• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Jobcentre Plus travel discount card

Status
Not open for further replies.

Harlesden

Member
Joined
23 Jun 2010
Messages
968
Location
LONDON NW10
I would be interested to know if any NR (or LUL) ticket office or inspection staff have seen one of these cards.
I am theoretically entitled to one as it would be very helpful with job searching throughout Greater London. However, staff at Wood Green Job Centre claim to not know anything about this card and one member of staff went as far as to imply I was imagining it.
It is a direct replacement for the New Deal and New Deal 50+ travel concessions.
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

pemma

Veteran Member
Joined
23 Jan 2009
Messages
31,474
Location
Knutsford
The following information may be of use:
Transport for London said:
You can apply for a Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card if you are claiming one of the following:

Jobseekers Allowance: if you're aged 18-24 and have been unemployed for six to nine months
Jobseekers Allowance: if you're 25 or over and have been unemployed for six to 12 months
Incapacity Benefit, Employment and Support Allowance or Income Support: if you're actively engaged with an adviser in returning to employment
You can then travel at reduced rates in London when looking for work.

Holders of existing New Deal photocards can continue to use them and buy discounted travel until their expiry date.
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/14423.aspx

If you got put on to the New Deal programme you used to get allocated a New Deal advisor and he or she used to sort it out with non-New Deal advisers probably unaware of the New Deal railcard.
 

hantsman1205

Member
Joined
11 Nov 2011
Messages
116
I would be interested to know if any NR (or LUL) ticket office or inspection staff have seen one of these cards.
I am theoretically entitled to one as it would be very helpful with job searching throughout Greater London. However, staff at Wood Green Job Centre claim to not know anything about this card and one member of staff went as far as to imply I was imagining it.
It is a direct replacement for the New Deal and New Deal 50+ travel concessions.


It does exist, I think its quite new, alot of Job centre's don't know about alot of things :oops:
 

wintonian

Established Member
Joined
15 Jan 2010
Messages
4,889
Location
Hampshire
50% discount on most standard class fares inc seasons and can be added to Oyster pay as you go.

They are issued by Jobcenter Plus so they should know about it.


Used to have one of the older yellow New Deal ones about 10 years ago.
 

Attachments

  • jplus.gif
    jplus.gif
    92.2 KB · Views: 66

Solent&Wessex

Established Member
Joined
9 Jul 2009
Messages
2,683
The following information may be of use:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/14423.aspx

Holders of existing New Deal photocards can continue to use them and buy discounted travel until their expiry date.

If you got put on to the New Deal programme you used to get allocated a New Deal advisor and he or she used to sort it out with non-New Deal advisers probably unaware of the New Deal railcard.

I'm not sure when New Deal Cards expire, but the information to National Rail staff says:

The Manual said:
PLEASE NOTE:

From 01 November 2011 the New Deal card will no longer be issued and will be replaced by the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card.

Until 01 January 2012, both the New Deal card and the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card are valid to support the discounted ticket. From 02 January 2012, only the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card should be accepted.

New Deal to be renamed Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card from 1 November 2011

The New Deal card will be renamed the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card from Tuesday 1 November 2011. Any New Deal cards still in date should be accepted for discounted travel until Sunday 1 January 2012.

There is no change to the discounts available and Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card holders will get exactly the same discounts as New Deal card holders.

Applying the discount to tickets:
To apply the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount please use discount code – JCP. This new discount code will be in all ticket issuing systems by 31 October 2011. Currently New Deal discounts are applied using the discount code – NDC. This discount code can still be used until 1 January 2012.

Discount description on tickets:
From 1 November 2011, tickets discounted with either the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card or the New Deal card will all have ‘JCP’ printed on the tickets. Until 1 January 2012, both the New Deal card and the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card is valid to support the discounted ticket. From 2 January 2012, only Jobcentre Plus Discount Card should be accepted.

See the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card listing under ‘Railcards & Concessionary Travel’ for further details.

