Digital vs physical Railcard

daniel1234321 said:

Hi, just found this thread. I'm going to buy a 16-25 railcard and I'm still not sure what to go for (having read all of this thread). I don't carry a wallet but do carry my 16+ oyster card in a wallet case thing, so I could just keep my railcard in there. No one would steal that as it has no real monetary value when compared to my phone. I also carry my phone everywhere but it has died on me (its relatively old so battery has degraded with use) multiple times on rail trips before, so I'm leaning more towards a plastic railcard. Just another thing, how long do plastic railcards take to arrive from online application?

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Just one note of caution. I think your railcard will be OK in with your Oyster card as it does not as far as I am aware have a chip in it. I had problems in the early day of my senior bus pass (not a London pass) as I put it with my Oyster card and this resulted in card clash.

DavidGrain said:

Just one note of caution. I think your railcard will be OK in with your Oyster card as it does not as far as I am aware have a chip in it. I had problems in the early day of my senior bus pass (not a London pass) as I put it with my Oyster card and this resulted in card clash.

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A railcard doesn't clash with an Oyster card. Anything contactless does clash, for example debit cards, Tesco clubcard, etc.

silvercar said:

I've also taken a screenshot of the railcard, just in case the app fails. I know the screenshot isn't a valid railcard but it does make me feel that I can produce evidence if the app fails for any reason.

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How did you manage that? On my phone the railcard app disables screenshotting when the railcard is open. I'm sure I could get around it if I wanted to spend a few hours researching but I haven't been bothered to do it yet.

IanD said:

I have had an online purchased physical Two Together rail card for two years, each year the photos have worn away and been more or less unrecognisable by the end of the year. In fact the image has mostly transferred to the clear plastic part of my railcard wallet. With the most recent one, this happened within the first month and I had to get a replacement which is showing similar properties. They are not as durable as you would expect.

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I've had several plastic 16-25 then a 2Together and they lasted all year just fine. I keep them in my fabric wallet (alongside my bank cards, driving licence and orange card train tickets). Last year I had to buy a 2TR at a station because we had an unplanned trip come up, and to be honest it didn't really degrade the rest of the year.

RJ said:

I'm a fan of the plastic railcards purchased online.

I'd quite like a 26-30 railcard but won't buy it as an app - I want a plastic card version!

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As do I, but for an estimated £500 in savings this year I can live with an app-only railcard.

How did you manage that? On my phone the railcard app disables screenshotting when the railcard is open. I'm sure I could get around it if I wantHow did you manage that? On my phone the railcard app disables screenshotting when the railcard is open. I'm sure I could get around it if I wanted to spend a few hours researching but I haven't been bothered to do it yet.ed to spend a few hours researching but I haven't been bothered to do it yet.

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Took a screenshot and a warning flashed up that screenshots wouldn't be accepted as a valid railcard, but the screenshot still worked. (Iphone 6S)