Best Rail Cards for Family and traveling alone?

[arsa]

Hi
We are a family of 3 including me, my wife, and my 3-year-old daughter. We sometimes travel by train and most of the time I travel alone. I am looking for a rail card which can be used for all of us and I can use it to travel alone as well. Initially, I thought of choosing a family rail card but because my daughter is still 3 years (2.8 years) old so I thought it will not be of much use. Then I also checked Two Together Railcard but I think I cannot travel alone on this card as well.
Is there any card that suits this requirement? Thanks

 

[megabusser]

The only railcards that work for people travelling alone are based on age (eg 18-25, 26-30, senior for 60+), disability, veteran or full-time student status. There isn’t a general railcard for individuals, except the Network Railcard, which is only valid in the south east of England.

Unless you fall into any of those categories or travel in the south east of England, a two-together or family to use when travelling together is all you can buy.

 

[JonathanH]

Initially, I thought of choosing a family rail card but because my daughter is still 3 years (2.8 years) old so I thought it will not be of much use.

Although children under 5 travel free, it is possible to travel with a Family & Friends Railcard by paying for a child under 5. However, the child needs to be present (and paid for) on all journeys for the railcard to be valid.

https://www.familyandfriends-railcard.co.uk/about-railcard/are-you-eligible/

The great news is that if you’re with kids under 5, they travel completely free. Each adult can have up to two ‘under 5s’ with them. But if there’s only one child in the group and they’re under 5, you’ll need to buy them a child ticket to be eligible for the Family & Friends discount. And remember that all child fares are subject to a £1 minimum fare.

The two holders of the railcard can travel without the other so long as the child is part of the group.

As noted above, this is not valid for a person travelling alone.

 

[fandroid]

The Network Railcard covers (a bit unevenly) a fairly large area, and goes to some surprisingly far destinations on some lines. If used with split ticketing it can even provide savings on some longer distance journeys too.
Of course, it entirely depends on where the OP lives as to whether it's worth looking at.

 

[arsa]

The only railcards that work for people travelling alone are based on age (eg 18-25, 26-30, senior for 60+), disability, veteran or full-time student status. There isn’t a general railcard for individuals, except the Network Railcard, which is only valid in the south east of England.

Unless you fall into any of those categories or travel in the south east of England, a two-together or family to use when travelling together is all you can buy.

Hi, just for my knowledge. I am 32, so does that mean I cannot have any railcards as they are just for 18-25 or 26-30 or senior, disability, veteran or students.

 

[Snow1964]

Hi, just for my knowledge. I am 32, so does that mean I cannot have any railcards as they are just for 18-25 or 26-30 or senior, disability, veteran or students.

Yes, basically can't have them from 31-59 years old unless disabled, veteran or full time student.

Its an age discrimination thing, for about third of your life.

 

[alistairlees]

Hi, just for my knowledge. I am 32, so does that mean I cannot have any railcards as they are just for 18-25 or 26-30 or senior, disability, veteran or students.

Assuming that you live in London (as per your location) then get yourself a Network Railcard. This gives 34% off off-peak fares to all of SE England and also places like Exeter (on SWR but not on GWR), Worcester, Cambridge, Northampton - see https://www.network-railcard.co.uk/about-the-railcard/using-your-railcard2/

You can use it either by yourself, or with your wife (both of you will get 34% off).

 

[AlterEgo]

Hi, just for my knowledge. I am 32, so does that mean I cannot have any railcards as they are just for 18-25 or 26-30 or senior, disability, veteran or students.

That’s correct if you’re talking about railcards for sole use - other than the Network Railcard which will be useful if you live in the Network Area.

 

[Sultan]

Assuming that you live in London (as per your location) then get yourself a Network Railcard. This gives 34% off off-peak fares to all of SE England and also places like Exeter (on SWR but not on GWR), Worcester, Cambridge, Northampton - see https://www.network-railcard.co.uk/about-the-railcard/using-your-railcard2/

You can use it either by yourself, or with your wife (both of you will get 34% off).

Subject to a £13 minimum fare Monday to Friday (£21.50 for a Zone 109 Travelcard anyday). So the 1/3rd saving only kicks in at £19.50. Tickets between £13.01 and £19.49 attract a sliding scale saving.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Depending on how much travel is planned in the forthcoming 12 months, is it worth the OP considering getting a cheapish annual season ticket which then gives Annual Gold Card status? (Something like Newhaven Town to Newhaven Harbour?)

 

[fandroid]

Subject to a £13 minimum fare Monday to Friday (£21.50 for a Zone 109 Travelcard anyday). So the 1/3rd saving only kicks in at £19.50. Tickets between £13.01 and £19.49 attract a sliding scale saving.

Bank Holidays are treated the same as weekends. Children under 5 are free (unlike Family & Friends Railcard). Trainline have a 20% off offer for digital Railcards ( but you don't have to use Trainline to buy tickets!)

 

[Haywain]

Depending on how much travel is planned in the forthcoming 12 months, is it worth the OP considering getting a cheapish annual season ticket which then gives Annual Gold Card status? (Something like Newhaven Town to Newhaven Harbour?)

If sufficient rail travel is anticipated, then a Gold Card would probably be a better bet as it covers a rather wider area and avoids the minimum fare. The cheapest annual season ticket that comes with a Gold Card is, I believe, Lichfield Trent Valley to Lichfield City at a cost of £204. So, if the OP is spending (or is likely to be) more than around £600 a year on train fares then it would be worth buying. It can be used in exactly the same way as the Network Railcard but with an earlier start time (09:30 M-F) and no minimum fare.

 

[Hadders]

Hatton to Lapworth is the cheapest annual season that has Gold Card benefits costing £196.

