Senior Railcard - How Far in Advance?

[Shutax]

I travel between Yorkshire and Scotland every weekend. This year my 60th birthday falls on a Saturday, so I will travel to Scotland on Friday at full fare but would like to travel back to Yorkshire on Sunday with a senior railcard. As I book my tickets as far in advance as possible, I'm now booking for my birthday weekend at the end of October. How far in advance can I purchase a senior railcard online? I realise that I could buy a 1 year railcard at a station, but would like to purchase a 3 year card which I believe can only be bought online.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Tyke Toper]

From the conditions of Issue

2. You must be aged 60 years or over to be eligible to purchase a Senior Railcard.

The CoI also state that the application will be processed within 1 day but to allow 7 days for postal delivery. Railcards are therefore valid for 1 or 3 years + 7 days from date of application to cover for this (i.e. my birthday 6th; card valid to 13th).

On the basis that you must carry Railcard at all times when travelling with discounted tickets then to be safe, only on tickets 2 weekends forward from your birthday.

 

[transportphoto]

If you buy your Tickets on-line saying you have a SRN NOW, then collect them on departure you should be fine.

However if the tickets are issued before your railcard then it could arouse suspicion that they have been transferred.

 

[vectensis]

How far in advance can I purchase a senior railcard online? I realise that I could buy a 1 year railcard at a station, but would like to purchase a 3 year card which I believe can only be bought online.
Thanks for your help.

I don't know how relevant it is to you, but my local authority issues Senior Railcards (the annual ones) for £16, so three of them would represent a fair saving over the £65 online three-year one.

Gordon

 

[cuccir]

If you buy your Tickets on-line saying you have a SRN NOW, then collect them on departure you should be fine.

However if the tickets are issued before your railcard then it could arouse suspicion that they have been transferred.

Arouse suspicion, perhaps, but the explanation would seem reasonable.

It would seem that if you did buy a SNR discount in advance then you'd probably have to buy the one year rail-card from the station before embarking on your return trip. Whether you chose to do this might depend on the cost difference between buying the return leg without a railcard discount (plus any other journeys you might make in the week after your birthday), and the £13 you save on getting the three year card. I don't know whether stations can issue the 1 year railcards in advance, but I don't see why the wouldn't be able to.

 

[transportphoto]

They can issue upto 30 Days in advance

 

[John @ home]

They can issue upto 30 Days in advance

Mmmm. Can they issue a new Senior Railcard up to 30 Days in advance or just renew an existing one?

 

[fgwoll1e]

Only renew. As the railcard only has an expiry date.

 

[Shutax]

Thanks for the advice. To be safe, I think that I'll buy a one year railcard from a staffed station this year and buy a three year card online next year.

 

[bb21]

However if the tickets are issued before your railcard then it could arouse suspicion that they have been transferred.

Shouldn't really though I hope as I have done it before.

Booked online for a Derby-Bournemouth Advance and collected TOD a few days before travel. At neither time of purchase or time of issue did I have a Railcard. Bought a new Railcard from Derby station on the morning I travelled. The XC guard had a look at it, said to me "Did you just buy it this morning?" to which I said "Yes, 10 minutes ago." She then smiled at me and walked off. No problem whatsoever.

 

[142094]

Shouldn't really though I hope as I have done it before.

Booked online for a Derby-Bournemouth Advance and collected TOD a few days before travel. At neither time of purchase or time of issue did I have a Railcard. Bought a new Railcard from Derby station on the morning I travelled. The XC guard had a look at it, said to me "Did you just buy it this morning?" to which I said "Yes, 10 minutes ago." She then smiled at me and walked off. No problem whatsoever.

There shouldn't be a problem with that at all, as long as you have the railcard with you when you travel. This could actually save you money, if you buy an advance ticket with a railcard discount say now, and travel in say October, but buy your railcard on the day of travel, you will have your railcard for a few extra weeks longer than if you bought it at the same time as the advance ticket.

No sane person would try and challenge that.