So, you’ve bought a Railcard, but there aren’t any discounts showing! This can be frustrating, but there are some good reasons as to why no Railcard discount might be offered. 

Why is no Railcard discount showing for my ticket?

The simple answer is that not every Railcard is valid all of the time. Some of them are only valid in some parts of the country and others are only accepted at certain times of day. 

If you’re travelling in First Class, then you might only be able to buy certain kinds of ticket. 16-25 and 26-30 Railcards are only valid for First Class Advance tickets, for example. If you have a 16-17 Saver, then it isn’t valid for any kind of First Class ticket. 

Do you have a Network Railcard? No Railcard discount will show if you’re trying to buy an Advance ticket. It’s only valid for travel with flexible train tickets. 

There are some other reasons as to why no Railcard discount might show on the Railsmartr website. We’d recommend taking a look at our dedicated Guide to Railcards, where we’ll take you through that everything you need to know. 

Why is the fare not what I expected?

Some Railcards will have a minimum fare. For example, 16-25, 26-30 and Veterans Railcards have a £12 minimum fare on tickets for travel before 10am on weekdays. This is eased in July and August, though. If it’s cheaper to sell you the £12 fare compared to the undiscounted one, then we’ll do that. 

If you have a Network Railcard, there’s a £13 minimum fare all day on weekdays. 

How do I know if I’m getting a Railcard discount?

When you buy your tickets with Railsmartr, there’s no danger of accidentally getting no Railcard discount. When you get to the final page of the booking, we’ll give you a summary of what you’re buying, on the right-hand side. 

If you see a code in brackets, like YNG, then we’ve applied a discount. If it just says ‘Adult’ or ‘Child’ without anything else, then there’s no Railcard discount. 

Got any further questions? You can contact us or take a look at our guide to booking tickets. Remember, we’ll never charge you a booking fee or refund admin fee on your tickets.