Expired Railcard

[rez]

Hi all,

I was recently stopped by a ticket officer in London and asked to show my ticket- which I did, however they then proceeded to ask me to show my railcard as well, which would not load due to poor signal. The officer took my details and gave me a penalty notice stating that I was unable to provide the right documentation for my ticket. Once I looked into it my railcard had actually expired. As such, I thought the best thing to do is just pay the penalty, which I have done. Although the railcard has been expired for just over a year- yes I know this is a long time and to be honest I thought I had brought the three year one, but clearly I did not. So my main concern is, will they now look into all of my previous journeys and will I be taken to court/ asked to pay a hefty out of court settlement amount? Or because I was given the penalty and have paid in full immediately, will that be case closed? I work in the finance industry so can not afford to have a criminal record.

Additionally when paying the fine I noticed that the door number for my address was wrong, meaning I won’t get any letter correspondence. Do I call to update this? Or as I’ve paid the fine anyway, should I just leave this now? I do not want to cause further issues for myself if I don’t have to.

Any advice would be appreciated!

Thank you

If it helps, the Trainline was C2C

 

[Titfield]

If you received a Penalty Fare Notice and paid it in full, then that matter is closed.

However they may decide to look at your travel history and write to you separately about the that. Unfortunately the Forum doesn't have conclusive evidence as to the likelihood of C2C following up.

Do you know the occupants of the address they have stated? Can you ask them to pass on any mail they receive for you?

I am not sure if you contacted C2C to correct the address if it would be actioned.

On balance I think I would be tempted to let the matter stay as it is,.

 

[rez]

I do not know the residents personally but I suppose I could knock on their door to explain- and hope they they aren’t too annoyed that it has been sent to their address in error

 

[Titfield]

I do not know the residents personally but I suppose I could knock on their door to explain- and hope they they aren’t too annoyed that it has been sent to their address in error

It has to be worth a try.

 

[30907]

If c2c enquire about other journeys, our general advice is to ignore them: they cannot prove anything - unless you get caught again, so be careful

 

[rez]

If c2c enquire about other journeys, our general advice is to ignore them: they cannot prove anything - unless you get caught again, so be careful

Thank you! Will they not be able to track my previous journeys and prove that I didn’t have a active railcard during that time?

Thank you! Will they not be able to track my previous journeys and prove that I didn’t have a active railcard during that time?

I have also purchased a new railcard so no issues going forwards!

 

[MarlowDonkey]

Thank you! Will they not be able to track my previous journeys and prove that I didn’t have a active railcard during that time?

I think the point is that whilst they can show that the tickets purchased with a railcard discount have been used and that you didn't have an active railcard, they also have to show that you were the person using the discounted tickets. It is legal to buy tickets for a third party and it's legal for the third party to use them provided they held the relevant railcard. Some forms of ticket, those requiring photo id for example are not transferable.

 

[Hadders]

I can only ever remember seeing one case involving c2c in this section of the forum.

If you get further contact from c2c about other journeys do not reply to it. Upload a redacted copy of what you are sent in this thread and we can assist with next steps.

 

[rez]

I can only ever remember seeing one case involving c2c in this section of the forum.

If you get further contact from c2c about other journeys do not reply to it. Upload a redacted copy of what you are sent in this thread and we can assist with next steps.

Thank you so much! I will update this thread if I hear anything further!

I think the point is that whilst they can show that the tickets purchased with a railcard discount have been used and that you didn't have an active railcard, they also have to show that you were the person using the discounted tickets. It is legal to buy tickets for a third party and it's legal for the third party to use them provided they held the relevant railcard. Some forms of ticket, those requiring photo id for example are not transferable.

Thank you! I hadn’t thought of this, I guess most people admit to the offence when questioned and that’s how they catch them out! Fingers crossed I don’t hear anything more from them!

 

[Recessio]

With regards to the wrong address, for peace of mind you could consider setting up a royal mail redirection from the incorrect address to your address.

 

[island]

With regards to the wrong address, for peace of mind you could consider setting up a royal mail redirection from the incorrect address to your address.

That isn’t possible. To set up a redirect you need proof of ID and address at the old address, or a credit/debit card with a billing address there.