 

[arsa]

Thank you, everyone, for your response. I will get a railcard once I turn 60 to travel solo.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Thank you, everyone, for your response. I will get a railcard once I turn 60 to travel solo.

In the meantime, if you haven't already, look at how split ticketing might help to minimise the fare you should pay. There's a banner at the top of this page (and every page in the forum) advertising a split ticketing site which I understand pays a commission to this site and so helps pay the bills of keeping the site up. If you scroll down their front page it explains what split ticketing is.

 

[Sultan]

Hatton to Lapworth is the cheapest annual season that has Gold Card benefits costing £196.

How come this is cheaper than the Lichfield Gold Card. The cheapest single fare I can see for this is £2.90 evening ticket (although it's £6 or £11.20 during the day) whereas the Lichfield one is £1.10 anytime (is this the cheapest single fare in the UK?). It doesn't make sense that the annual fee would be less. Maybe it's an oddity of the system.

 

[yorksrob]

Hi, just for my knowledge. I am 32, so does that mean I cannot have any railcards as they are just for 18-25 or 26-30 or senior, disability, veteran or students.

Indeed. Welcome to the "commercial" railway.

 

[jon81uk]

Well if everyone was entitled to a railcard then you might as well lower all off-peak fares by a third... They are designed to help those who may not be able to afford to travel otherwise.

 

[yorksrob]

Well if everyone was entitled to a railcard then you might as well lower all off-peak fares by a third... They are designed to help those who may not be able to afford to travel otherwise.

That's not how it works.

Most countries have a national railcard to introduce a sunk cost and encourage people to buy more travel to make the most of it.

(Not that I'd be against a third off all off-peak fares).

 

[Hadders]

How come this is cheaper than the Lichfield Gold Card. The cheapest single fare I can see for this is £2.90 evening ticket (although it's £6 or £11.20 during the day) whereas the Lichfield one is £1.10 anytime (is this the cheapest single fare in the UK?). It doesn't make sense that the annual fee would be less. Maybe it's an oddity of the system.

Chiltern reduced the price of the Hatton to Lapworth annual season a few years ago.

Although we don’t know why they did it, I suspect it was to be the cheapest Gold Card because in reality I doubt anyone actually has an annual season between these two stations.

 

[Alex365Dash]

How come this is cheaper than the Lichfield Gold Card. The cheapest single fare I can see for this is £2.90 evening ticket (although it's £6 or £11.20 during the day) whereas the Lichfield one is £1.10 anytime (is this the cheapest single fare in the UK?). It doesn't make sense that the annual fee would be less. Maybe it's an oddity of the system.

The season for Lichfield City - Lichfield Trent Valley is priced at only £5.10/week.

Whilst the Hatton - Lapworth weekly season is £18.80, monthly and longer seasons are priced at the vastly cheaper rate of £4.90/week. (Monthly and longer season prices are retrieved using a multiplier of the weekly rate.)

 

[jon81uk]

That's not how it works.

Most countries have a national railcard to introduce a sunk cost and encourage people to buy more travel to make the most of it.

(Not that I'd be against a third off all off-peak fares).

But in the UK its only the Network railcard that works that way, it is to encourage off-peak travel in the London area. The other railcards are mainly targeted at those who are less likely to be able to afford to travel such as young people, pensioners and those with children. Yes there is the sunk cost of the card, but the categories are designed to target certain demographics. Maybe a railcard with a higher sunk cost (such as £50-100) for others would be a good idea for those who do travel regularly off-peak but don't fit into the other categories, but it feels like it would be simpler just to reduce and simplify off-peak travel costs.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Maybe a railcard with a higher sunk cost (such as £50-100) for others would be a good idea for those who do travel regularly off-peak but don't fit into the other categories,

Given that a special price is available for Lapworth to Hatton giving an annual season ticket price of £196, and realistically no one would buy this ticket other than to get the Gold Card benefits (i.e. in effect an off-peak railcard for a very wide definition of the South East), this would seem to suggest that empirically the price point for 'a rail card with a higher sunk cost' is around £200.

 

[yorksrob]

But in the UK its only the Network railcard that works that way, it is to encourage off-peak travel in the London area. The other railcards are mainly targeted at those who are less likely to be able to afford to travel such as young people, pensioners and those with children. Yes there is the sunk cost of the card, but the categories are designed to target certain demographics. Maybe a railcard with a higher sunk cost (such as £50-100) for others would be a good idea for those who do travel regularly off-peak but don't fit into the other categories, but it feels like it would be simpler just to reduce and simplify off-peak travel costs.

I think in this country we still see the railway as a burden, rather than an enabling agent, which is the fundamental problem.

 

[fandroid]

Well if everyone was entitled to a railcard then you might as well lower all off-peak fares by a third... They are designed to help those who may not be able to afford to travel otherwise.

Well, DB, German Railways does it with its Bahncards. Pay the fee for the card and anyone can get discounts on just about all rail travel. Special categories (such as old people) get discounts on the basic fee. It's vastly simpler than the dogs breakfast of Railcards our railways have lumbered us with. But we just secretly love complex red tape, don't we?

 

[30907]

Indeed. Welcome to the "commercial" railway.

As invented by BR (newer readers may not know that they introduced them decades ago) and targeted people who might otherwise use coach (students, pensioners) or car (family groups)

That's not how it works.

Most countries have a national railcard to introduce a sunk cost and encourage people to buy more travel to make the most of it.

Some - notably Germany and Switzerland, and now Austria. Any others?

 

[yorksrob]

As invented by BR (newer readers may not know that they introduced them decades ago) and targeted people who might otherwise use coach (students, pensioners) or car (family groups)

Some - notably Germany and Switzerland, and now Austria. Any others?

I'm sure I read Hungary on here. Do the Dutch have one ?