Frequently Asked Questions?

Most frequently asked questions

• How do I purchase or renew my Railcard online?
  A:

  Simply select "Buy Senior Railcard now" and follow the onscreen instructions.
   
  You will need a valid passport, National Identity Card (machine readable cards from the European Economic Area only) or driving licence number to verify your eligibility online. Once your online payment has been successful you will receive an email confirmation and acknowledgement of your application number (this confirmation cannot be used to buy discounted tickets).
  
  Your new Railcard will be despatched within one working day by UK Mail. Please allow five working days for delivery. You will have the option of paying for Special Delivery which, providing you have placed your order before 1600hrs will guarantee that your Railcard is delivered within two days (Sunday to Thursday) or three days (Friday to Saturday).

  If your delivery address is outside Britain, please select the digital Railcard option.

  Your Railcard cannot be collected from a rail station. You will not be able to travel on discounted tickets until you have your Railcard – you cannot use the printed confirmation of sale.

  ---

• Can I buy a Railcard at a rail station?
  A:

  Yes. You can buy a 1-year Railcard over the counter at all staffed National Rail stations. If you do this you can also use your birth certificate or National Identity card (for non-UK nationals) as proof of your date of birth

  ---

• The system says my passport code is “invalid”. What can I do?
  A:

  We accept machine readable passport codes from ALL countries with the exception of those issued in the Philippines and Bangladesh prior to 2010. So if you have a valid passport your passport code should work.

  When inputting your passport details into the system please ensure you are entering all characters including each chevron “<” where it appears on your passport. You will need to input:

  • 10 digits or characters into the first box
  • three letters in the second box identifying your nationality
  • seven digits in the third box
  • an F or M identifying your gender in the fourth box
  • seven digits in the fifth box
  • the last two digits of your passport code in the sixth box. If you only have one digit in this section, please add a 0 in front of it. 

  

  

  If all of the above information is correct and the system says that your number is still invalid, please check that the information you have supplied on the Cardholder Details page is correct. You must:

  • use your full name as it is shown on your passport. Do not use any shortened version of your name (for example, “Bob” when you are “Robert” on your passport)
  • put your personal name in the “Your First Name” field and your family name in the “Your Surname” field
  • make sure that your gender is as it is shown on your passport

   

  ---

• How do I make a complaint?
  A:

  In the first instance please contact Railcard Customer Services who will endeavour to resolve any issues that you have. 

  We're open from 0700hrs to 2200hrs everyday of the year except for Christmas day.  You can:

  Email us:         railcardhelp@nationalrail.co.uk

  Call us on:       0345 3000 250

  Write to:         National Railcards
                          PO Box 10776
                          Ashby-de-la-Zouch
                          LE65 9FA

   If you are not satisfied with the resolution we give you are entitled to contact:

  www.transportfocus.org.uk/help/rail-complaints

  http://ec.europa.eu/odr

  ---

• How long do I have to wait for my Railcard to arrive?
  A:

  If you are buying your Railcard online we will despatch it within one working day, and send it free by UK Mail. Please allow FIVE working days for your Railcard to arrive.

  You have the option of paying £6.50 for our Special Delivery service. Providing you have placed your order before 1600hrs this will guarantee that your Railcard is delivered within two days (Monday to Thursday) or three days (Friday to Sunday).

  You will not be able to collect your Railcard from a rail station. We add an extra week’s validity to your Railcard to allow for delivery time.

  If your delivery address is outside Britain, please select the digital Railcard option.

  You cannot travel on discounted tickets until you have received your Railcard. You cannot use your printed out confirmation of sale to get discount. The Railcard is the only proof of entitlement to discount that rail staff are able to accept.

  ---

• What are the last posting dates over the Christmas period?
  A:

  It’s a very busy time of year for Royal Mail so if you would like to order a plastic Railcard, it might take longer for it to arrive during the festive season. The good news is, you don’t need to rely on the post. Choose to receive your Railcard digitally and it will be available instantly.

  If you would still like the plastic version and to ensure your order is with you before Christmas day, please complete your order before 4pm on Sunday 15th December or use our Special Delivery service no later than Tuesday 17th December. If you are ordering a Railcard by our standard service between Monday 16th December and Thursday 2nd January 2020, please expect delivery by Saturday 11th of January.

