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Mature student YP railcard issue

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route101

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Looking to renew my YP railcard . Techically a student until September but cant get the uni to sign my form as its closed. Went to two ticket offices yesterday to see if they would accelpt just the student card and rest of form. Emailled and DM on twitter NR but no repspone .
 
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ForTheLoveOf

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Looking to renew my YP railcard . Techically a student until September but cant get the uni to sign my form as its closed. Went to two ticket offices yesterday to see if they would accelpt just the student card and rest of form. Emailled and DM on twitter NR but no repspone .
If you can't get your university to sign the form there's nothing you can really do about it. They're not exactly going to just take your word for it, unfortunately.
 

WesternLancer

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Looking to renew my YP railcard . Techically a student until September but cant get the uni to sign my form as its closed. Went to two ticket offices yesterday to see if they would accelpt just the student card and rest of form. Emailled and DM on twitter NR but no repspone .
Just because Uni is closed does that mean they are refusing to sign your form? I mean depending on who signs the forms is it possible to e-mail the university person or team to ask them to do this, then send the form in by post for them to sign / stamp and enclose a stamped addressed envelope to send it back to you in, then you take it to station.

A relative of mine works at a University and although the team are all working from home they have a rota of people who go in to their building twice per week to deal with post and that includes official forms that need to be attended to with official stamps etc. In that case it's more significant than a railcard as it relates to international students who need govt paperwork stamped, but the same principle may apply.

Have you tried a special pleading e-mail / call to the University person capable of helping?

Or a ticket office with a TOC that supports more generous spirited staff if they are able to exercise a degree of discretion on it of course...
 

ainsworth74

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Or a ticket office with a TOC that supports more generous spirited staff if they are able to exercise a degree of discretion on it of course...

I agree the first step would be to explore some options with the University but failing that "shopping" around ticket offices might not be a bad idea...
 

route101

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I agree the first step would be to explore some options with the University but failing that "shopping" around ticket offices might not be a bad idea...

Im going to email the uni , dont really want to be going round ticket offices , i went to Glasgow Central avanti and Scotrail. Scotrail said they need to have uni stamp as its sent away or something .

I will see if i can fill the form online and send it to student services to fill in . Issue is i dont have printer and scanner.
 

route101

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Just because Uni is closed does that mean they are refusing to sign your form? I mean depending on who signs the forms is it possible to e-mail the university person or team to ask them to do this, then send the form in by post for them to sign / stamp and enclose a stamped addressed envelope to send it back to you in, then you take it to station.

A relative of mine works at a University and although the team are all working from home they have a rota of people who go in to their building twice per week to deal with post and that includes official forms that need to be attended to with official stamps etc. In that case it's more significant than a railcard as it relates to international students who need govt paperwork stamped, but the same principle may apply.

Have you tried a special pleading e-mail / call to the University person capable of helping?

Or a ticket office with a TOC that supports more generous spirited staff if they are able to exercise a degree of discretion on it of course...

I tried Avanti and Scotrail at Queen St, avanti wanted uni stamp and scotrail wanted it to as it gets sent back. Suppose they get into trouble if it isent.

With leisure travel opening up , thought id renew one final time to get discount
 

WesternLancer

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I tried Avanti and Scotrail at Queen St, avanti wanted uni stamp and scotrail wanted it to as it gets sent back. Suppose they get into trouble if it isent.

With leisure travel opening up , thought id renew one final time to get discount
Yes, I can see that the prob may be when they send paperwork back to Railcard Office - tho that would not be your problem as they would have given you the card. A smaller staffed station might work if they were less sticklers for the rules, but as you say you don't want to go from station to station.

Ref not having a printer, do you need one? Do the paper form you get from station for the railcard - then agree with Uni student services that you are posting it to them to action with SAE to send it back to you in when they have stamped it?
 

WesternLancer

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I tried Avanti and Scotrail at Queen St, avanti wanted uni stamp and scotrail wanted it to as it gets sent back. Suppose they get into trouble if it isent.

With leisure travel opening up , thought id renew one final time to get discount
Other option may be to try to get what I think are commonly called a 'Confirmation of Student Status letter' from your Uni - (which they may send or e-mail you - u may need a mate to print it off if they can't post it you), esp if they can't stamp the form. The Home Office accept these for visa's so you may hope that National Railcards would be happy with one!

Bottom of this page explains how to buy a railcard by post or how to contact them by phone which may be an option to discuss the whole problem given your circs - to see if they would accept alternative documentation other than a stamp for example.


which says:

If you are having problems purchasing your Railcard, or if you have comments about the Railcard service, call or email us. You can also write using the postal address. We're open from 0700hrs to 2200hrs everyday except Christmas Day.

