Railcards - 23 of them ...

[whole diary]

[grahame]

16-17 Saver
16-25 Railcard
26-30 Railcard
Cambrian Railcard
Cotswold Line Railcard
Dales Railcard
Devon and Cornwall Railcard
Disabled Persons Railcard
Esk Valley Railcard
Family & Friends Railcard
Great Northern Student Connect Card
Heart of Wales Line Railcard
Highland Railcard
Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card
Network Railcard
Pembrokeshire Railcard
Senior Railcard
Thameslink Student Connect Card
Two Together Railcard
Valleys Senior Railcard
Valleys Student Railcard
Veterans Railcard

Have I missed any?    Wouldn't an "anyone, anywhere" railcard simplify things?

[bobm]

To be honest, at a time when the government is looking to collect as much in fares as it can, I am surprised some of the existing ones have survived - even if withdrawing them would be seen as short-sighted.   

Are there any recent surveys to assess how many journeys are made because of the discounts available?

[plymothian]

TfW's proprietary 18 Saver and Student railcards.

[GBM]

Club 50

[Hafren]

I wonder if combining them into some simpler groups would be helpful... for example some sort of 'Concession' card that multiple groups of people could apply for. Or would it make it more complex in its own way. But having specific named railcards directly aimed at specific groups probably helps to market the individual card types.

I'd guess even in the current climate they're a good way to make money - as the lower fare is available to some groups of people, but the higher fare is still out there, and some people are still paying it. It's a bit like having peak/off-peak fares - even if the peaks are no longer the traditional commuter peaks, barring off-peak fares morning peak trains means at least some people are still paying a higher fare.

Then there are categories of child fare - along these lines:
• Under 5 free
• Under 16 half price
(any more?)
But Wales adds complexity:
• Under 16 free** off-peak*
• Under 11 free** at all times
* No idea if that refers to a blanket peak time, or just free if an off-peak ticket is valid on that flow
** If with an adult I think (in both cases?); and not totally sure if anywhere in Wales, on TfW priced flows, or on any TfW train (even if in England?) - I think the latter?
There are benefits here but also an extra layer of complexity...

[TonyK]

Are there any recent surveys to assess how many journeys are made because of the discounts available?

In my case, almost all of them.

I wonder if combining them into some simpler groups would be helpful... for example some sort of 'Concession' card that multiple groups of people could apply for. Or would it make it more complex in its own way. But having specific named railcards directly aimed at specific groups probably helps to market the individual card types.

I don't think the return on costs would amount to much, and it may easily sow further seeds of confusion. Each type has its own qualifying criteria, the most important of which is the fee, so far as NR^» (Network Rail - home page) is concerned. The class of person included in the discount varies too. I hold one, and could apply for at least 3 others, and my wife could have one of at least two others in addition to or instead of hers. A pensioner can have a Senior Card, but a disabled pensioner would be better off with a Disabled Persons Card because of the option to take a carer with the same same discount. Or if the majority of that disabled pensioner's rail journeys are with the grandkids, a Family and Friends Card  would be the better bet. The cost of processing the cards won't vary markedly. I am more used to telling people they have claimed the wrong benefit and working out which is the appropriate one, which is (or was before I sensibly retired) time-consuming. Checking that the customer has provided the right evidence for the card that they have selected from the menu is much easier, and I would imaging the cards are printed elsewhere when the "Done" button is clicked. A page on a website costs practically nothing in the grand scheme of things. I say it ain't broke, so don't mend it.

[grahame]

So we're up to around 25 ... and the standard leaflet I still complex with less than half of them



and then when it goes belly up you have do decide which of (how many?) ways to claim some back when all you really wanted was a train that ran on time

[TonyK]

Ah, the simplicity of doing it all online. I had forgotten that there were still paper documents for anyone who wants them.

[eightonedee]

Have I missed any?

An annual Gold Card - perk of being an annual season ticket holder.

[ChrisB]

Only qualify on certain routes though, mostly south of Birmingham.

[PhilWakely]

Network Railcard

Originally intended for use within the Network South East area, this is probably the most 'missold' railcard. It is a well known fact that very few people read the Terms and Conditions and many Network Railcards have been sold online to customers living way outside the NSE^▸ (Network South East) area, assuming the 'Network' referred to was the whole UK^▸ (United Kingdom) rail network! I've heard anecdotally of folk expecting a Network Card discount for journeys in Scotland!

[grahame]

Network Railcard

Originally intended for use within the Network South East area, this is probably the most 'missold' railcard. It is a well known fact that very few people read the Terms and Conditions and many Network Railcards have been sold online to customers living way outside the NSE^▸ (Network South East) area, assuming the 'Network' referred to was the whole UK^▸ (United Kingdom) rail network! I've heard anecdotally of folk expecting a Network Card discount for journeys in Scotland!

I would agree the misnomer ... and be aware of the very strange (historic operational) scope of this card. I don't see the ongoing strategic logic of having some regional railcards that anyone can buy, some regional railcards that are only available to residents who live in certain places, and some areas / regions where the only railcards available are selected by another factors such as age(group), (dis)ability, employment status, travelling group composition, previous or current employment, etc. 

[ChrisB]

For those whose restriction applies to those that have to use rail, I do. That can include the disabled, those living in rural areas where there is usually only one form of transport available & fares are aimed at tourists rather than those living on below-average wages (like Cornwall & the Highlands). I can also see why those aged up to certainly 21 have a railcard aimed at them too.

[Richard Fairhurst]

The Gold Card and Network Card areas have begun to diverge significantly - both Greater Anglia and much of the WMR/LNWR^▸ (London North Western Railway) network have opted into the Gold Card area. It seems strange that Hereford–Worcester isn't in the Gold Card area, given that (almost) every train between the two will be eligible for a Gold Card discount for the rest of its journey.

You would like to think that GBR^▸ (Great British Railways) might tidy up some of this...