Great Western Coffee Shop

It is possible to choose the start date of a railcard? I always assumed it had to start on the day of application/purchase (for a new card, not renewals).

A(nother) fraud prevention measure.

Indeed. A forward dated one could be used before validity, either accidentally or deliberately.

Ones ordered online start on the date the application is processed and typically have additional days at the end of the period of validity to allow for delivery time. My last Disabled Persons Railcard was valid for one year and one week.

I can add that the online ordering system in my experience delivers very quickly (in my experience, one day for printing and one or two days for postage).  You should be able to leave ordering the card until close to the wire (always being prepared to take the risk of having to buy a card at the station if I am wrong).

Anyone with Tesco's clubcard points should investigate using them to buy a railcard.  ^15 of points gets you a ^30 railcard.  The reviews on the Tesco's website support my view that delivery is very quick.

When I purchased my last one at a station I was asked "what day do you want it to start?".

I suppose if I had said anything other than "today" I'd have been told to come back.

As an aside, I discovered up to 9 months validity can be added from an old passport to a renewal. I'd always assumed it was 6. Not only that I noticed they add on extra days to the new expiry to account for the days lost while the application was being processed.

Can you still get 3-year Senior Railcard for ^70 online?

Can you renew a railcard with the start date on the new card before the old one expires (my 16-25 card expires shortly after my birthday)?

Yep: http://www.senior-railcard.co.uk/


Not worked in a ticket office in a few years, but it certainly used to be a common thing to have someone buy a new one before they turned 26.

My daughter did exactly that, with the merest hint of a query from the ticket office person

Simply don't mention that you've already got one!

I would need a new passport photo for them to make a new photocard for that wouldn't I? They don't seem to require a photocard for the senior railcard but I have a photocard for my 16-25 one.

A valid photocard does not necessarily mean you've got a valid railcard :-) e.g. you may have lost it and it would not be worth paying the admin fee for a replacement (if indeed you had the receipt in order to get a replacement).

The online system would probably let you do it regardless of holding a current one (AFAIK a photo can be uploaded and it comes on plastic when purchasing that way).

I am also not aware of a rule stating you can't have more than 1 of each type of railcard. In theory someone could have a 16-25 and a two together quite legitimately for example. You may want a two together railcard with 2 separate people for when you travel with them.