[email protected]

Tel: 0345 3000 250

Calls cost no more than calls to geographic numbers (01 or 02) and may be recorded for training and monitoring purposes.

National Railcards
PO Box 10776
Ashby-de-la-Zouch
LE65 9FA
 
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WesternLancer

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And this part of the site is as below - makes no mention of the need for a stamp - yet of course the pdf of the form clearly does have a space for one....
Would an appeal to your tutor, who presumably knows you, be more productive than a generic student services department? Just a thought. You will no doubt have considered that yourself. Good luck!

You can apply at a rail station or via the 16-25 Railcard website. To apply online you will need to complete the MATURE STUDENT APPLICATION FORM including the "Mature Students Only" section and ensuring that it has been signed by either your tutor, head tutor, head of department or University/Collage administration staff member. Please note that students on home study and distance learning courses are not eligible. Please allow up to 5 working days for your Railcard application to be approved.

If you are applying at a rail station please pick up a 16-25 Railcard leaflet and complete the mature student application section

You will also need to provide either a NUS card or a College/University photo-id card to confirm that you are in the current academic year of study.
 

WesternLancer

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Please note that students on home study and distance learning courses are not eligible.

Isn't that everyone currently?
Personally - I would doubt it - I would say that would specifically refer to courses set up as such rather than, courses where you were being asked to do that at very short notice and for a short period (ie a term) as a result of the covid emergency.

But it's an interesting point. I would expect National Railcards / ATOC to state that clearly on their website page that covered mature students if they were applying such an interpretation, and I'd expect them to at least seek to agree that with the key bodies for the sector, which would be Universities UK and the NUS (well you would like to hope they would...)

For example even under the present circs you may need to travel to your university town - for example some of the students who live on my street followed their university advice and went back to parental homes at end of Easter term when lock down started, but are now having to come back to to clear out of their accommodation / collect belongs etc as their residential tenancies are only now ending with the end of the summer term, and at the start of lock down they could not have been able to know that the Uni may not have re-opened and gone back to teaching within a matter of weeks depending on govt guidance. Someone who started a distance learning course at the start of the academic year would not be expecting to do that.
 

route101

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I did email railcards over a week ago but no response , will do again. Try and see if i can download form send it to uni or tutor to fill in and get it emailed back then forward to NR railcards.
 

route101

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And this part of the site is as below - makes no mention of the need for a stamp - yet of course the pdf of the form clearly does have a space for one....
Would an appeal to your tutor, who presumably knows you, be more productive than a generic student services department? Just a thought. You will no doubt have considered that yourself. Good luck!

You can apply at a rail station or via the 16-25 Railcard website. To apply online you will need to complete the MATURE STUDENT APPLICATION FORM including the "Mature Students Only" section and ensuring that it has been signed by either your tutor, head tutor, head of department or University/Collage administration staff member. Please note that students on home study and distance learning courses are not eligible. Please allow up to 5 working days for your Railcard application to be approved.

If you are applying at a rail station please pick up a 16-25 Railcard leaflet and complete the mature student application section

You will also need to provide either a NUS card or a College/University photo-id card to confirm that you are in the current academic year of study.

Last year i simply went to student services and they just stamped it and filled it in. Scanned that form in and done online app.
 

ainsworth74

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I did email railcards over a week ago but no response , will do again. Try and see if i can download form send it to uni or tutor to fill in and get it emailed back then forward to NR railcards.

Try DM'ing them on Twitter. When I had an issue they responded pretty quickly on there.
 

WesternLancer

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I did email railcards over a week ago but no response , will do again. Try and see if i can download form send it to uni or tutor to fill in and get it emailed back then forward to NR railcards.
Yes, as ainsworth says try DM on twitter or just try to phone up to actually speak to someone (make sure you get there name and note what they say), as obv e-mail has not secured a prompt response.

Do hope your student services or tutor can help.
 

CyrusWuff

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Personally - I would doubt it - I would say that would specifically refer to courses set up as such rather than, courses where you were being asked to do that at very short notice and for a short period (ie a term) as a result of the covid emergency.

But it's an interesting point. I would expect National Railcards / ATOC to state that clearly on their website page that covered mature students if they were applying such an interpretation, and I'd expect them to at least seek to agree that with the key bodies for the sector, which would be Universities UK and the NUS (well you would like to hope they would...)
Rail Delivery Group maintain a list of "acceptable" institutions on the relevant page on KnowledgeBase, which all Ticket Office staff SHOULD have access to so they can check if they're in doubt. Said page explicitly states the following:
KnowledgeBase said:
The 16-25 Railcard is also available to students who are aged 26 or over in full-time education. Full-time means attendance at a recognised educational establishment (university/college in the United Kingdom) for over 15 hours a week and for at least 20 weeks a year.

