Railcard - Digital or Plastic?

[Buzby]

means it is a common occurrence with passengers and it seems i am probably in the minority by showing rather than being asked.

Funnily enough, I’ve surmised if you actually look ‘old enough’ for a SR you’ll not be asked, the same goes for the DR. Perhaps these groups usually are not an issue? However, the holders of 16-25/26-30/F&F etc invariably are!

 

[Russel]

Funnily enough, I’ve surmised if you actually look ‘old enough’ for a SR you’ll not be asked, the same goes for the DR. Perhaps these groups usually are not an issue? However, the holders of 16-25/26-30/F&F etc invariably are!

I have an F&F railcard, I've often wondered if, the reason I'm very rarely asked for the railcard is because I have a young, well behaved child with me, so they just assume I have one.

 

[gordonthemoron]

My main concern with the plastic railcards is that the text does wear off if you keep it in your physical wallet all the time, it’s due to the constant contact with the leather and other cards. It would be ideal if you could store a virtual railcard in the Apple of Android wallet, rather than have to use an app, as they don’t disappear from there. Ticketmaster have been able to restrict tickets to a particular device, so why can’t RDG?

 

[ChrisC]

For me with my 3 Year Senior Railcard it’s definitely plastic. For the last 2 years, since I got my ENCTS pass, I keep them both in a small plastic wallet. I’ve had no problems with the text wearing off.

My most regular rail travel is with EMR and I find that they generally do ask to see railcards and so I always have my railcard to show with my ticket. EMR do often make an announcement saying to have all tickets and railcards ready for inspection. I have observed that on other TOCs that I have travelled with that they haven’t been so active in asking to see railcards. I always used to use paper tickets but these days I often purchase my tickets through the forums ticket site and now usually use e-tickets, although if I’m going on a long expensive journey I do also have printed copy of the e-tickets with me. I definitely wouldn’t trust a digital railcard.

 

[nanstallon]

Looking at how people are treated when their smartphone or other device fails to show their ticket and/or railcard, I don't want to go digital. The railway pushes all the risk onto the customer, and are so vicious with prosecuting people who can show that they bought a ticket, but couldn't produce it; you can stuff digital.

 

[Adam Williams]

Looking at how people are treated when their smartphone or other device fails to show their ticket and/or railcard, I don't want to go digital. The railway pushes all the risk onto the customer, and are so vicious with prosecuting people who can show that they bought a ticket, but couldn't produce it; you can stuff digital.

Don't you get one chance a year to be unable to produce evidence of an in-date Railcard and have no further action taken?

I'm not saying I don't agree with your wider point that the industry should do more here (particularly when I find the plug socket provisions on trains to be unreliable at best!) when there's clearly no evidence of any bad intent - but the situation for railcards is at least better than the situation with E-Tickets.

 

[Vespa]

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.

I've only been asked once to show my railcard and that was in first class carriage to Glasgow in 2021, she seemed a very keen conductor must be new to the job, I was surprised but still presented my railcard, she seemed slightly disappointed as she was must have been hoping for a big commission from a full first class ticket.

My main concern with the plastic railcards is that the text does wear off if you keep it in your physical wallet all the time, it’s due to the constant contact with the leather and other cards. It would be ideal if you could store a virtual railcard in the Apple of Android wallet, rather than have to use an app, as they don’t disappear from there. Ticketmaster have been able to restrict tickets to a particular device, so why can’t RDG?

I use a plastic card protector widely available to buy on the internet.

 

[Russel]

Looking at how people are treated when their smartphone or other device fails to show their ticket and/or railcard, I don't want to go digital. The railway pushes all the risk onto the customer, and are so vicious with prosecuting people who can show that they bought a ticket, but couldn't produce it; you can stuff digital.

I usually buy E-tickets where available and I've never had any issues.

The only time my phone ever caused me any issue was on a TFW service, it froze just as I boarded at Chester so I did a reboot, just as the guard decided to do a ticket check, I asked them to come back to me in a minute and they had no issue with that..

 

[MetroPleb]

Genuine question from someone without any railcard - can you print out a copy of a digital railcard as a backup, like you can with E-tickets? Or do they work like M-Tickets where only the app version is valid?

