"Your railcard expires soon" postcard

[Lockwood]

I have seen a lot of "my railcard expires, but I didn't know" problems.

This year, I got a reminder in the post that my physical railcard was expiring soon and warning me not to try to use it once expired. This arrived while the card was in its last month.

I don't remember getting this in previous years, but might have - not really something I would need to pin in to my memory.


Is this something fairly recently started?
If this is something that can be arranged for physical cards, surely digital ones would be quite possible. And cheaper than paper in the long run. Creating the system has a cost, cost per message is lower.


Image shows front and back of a postcard containing information about an imminent railcard expiry.

 

[Gloster]

I got a letter a few days ago reminding me that my Senior Railcard was about to run out. In fact it had run out a couple of days before, but that may be Royal Mail, and I had already renewed it.

 

[Sun Chariot]

In this "digital age", we get reminders that our [home / car / device] insurance is due to expire. Ditto our vehicle Tax and MOT.

I agree, it can't be onerous for a railcard provider to include the railcard expiry date within the record they have for it and associated to the record of the person authorised to use it. And - by that logic - it's surely reasonable to expect a digital form of reminder, say 4 weeks before the expiry date is reached.

When I had an NSE season ticket in the 1990s and a monthly zone 1-4 Travelcard in the 2000's, I bore full responsibility to remember when it expired...

 

[infobleep]

By telling people their digital card is about to expire, they might be more likely to renew it in time and if they do then the opportunity to fine people will drop.

Cynically speaking and partly playing devils advocate, perhaps they don't want that.

I don't know if fining people just covers costs or brings in extra income.

 

[Richardr]

Having registered my network railcard on my KeyGo card, I had an email from Great Northern today reminding me that it expires in just over a week's time.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Having registered my network railcard on my KeyGo card, I had an email from Great Northern today reminding me that it expires in just over a week's time.

Are the two things definitely directly connected? Might you have still got the reminder from Great Northern without registering the railcard on the KeyGo card?

 

[realemil]

When my 16-25 Railcard was due to expire, I received two emails.

One email was a month prior to my Railcard expiring, "Your Railcard expires soon, Emil."
With a second email coming in when my railcard expired saying, "Your Railcard has expired. There's still time to renew."

I'm not sure if I had to sign up to these alerts, as I had a 3-year card, so can't really remember.

It's last day of validity was the 10th March 24, and I obtained the emails on the 11th Feb 24 and 11th Mar 24, so they do send out emails.

I had a physical railcard, and not a digital railcard.

 

[Gloster]

I also have a physical railcard (see #2) and have never knowingly signed up for any automatic reminder. However, the application form for a physical card does require you to give your postal address.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

When my 16-25 Railcard was due to expire, I received two emails.

Received similar reminder e-mails (× 2) in October having previously ordered a railcard for a friend. See what happens (if anything) when it's due for further renewal.

 

[OscarH]

By telling people their digital card is about to expire, they might be more likely to renew it in time and if they do then the opportunity to fine people will drop.

Cynically speaking and partly playing devils advocate, perhaps they don't want that.

I don't know if fining people just covers costs or brings in extra income.

From what we've seen here, the email reminders have been on and off at various periods. As much as the railway isn't always trustworthy, given the issues the railcard app has had, I think I'd definitely the benefit if the doubt that it's technical incompetence more than conspiracy

 

[James H]

I think a multi-pronged approach is probably needed - email delivery can be quite flaky so I wouldn't want to set too firm an expectation that reminders will always be sent, to the extent that people would complain if the email was bounced, blocked by a spam filter etc.

 

[Richardr]

Are the two things definitely directly connected? Might you have still got the reminder from Great Northern without registering the railcard on the KeyGo card?

Yes they are directly connected. The railcard was bought from the national railcard site, not from Great Northern. The email includes the wording:

Please note once your Railcard expires, any keyGo journeys made after this date will no longer be discounted.

 

[KT550]

Having registered my network railcard on my KeyGo card, I had an email from Great Northern today reminding me that it expires in just over a week's time.

It's actually reminding you that future journeys with your keyGO card will not be discounted. Not quite the same.

You will have provided a picture of the railcard, or had it added at a station and the expiry date added to the keyGO account.

It also alerts you of railcard expiry but hasn't been sent from the railcard retailer.

 

[furlong]

"Your new railcard will be valid from the day of purchase". NOT the *time* of purchase. So it appears that if you get one of those postcards they're also giving you some leeway if you buy a discounted ticket after it expires as long as you do renew the railcard the same day you travel even if your journey already commenced?

 

[redreni]

I bought my physical railcard at the Elizabeth Line ticket office at Abbey Wood. It expires in June and I manually set a Google calendar notification to remind me when it expires. It'll be interesting to see if I also get something by post or email to remind me.

I know they have my contact details - the chap at the ticket office had to key them all in. Presumably there's a reason for that.

"Your new railcard will be valid from the day of purchase". NOT the *time* of purchase. So it appears that if you get one of those postcards they're also giving you some leeway if you buy a discounted ticket after it expires as long as you do renew the railcard the same day you travel even if your journey already commenced?

I'm sure they'd still renew it but if you travel on an expired railcard, or without yet having purchased a railcard at all, I would think that's entirely at your own risk.