Students on distance learning and part-time courses (such as the Open University) do not qualify for the Railcard unless they are full time students at The Open University Campus at Walton Hall in Milton Keynes.

Personally I'd accept applications for what would otherwise be a "traditional" taught course were it not for the current situation...but the form would still need to be signed and stamped by the institution, as RDG reserve to right to verify the details given the requirement was introduced due to a high level of fraud that was taking place (e.g. people signing up for a course, getting their ID card and thence the Railcard, then dropping out).
 

WesternLancer

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Rail Delivery Group maintain a list of "acceptable" institutions on the relevant page on KnowledgeBase, which all Ticket Office staff SHOULD have access to so they can check if they're in doubt. Said page explicitly states the following:


Personally I'd accept applications for what would otherwise be a "traditional" taught course were it not for the current situation...but the form would still need to be signed and stamped by the institution, as RDG reserve to right to verify the details given the requirement was introduced due to a high level of fraud that was taking place (e.g. people signing up for a course, getting their ID card and thence the Railcard, then dropping out).
Helpful extra info there for sure.
 

route101

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I got a repsonse . They said you dont need the form to renew the railcard .
 

WesternLancer

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I got a repsonse . They said you dont need the form to renew the railcard .
Sounds promising Route 101 - good luck then and thanks for feedback.

  • In case anyone else needs the thread for same question when you say 'they' I take it you mean National Railcards office?

  • Was that a twitter or e-mail reply? (could you copy and past it on this thread maybe?)

  • And does that relate to you renewing direct with them eg on line or over the phone (as opposed to going to a ticket office to renew it as you had tried to do)?

Just think that may be handy info for others in future / in similar circs over next few weeks until universities re-open more fully etc
 

Haywain

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I got a repsonse . They said you dont need the form to renew the railcard .
That sounds like dodgy advice to me. I can't imagine that stations would be willing to renew a mature student railcard without the relevant proof of status.
 

route101

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That sounds like dodgy advice to me. I can't imagine that stations would be willing to renew a mature student railcard without the relevant proof of status.

I already tried to at 2 stations , with no luck.
 

route101

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Sounds promising Route 101 - good luck then and thanks for feedback.

  • In case anyone else needs the thread for same question when you say 'they' I take it you mean National Railcards office?

  • Was that a twitter or e-mail reply? (could you copy and past it on this thread maybe?)

  • And does that relate to you renewing direct with them eg on line or over the phone (as opposed to going to a ticket office to renew it as you had tried to do)?

Just think that may be handy info for others in future / in similar circs over next few weeks until universities re-open more fully etc


This was the repsponse.

'Thanks for taking the time to email us, and I apologise for the delay in responding.

I understand that you want to know as to how you can renew your 16-25 Mature Student Railcard without providing the form'.
 

route101

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Sounds promising Route 101 - good luck then and thanks for feedback.

  • In case anyone else needs the thread for same question when you say 'they' I take it you mean National Railcards office?

  • Was that a twitter or e-mail reply? (could you copy and past it on this thread maybe?)

  • And does that relate to you renewing direct with them eg on line or over the phone (as opposed to going to a ticket office to renew it as you had tried to do)?

Just think that may be handy info for others in future / in similar circs over next few weeks until universities re-open more fully etc


This was the repsponse by email.

'Thanks for taking the time to email us, and I apologise for the delay in responding.

I understand that you want to know as to how you can renew your 16-25 Mature Student Railcard without providing the form'.
 

WesternLancer

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This was the repsponse by email.

'Thanks for taking the time to email us, and I apologise for the delay in responding.

I understand that you want to know as to how you can renew your 16-25 Mature Student Railcard without providing the form'.

Cheers, but what did they actually say? I mean your posts #23 and #24 do not look like the full answer...(guessing you are having some posting glitches maybe?)
 

route101

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That was it , other than saying things might be delayed due to obvious reasons.
 

Darandio

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That was it , other than saying things might be delayed due to obvious reasons.

So they didn't say anything about not needing the form at all? That looks to me as though they are confirming your query, not answering it.
 

WesternLancer

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That was it , other than saying things might be delayed due to obvious reasons.
Bizzare - unless that is just an acknowledgement of your message as Haywain and Daradio say, I can't see how it tells you anything useful at all,
So what is your plan now to get it renewed on the basis of that response? Ask them to renew it from their call centre and quote that reply when you are asked for your form / proof of status maybe...
I'd be acting on this ASAP (as you are trying to do of course) because probably best to have a renewed railcard rather than allow a short break in validity as they may then treat it as a new application (and insist on a staffed form).

I'd press on with (simultaneously) asking the Uni for a stamp option or letter that can be shown at a station ticket office.
 

route101

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Yes , basically said you don't need a form but not said how to proceed. Will ask uni for form filled in online now .

Railcard had expired in April.
 
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