Family and Friends Query

[Gerald Fiennes]

If I have a season ticket and a family and friends railcard as well, but travel with a child can I just buy one ticket, ie. for the child to travel at the F&F discount and I use my season. I am aware of the quirk on Gold Card Upgrades on this but haven't seen anything re F&F that's similar. In other words, to get the F&F discount must I hold F&F discounted tickets for both the Adult and the Child lor is the Child ticket alone enough...?

 

[island]

As far as I know you need to buy one adult and one child ticket to use the F&F Railcard.

Some TOCs in the London area offer Kids for a Quid tickets which can be used with season tickets.

 

[Romilly]

It's an interesting question. If you look closely at the Terms & Conditions for the F&F railcard, what is proposed does not appear to fall foul of any of the conditions, although it is not something I would have thought to do (but then, when I had both a season ticket and an F&F railcard, I made use of child tickets of the kind island mentions).

And if you try on the East Coast website to book a ticket just for one child with an F&F discount, it says that the selected railcard is not valid for the specified passengers.

Obviously that's not conclusive, because clearly if you have already bought discounted tickets for the cardholder and a child, you may want to buy another discounted child ticket if you later discover that a second child is going to be travelling as well. But it does indicate that some hold the view that what is proposed is not valid.

 

[LexyBoy]

I don't think that this situation was considered when writing the T&Cs. The intention is that there must be a minimum of one adult and one child, both using F&F tickets, to be valid. I would expect problems doing otherwise - if you're willing to argue with the TOC/IPFAS over it then go ahead, but it would be more trouble than it's worth I think.

 

[FGWman]

Yes you can buy a discounted childs ticket and use your season for the journey.

Extract from the full T&C fares manual on line :-

Family & Friends Railcard holders who also hold a Season Ticket

A Customer may present both a Family & Friends Railcard and an Annual Season Ticket and purchase a Child’s discounted price ticket if the journey is over the route covered by the Season ticket. The customer would therefore use their Annual Season Ticket for travel on this journey. Should the customer’s journey deviate from the route of their Annual Season Ticket, further tickets should be purchased for the adult and child as usual.

If a customer shows a Season Ticket valid for less than one year, the customer cannot use their Season Ticket for the journey. The customer must buy both a discounted priced ticket for their use and for a child or children.

 

[gordonthemoron]

I've also done it with a non discounted return and a child single with F&F discount which is much the same. You need to buy it from a ticket office