 

[Joe Paxton]

Genuine question from someone without any railcard - can you print out a copy of a digital railcard as a backup, like you can with E-tickets? Or do they work like M-Tickets where only the app version is valid?

No. App only.

 

[yorksrob]

I'd always get a physical railcard where possible. Can't trust all this technological stuff to work when you need it.

 

[Sonic1234]

I'd always get a physical railcard where possible. Can't trust all this technological stuff to work when you need it.

Shame there isn't the choice for the 26-30

 

[eoff]

I have no knowledge of digital tickets and railcard apps but have a question.
Do the apps show you if the ticket is associated with a valid in-date railcard when you either purchase it or are about to present it?

 

[Haywain]

I have no knowledge of digital tickets and railcard apps but have a question.
Do the apps show you if the ticket is associated with a valid in-date railcard when you either purchase it or are about to present it?

How would they know? I have a railcard in the Trainsplit app, but I might buy a ticket from Uber or LNER - there's no link between them.

 

[eoff]

How would they know? I have a railcard in the Trainsplit app, but I might buy a ticket from Uber or LNER - there's no link between them.

It might not have been clear but note the "and" in my post, I'm assuming an app that provides both.

 

[yorksrob]

Shame there isn't the choice for the 26-30

Indeed. They should at least give people the choice what format they have it in, but then we all know that the DfT wants to railroad everyone down the digital route regardless.

 

[MetroPleb]

No. App only.

OK thanks. That would rule out a digital one for me - single point of failure, where said failure could result in hassle, penalties or even prosecution.

In fact it's odd - most retailers have ditched M-tickets in favour of E-tickets - it's virtually an industry standard now - and the collective consensus of this forum was that M-tickets were a bad idea and the move to E-tickets was the sound choice.

Considering a railcard has to last a whole year (rather than most tickets being just a single day), it makes no sense to me to go back to the worse solution for something that has to last longer and is used so many more times.

I'd always get a physical railcard where possible. Can't trust all this technological stuff to work when you need it.

Yes that's my thinking in this case. I'll use tech if there is a backup method, or if it is a short-term solution (eg instant cheap advance single to travel now....), combined with there being no serious consequences of failure... ie criminal offence.

I can't see how we can be assured that the apps, or Android/iOS, won't be fiddled with multiple times over a year and break at some point. It already happened to me with the Northern App when I had an month M-ticket on it - app updated one day, ticket disappeared.

 

[Railguy1]

Not sure if already mentioned but disabled railcard digital version requires a photo and plastic does not (at least from what I remember reading somewhere on the forums).

I'd prefer a system similar to loyalty cards from the shops, where the customer can carry the card in their wallet, keychain OR add them to their digital wallets (Google Wallet etc). They can do all three simultaneously if they choose for several supermarkets! The technology already exists and works seamlessly so I'm not sure why we have to choose one or the other for railcards.

 

[Buzby]

The technology already exists and works seamlessly so I'm not sure why we have to choose one or the other for railcards.

Probably because the loyalty cards are of no cost and have no ‘real’ value. As the Railcards have an attached cost, they are billed at a cost. I do not believe there is any restriction of having one of each (digital & plastic) but they still have to be paid for!

 

[Joe Paxton]

Not sure if already mentioned but disabled railcard digital version requires a photo and plastic does not (at least from what I remember reading somewhere on the forums).

All types of Digital Railcard require a photo - different rules to physical Railcards, only some of which require a photo.

e.g. A printed (ticket office issued) or plastic (sent by post) Network Railcard does not require a photo, but a Digital version thereof needs a photo.

 

[Hadders]

Not sure if already mentioned but disabled railcard digital version requires a photo and plastic does not (at least from what I remember reading somewhere on the forums).

I'd prefer a system similar to loyalty cards from the shops, where the customer can carry the card in their wallet, keychain OR add them to their digital wallets (Google Wallet etc). They can do all three simultaneously if they choose for several supermarkets! The technology already exists and works seamlessly so I'm not sure why we have to choose one or the other for railcards.

The reason you can't do ths is because you could give the physical card to someone else, and use the digital version yourself. You could even distribute multiple digital versions to others which is whyt they have to be held in an app. This isn't an issue for e-tickets becuase they are only valid for one journey and it's possible to see if the ticket has already been scanned.