Unless you’re saying that you don’t get post delivered to you in Wales then you definitely have a plastic option!
But I also agree that I rarely get asked for my railcard either, I like to think I’m a youthful 63.

Ah I see, I have always bought my pass at the Machynlleth or Aberystwyth ticket counter. I had not considered by post so fair point.

 

[Par]

I interpret @Watershed 's post above yours to say that I do need a connection unless I've opened the "app" recently, which would be very unlikely in my case. And, yes, it'd be unusual for me to be unable to make such a connection on my ‘phone but it'd still be a reason not to want such a railcard.

EDIT Unless I made a point of opening the app before leaving home each time, of course, but that’s just silly.

It’s not silly at all. It’s what I do.

I have a tab open on my phone showing the Railcard and another with the digital e-tickets. It‘s just the digital equivalent of checking you have an orange CCST ticket in one section of your folding blue wallet and the Railcard in another, perfectly sensible, but I can fully understand why some prefer the physical approach.

Regarding needing a Wi-Fi connection, then answer this question:- “Is it possible to display a digital Railcard on a phone without a Wi-Fi connection?”

If the answer to that question is yes, then you don’t need a connection, although it might well be advantageous for some individuals to have one.

 

[Russel]

For me, Digital.

One less thing to clutter up my wallet, with most store loyalty cards now also available to add to a Google Pay wallet, I rarely carry my physical wallet.

I know there is the argument that I could loose my phone or have it stolen or the battery could die, but I could also loose or have my wallet stolen, I my card could slip out onto the floor, so for me, that is a mute point.

 

[Watershed]

Regarding needing a Wi-Fi connection, then answer this question:- “Is it possible to display a digital Railcard on a phone without a Wi-Fi connection?”

If the answer to that question is yes, then you don’t need a connection, although it might well be advantageous for some individuals to have one.

I think you're missing the point. The answer is only sometimes yes (if you have opened the app with an internet connection in the recent pass).

It is sometimes (often) no, and that is highly problematic.

 

[infobleep]

It’s not silly at all. It’s what I do.

I have a tab open on my phone showing the Railcard and another with the digital e-tickets. It‘s just the digital equivalent of checking you have an orange CCST ticket in one section of your folding blue wallet and the Railcard in another, perfectly sensible, but I can fully understand why some prefer the physical approach.

Regarding needing a Wi-Fi connection, then answer this question:- “Is it possible to display a digital Railcard on a phone without a Wi-Fi connection?”

If the answer to that question is yes, then you don’t need a connection, although it might well be advantageous for some individuals to have one.

Here is a similar question:
Is it possible to display a digital Railcard on a phone without a Wi-Fi connection when you haven't opened the app in 72 hours?

What do you think the answer is?

Here is a clue. I just switched my phone to in-flight mode, causing the loss of the cricket I was listening to, and then I went to the trip.com app I had installed, having not opened it for several weeks.

I have travelled regularly in that time with tickets containing a Network Rail Card discount, and there isn't mobile data along the whole length of the journeys I make.

 

[1D54]

But I also agree that I rarely get asked for my railcard either, I like to think I’m a youthful 63.

In that case people are not doing their jobs in the correct manner no matter how youthful you look.

 

[ess]

it would be so much better if digital railcards could be added to your Apple Wallet. If - for example - you buy your railcard from Trip.com then your railcard will be hidden away four clicks into the app and is really hard to find. Meanwhile your actual ticket can be easily saved in the Apple wallet.

 

[stadler]

I always get a paper CCST railcard from the ticket office. I have always found it to be a great option. They give you a ticket wallet so it keeps in good condition. You do not have to worry about phone battery. So my preference would always be getting the CCST railcard from the ticket office.

 

[1D54]

Would be better if you could also purchase a 3 year one though.

 

[eoff]

it would be so much better if digital railcards could be added to your Apple Wallet. If - for example - you buy your railcard from Trip.com then your railcard will be hidden away four clicks into the app and is really hard to find. Meanwhile your actual ticket can be easily saved in the Apple wallet.

I have never wanted a digital railcard but just assumed it would work with apple wallet if I got one.

 

[John Luxton]

Plastic for me.

Been into technology since the early 1980s ever since I bought a BBC Micro. Even taught ICT at school for many years so not afraid of tech.

BUT i do prefer a physical card so when I retired a few years ago and took out a Senior Railcard it had to be the plastic one.