.
 

bicbasher

Established Member
Joined
14 May 2010
Messages
1,748
Location
London
So is the new Jobcentre card only a direct replacement for New Deal customers as London jobseekers are also entitled to the TfL Bus and Tram photocard after 13 weeks?
 

wintonian

Established Member
Joined
15 Jan 2010
Messages
4,889
Location
Hampshire
So is the new Jobcentre card only a direct replacement for New Deal customers as London jobseekers are also entitled to the TfL Bus and Tram photocard after 13 weeks?

Yep think so.

New goverment = new branding, in other words; relaunching exactly the same thing but with a new name.
 

island

Veteran Member
Joined
30 Dec 2010
Messages
15,982
Location
0036
New Deal cards could be issued for up to three months at a time, so they could be conceivably valid to 30-JNR-12 :/
 

bicbasher

Established Member
Joined
14 May 2010
Messages
1,748
Location
London
Reading the TfL site, the new card in addition to New Deal customers can be used by all jobseekers in London who have been unemployed after 6 months and Income Support/Employment and Support Allowance/Incapacity Benefit customers who are actively seeking work while seeing a personal adviser.

So a London jobseeker will be offered a Bus and Tram photocard at their 13 week review and the Jobcentre Plus photocard at their 26 week review.

It also confirms that existing New Deal photocards can be used until their expiry date.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/14423.aspx
 

aqualung

New Member
Joined
14 Jan 2012
Messages
2
I tried to find out about this at the Jobcentre. At reception they knew nothing about it at all and so I asked to see a manager. The "management" said that the information on the TFL site was incorrect , TFL had been informed as such and that the Jobcentre was not dealing with applications for this card. Great! We have a Jobcentre Plus travel discount card, applications for which are NOT handled by the Jobcentre. Brilliant thinking!!

I then tried to find out from them where you do apply for this card and after a load of waffle they unconvinvingly stated that the people at the Work Programme (aka Dumb and Dumber's New Deal) were responsible for issuing this card.

I had already talked to the Work Programme people and they knew nothing about it and thought that maybe you should apply for one at a Post Office.That would be handy as then everyone could have one whether they are unemployed or not!

I have emailed Jobcentre Plus Central and TFL about this and am awaiting a reply.

I wouldn't be surprised if this card has quietly been scrapped, after all we can't have benefit scroungers getting cheap travel and having all those Daily Mail readers choking on their cornflakes.

I will post again if I find out any more information.
 
Last edited:

newbie babs

Member
Joined
16 Jul 2011
Messages
633
Location
Sheffield
aqualung
I am so glad I made the effort when I was out of work 2 years ago and found a job in 9 weeks, imagine I could have had an actual discount card, now I work and pay full fare.

I read the mail on line but sadly I cant buy normal cornflakes as I become ill if I eat them
 

bicbasher

Established Member
Joined
14 May 2010
Messages
1,748
Location
London
Have any London jobseekers claiming JSA been offered the B+T photocard instead? You should be offered it at your 13 week review.
 

WillPS

Established Member
Joined
18 Nov 2008
Messages
2,421
Location
Nottingham
50% discount on most standard class fares inc seasons and can be added to Oyster pay as you go.

They are issued by Jobcenter Plus so they should know about it.


Used to have one of the older yellow New Deal ones about 10 years ago.

I like the crown which goes over the cardholder's face as if to imply that they are spending time at Her Majesty's pleasure.
 

aqualung

New Member
Joined
14 Jan 2012
Messages
2
Have any London jobseekers claiming JSA been offered the B+T photocard instead? You should be offered it at your 13 week review.

Yes the Jobcentre do issue this card as they have from its inception. Whether the useless shower will let you know that you can claim for it is another matter! You need two passport photos and ID (a bank card or utility bill will do) when you take the completed and approved form to the Post Ofice. After getting the card you need to get it linked to your Oyster Card at a Tube station or an Oyster Ticket Stop.




--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


I finally received a reply from an email I sent to the Jobcentre Plus main website. This got passed to my local Jobcentre and I received a letter from them saying that the card is only given to over 25 year olds who have been unemployed for between 6-12 months and as a result I was not eligible for it.

Their response still didn't address the issue as to how you apply for this card, nor did it indicate what the rationale behind the card was.

I'm eligible for a Freedom Pass come the Spring, but I'm still going to pursue this issue by taking it up with my MP.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top