Family railcard, child under 16 at time of purchasing

[nightall]

The terms of a family and friend railcar include the line;
INFORMATION:

Children aged under 16 at the time that the Railcard is purchased may still travel at the discounted child fare throughout the validity period of the 1-year Railcard, even if they become 16 years old during that time or, for a 3-year Railcard until the child turns 17.


Can anyone please confirm whether another child who is under 16 must also travel or if one adult and one child who was under 16 at the time of purchase but are now 16 are able to use the card?

 

[Haywain]

Can anyone please confirm whether another child who is under 16 must also travel or if one adult and one child who was under 16 at the time of purchase but are now 16 are able to use the card?

One child who is under 16 or was under 16 at the time of purchase of the railcard is sufficient.

 

[nightall]

Thanks for the response, the only bit that bothers me is that contradicts

4.3. To purchase discounted tickets, at least one cardholder and at least one child aged 5 to 15 years must be travelling together.

Understandably I want something clear if we were stopped while travelling

 

[janb]

From the official FAQs, https://www.familyandfriends-railcard.co.uk/help/faqs/eligibility/

What happens if my child turns 16 while my Family & Friends Railcard is still valid?
A:
Children who turn 16 while your Family & Friends Railcard is valid are still entitled to get a discounted child fare for a time.

If you have a 1-year Family & Friends Railcard, your child who has turned 16 can travel as long as the 1-year Family & Friends Railcard is valid.
If you have a 3-year Family & Friends Railcard, your 16-year old can only travel as a child on the Railcard card until the day before they turn 17.

 

[Foxcover]

Worth mentioning too though that a 16-17 young person’s railcard becomes invalid from their 18th birthday, regardless of when they bought it. Does anyone know why that particular railcard has a different rule?

It surprised me when a family member mentioned hers expired on her 18th despite only renewing it a few months earlier.

 

[Wallsendmag]

Worth mentioning too though that a 16-17 young person’s railcard becomes invalid from their 18th birthday, regardless of when they bought it. Does anyone know why that particular railcard has a different rule?

It surprised me when a family member mentioned hers expired on her 18th despite only renewing it a few months earlier.

Because it isn't a Railcard it's a saver.

 

[Foxcover]

From a customer viewpoint though, it’s listed on the Railcard homepage as one of the 9 available products under ‘Find me a railcard’, with the same age-restriction promo language as the 16-25 and the 26-30, both of which are valid until the anniversary of purchase, even if that takes you over the age limit.

I just don’t understand why you’d design a linear series of discount products, all with the same expiry rules apart from this one which potentially expires early and requires an early purchase of the next one in the sequence?

 

[yorkie]

My understanding is that a 16 year old who was under 16 at the time the Railcard was purchased still qualifies just as much as someone who is under 16 at the time of travel, and there is no requirement for any other children to be present.

However if the 16 year old looks older than their age there is a strong possibility of being questioned; not all staff checking tickets know the rules. I've witnessed a fair few arguments over this specific matter, though not recently.

vailable products under ‘Find me a railcard’, with the same age-restriction promo language as the 16-25 and the 26-30, both of which are valid until the anniversary of purchase, even if that takes you over the age limit.

I just don’t understand why you’d design a linear series of discount products, all with the same expiry rules apart from this one which potentially expires early and requires an early purchase of the next one in the sequence?

One of the main aims of Railcards (or any other discount scheme) is to have as many different and inconsistent T&Cs as possible; don't try to apply apply any logic to it!

 

[30907]

From a customer viewpoint though, it’s listed on the Railcard homepage as one of the 9 available products under ‘Find me a railcard’, with the same age-restriction promo language as the 16-25 and the 26-30, both of which are valid until the anniversary of purchase, even if that takes you over the age limit.

I just don’t understand why you’d design a linear series of discount products, all with the same expiry rules apart from this one which potentially expires early and requires an early purchase of the next one in the sequence?

The 16-17 has a different discount and overlaps the 16-25. It was introduced at HMG's insistence IIRC.