How do physical railcards work?

If you bought your physical Railcard at a rail station, you must carry your separate 16-25 Photocard that was issued at the time of purchase (or where appropriate a 'Permit to travel without Photocard') and you must present this in any circumstance where you present your physical Railcard (i.e. when buying tickets and ...



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Digital Railcards are stored within the Railcard app on your smart phone or tablet, meaning there's no need to carry the physical card around with you. They can be stored on up to two devices and used quicker than plastic Railcards as they do not need to be sent in the post.

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You can get your Railcard in a digital format to be stored in the National Rail Railcard app on your phone or tablet, or as a physical card. You can use your Railcard to buy tickets online, at a ticket office, from a ticket machine, and over the phone.

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Unfortunately, you can only have one version of your Railcard – either plastic or digital.

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Types of Digital Railcard with Trainline You can now buy the following digital Railcards with us and store them directly in your Trainline app. Age-based Railcards are great for students, young professionals and seniors. Railcards are great for friends, couples and family members.

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You cannot swap a plastic Railcard to a digital Railcard. However, when the time comes to renew your Railcard you can do this online and choose to have a digital Railcard.

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How do I apply a Railcard discount?
  1. Select where you're travelling from and to and the date and time you'd like to travel.
  2. Add your passengers and their relevant Railcards.
  3. Select 'Get times & tickets'. If you're eligible for a discount, it will automatically be applied to your search results.


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Once downloaded, open the app and tap on the '+' symbol on the 'Your Railcards' screen. The 'Add Railcard' screen will then show, and you will need to tap on the '+' symbol under 'Add an existing Railcard' to enter your download code and add your Network Railcard.

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Yes, you can. Simply click 'Buy Now on the website homepage to get started. When you get to the question 'Choose the type of Railcard you would like' select 'Digital' and follow the instructions on the screen to complete your purchase.

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If you bought your Railcard at a station, both the paper printed Railcard and the photocard must be presented. Failure to present a valid Railcard will mean you have to pay a full fare or you may on certain services be liable for a Penalty Fare.

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You don't need to live in Britain or be a UK citizen to be eligible. However, they can only be posted to UK addresses. Buy in person at a staffed railway station (each railcard is different, so it is best to check beforehand with Railcard Help to see if there are any documents that you will need to bring with you).

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If you paid for 'Special Delivery' and placed your order before 15:45pm, your Railcard will be delivered within two days (Monday to Thursday) or three days (Friday to Sunday). If you are applying as a mature student please allow an additional 5 working days for your application to be reviewed and approved.

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In most cases, your digital Network Railcard will be available to use straight away. A download code will be sent to your registered email address, along with instructions on how to download your digital Network Railcard.

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Yes! Your discounted ticket is not valid unless you bring your Railcard with you. Luckily if you buy online, you can add your Railcard to your digital wallet, so you won't forget it!

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At Trainline, we sell international rail passes for many countries and continents across the globe including Europe, Great Britain and Japan. Keep scrolling to see which passes you can buy with us, tap the blue button to book your pass straight away or tap find out more to read your dedicated guides to each pass.

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