Phones can malfunction and I don't want to be faffing with a phone.

For the same reason I prefer paper tickets either bought at the station or online and downloaded as PDF.

Interestingly though I do keep my railcard in my phone case as I reckon that is the safest place for it as I always keep it in my shirt pocket when out as I can feel its prescence and know it is always there.

 

[rs101]

Here is a similar question:
Is it possible to display a digital Railcard on a phone without a Wi-Fi connection when you haven't opened the app in 72 hours?

What do you think the answer is?

Here is a clue. I just switched my phone to in-flight mode, causing the loss of the cricket I was listening to, and then I went to the trip.com app I had installed, having not opened it for several weeks.

I have travelled regularly in that time with tickets containing a Network Rail Card discount, and there isn't mobile data along the whole length of the journeys I make.

I've got a digital Network Railcard (purchased from railcard.co.uk). Haven't opened the app for several weeks, so switched to flight mode and opened it. Displayed my railcard without any problems..

 

[swing]

Some of the historic problems posted with displaying digital railcards have been in the scenario of having a mobile connection, but where it was so intermittent / weak that data was only partially working. In that scenario, it seemed that some of the apps tried to refresh the railcard information from the server, but that refresh failed, leaving the traveller with no railcard being displayed / an error message. Having flight mode enabled doesn't test this scenario, as the app knows it does not have a connection, so doesn't try a refresh.

[I've used the past tense, as I'm not aware whether or not the railcard apps have addressed this issue]

 

[MrJeeves]

In that scenario, it seemed that some of the apps tried to refresh the railcard information from the server, but that refresh failed, leaving the traveller with no railcard being displayed / an error message.

This was something explicitly considered with the TrainSplit apps.

Android specifically will fall back to local data if it fails to read the response from the server over the internet within 5 seconds or fails to establish a connection back to the server within 2 seconds.

 

[Russel]

In that case people are not doing their jobs in the correct manner no matter how youthful you look.

From personal experience, it appears to be almost standard procedure not to ask to see a the railcard, I'm struggling to recall when I was last asked to show mine.

 

[StoneRoad]

I find the plastic quite adequate, thank you.
Keeping hold of my railcard is the same as not losing my driving licence / bank card.
I don't have a suitable phone, and at least one of the routes I travel on fairly often has zilch phone reception in several areas !

 

[1D54]

From personal experience, it appears to be almost standard procedure not to ask to see a the railcard, I'm struggling to recall when I was last asked to show mine.

Why would you not produce it for inspection when showing ticket?

 

[infobleep]

it would be so much better if digital railcards could be added to your Apple Wallet. If - for example - you buy your railcard from Trip.com then your railcard will be hidden away four clicks into the app and is really hard to find. Meanwhile your actual ticket can be easily saved in the Apple wallet.

That might encourage you not to book more tickets through trip.com.

Why would you not produce it for inspection when showing ticket?

You don't think of it.

 

[Russel]

Why would you not produce it for inspection when showing ticket?

Honestly, I can't be bothered.

I'll show it when asked, but given 9 times out of 10 I'm not asked, why would I go to the effort of opening the app?

 

[eoff]

Why would you not produce it for inspection when showing ticket?

Funnily enough in all my recent long-distance journeys where I had a ticket purchased with my railcard (TPE and LNER) I remembered to put my ticket in my pocket but the railcard was in my coat in the rack when the inspector came by.

 

[Red Onion]

Plastic for me, as barring it being lost, it cannot fail. It’s the same reason I always opt for paper tickets where possible (also because scotrail have that awful m-ticket thing!). No battery, signal or anything else like that needed.

 

[riverhexes]

I used to have digital but have switched to physical and for me its more peace of mind of not having to worry about if my devices are charged. I was once charging my phone as I walked to the station but unknown to me it wasn't charging because of the cold. Once I stepped into the warmth of the train having bought the more expensive ticket my phone suddenly started cooperating.

 

[Buzby]

Why would you not produce it for inspection when showing ticket?

As others have mentioned, not all inspectors want or require it to be shown, so I go with the flow. It’s available if asked for, but it’s a rare occurrence.

 

[1D54]

The amount of trains i catch and hear the TM saying " have you got your railcard" when carrying out inspections means it is a common occurrence with passengers and it seems i am probably in the minority by showing rather than being asked.