Frequently Asked Questions?

Most frequently asked questions

• How do I buy my Family & Friends Railcard?
  A:

  You can buy your Family & Friends Railcard online or at a staffed station Ticket Office.

  To buy online, simply click ‘’Buy Now’’ on the website homepage and follow the instructions on the screen. If you have selected 'Digital' under 'Choose the type of Railcard you would like', you will be asked to provide a passport style photo.

  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).

  If you have purchased a plastic Family & Friends Railcard, please allow 10 days for delivery. You can choose to pay for ‘Special Delivery’, but you will have to place your order before 15:45pm to guarantee that your Railcard is delivered within 2 days (Monday to Thursday) or 3 days (Friday to Sunday).

  If you are unable to wait for your Family & Friends Railcard to be delivered to you, you can also download and complete an online application form and go to any staffed station Ticket Office to apply in person.

  If you have purchased a digital Family & Friends Railcard, a download code will be sent to your registered email address, along with instructions on how to download your Railcard. 

  You will not be able to travel on discounted tickets until you have your Railcard.

   

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

  If you have ordered a plastic Family & Friends Railcard online, please allow 10 days for delivery. If you paid for ‘Special Delivery’ and placed your order before 15:45pm, your Railcard will be delivered within 2 days (Monday to Thursday) or 3 days (Friday to Sunday).

  If you have purchased a digital Family & Friends Railcard, it 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 Railcard. 

  You cannot travel on discounted tickets until you have received your Railcard.

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• How do I purchase my Railcard online?
  A:

  To purchase your Railcard online, please click ‘Buy Now’ on the website homepage and follow the instructions on the screen to complete your purchase. 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).

  If you have ordered a plastic Railcard, please allow 10 days for delivery. You can choose to pay for ‘Special Delivery’, but you will have to place your order before 15:45pm to guarantee that your Railcard is delivered within 2 days (Monday to Thursday) or 3 days (Friday to Sunday).

  If you have ordered a digital Railcard, a download code will be sent to your registered email address, along with instructions on how to download your Railcard. 

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• 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 07:00am to 22:00pm 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 8626

  SWADLINCOTE

  DE11 1JA

   

   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/

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

  Yes. You can buy a 1-year Family & Friends Railcard over the counter at all staffed station ticket offices.

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• Can I buy a Family & Friends for another person?
  A:

  Yes, you can buy a digital or plastic Family & Friends Railcard for another person online as long as they are aged 16 years or over.

  To order the Railcard, click ‘Buy Now’ on the website homepage, select ‘Digital or Plastic’ under ‘Choose the type of Railcard you would like’ and when you get to the question, "Who is the Railcard being purchased for?" select the option " The Railcard is for someone else" and follow the instructions on the screen to continue with your purchase. You will also be asked to register if you do not already have an account or log in using your registered email address and password.

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• How can I change my personal details if I am an online Railcard customer
  A:

  Please go to "Manage my Railcard" on the website homepage to log in to your account. Once logged in, on the top right of your account summary page, please click on your ‘Menu Profile’ and select ‘Personal Details’. You will be given the option to update or change your personal details.

  Or you can also click on https://secure.railcard.co.uk/account/personal-details, enter your log in details and the ‘Manage Personal Details’ page will show. You can now change or update your personal details.

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• 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.

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• 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.

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• 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.

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• 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.

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