  ---

• I wear a burka or a niqab – will I have to show my face in the photograph?
  A:

  If you opt for a digital Railcard, you must provide a photograph. The photo should have been taken with nothing covering the outline of eyes, nose or mouth. The rail industry applies the same rules as the DVLA and Passport Agency, so photos with a person wearing a full facial burka / niqab (a veil that covers the face) are not acceptable. If a member of rail staff is unable to validate that the person on your Railcard is you, the Train Companies reserve the right to charge you the full price Standard Single fare for your journey as if no ticket was purchased before starting the journey and in some cases a Penalty Fare.

  ---

• I am getting the message "Internal Server Error" during the application process. What can I do?
  A:

  The “Internal Server Error” message is a generic error message which relates to issues to do with the way your browser is interfacing with the Railcard website. Sometimes this problem can occur if you are using compatibility mode in Internet Explorer (versions IE10 and lower).  

  In Internet Explorer 10 you can click the compatibility mode button to switch it on or off. 

  In Internet Explorer 11 there is no compatibility mode button so to access the Compatibility settings you will need to click on the Settings icon. In the menu that is subsequently displayed you will find “Compatibility View Settings” – click this. In the Settings panel that displays, make sure that railcard.co.uk is not the box entitled, “Websites you’ve added to compatibility view”.  If it is please click on the entry and click the remove button, then click to close it.

  ---

• The system is not accepting my passport or driving licence – what can I do?
  A:

  If you have received an error message, please check that your date of birth, gender and passport / driving licence number have been entered correctly. When you have made the necessary changes click next. If you continue to receive an error message please contact us so that we can help you. We are able to help complete your application over the phone.

  ---

• What methods of payment are accepted?
  A: We accept online payment via credit and debit cards. The cards accepted are: Visa, Visa Debit, Visa Electron, MasterCard, MasterCard Debit, Maestro and Solo. We cannot accept American Express or Diner's Club.
  
  We regret that we cannot accept cheques or Paypal.

  ---

• Can I buy tickets at a discounted rate before my Railcard arrives?
  A: No. You must carry your Railcard with you on any journey where you have bought discounted tickets with the Railcard. Therefore, if you buy discounted Railcard tickets before you receive your Railcard, you do this at your own risk.

  ---

• How can I change my address details if I am an online Railcard customer?
  A: Simply Log in and enter your email address and password. Choose “Edit your details” to edit your address.

  ---

• My Railcard has not arrived in the post. What can I do?
  A: You will need to wait FIVE working days and then log back in to your Railcards online account, select ‘Replace your Railcard’ and then click on the ‘Not received’ button on the left. If you then press ‘continue’ this completes the replacement application process. Please check that your address is correct before you order. You will be sent a free replacement provided you do this within 30 days of your purchase date. We believe this is long enough for a customer to notify us they have not received their Railcard.
   
  If 30 days has passed from your date of purchase you can still request a replacement card, but you will have to pay a £10 replacement fee.
   
  You’ll need to have your Railcard with you to travel on discounted Railcard tickets.

  ---

• The system won't accept my driving licence code - can you help?
  A: If you are using a driving licence to apply, please make sure that the name you use to apply for your Railcard is typed into your application in exactly the same format in which it is shown on your driving licence.
  
  This means that if an apostrophe or hyphen in your name has been left out of your name on your driving licence you need to leave it out of the name you use for your Railcard.
  
  For example, if your name is “O’brian” and it is shown as “Obrian” (without the apostrophe) on your driving licence, then you should type it as “Obrian” in your Railcard application.

  ---

• I have a promotion code to use towards the cost of my Railcard – it is not working. What can I do?
  A:

  Please check that you have read each character of the code correctly. We do try to use codes that are easy to read, but occasionally applicants might confuse,

  • the letter “I” with the number “1”
  • the letter “O” with the number “0”(zero)
  • the letter “S” with the number “5”.

  If any of these characters appear in your code please try their alternatives. If this does not work please call us on 0345 3000 250 and we will be able to check the status of the code you have.

  ---

• Can I use a provisional driving licence to apply online?
  A: Yes. Provisional driving licences can be used to demonstrate your age to our online system

  ---