If you're new to Railsmartr or looking for answers to your questions, this guide will help you learn more about our services and their features.
How much discount does a Railcard give?
How much discount does a Railcard give? That's a great question. You can save up to 1/3 off the cost of your tickets with a Railcard. Two Railcards (the 16-17 Saver and the Job Centre Plus) give 50% off.
Your guide to Railcards
We know that navigating Railcard restrictions can be tricky, so we've produced this handy guide to help you choose the right one for you. Simply click the railcard name to find out more information.
| Railcard | Discount | Things to Remember |
| 16-17 Saver | 50% | Not valid on ScotRail, Caledonian Sleeper or in First Class. |
| 16-25 | 33% | £12 minimum fare applies Monday to Friday (except Bank Holidays, during July & August and on Advance tickets). Not valid on First Class fares except First Class Advance tickets. |
| 26-30 | 33% | £12 minimum fare applies Monday to Friday (except Bank Holidays and on Advance tickets). Not valid on First Class fares except First Class Advance tickets or on tickets routed 'Caledonian Sleeper only'. |
| Annual Gold Card | 33% | Requires purchase of a valid season ticket. Valid only within Gold Card area, not valid before 09:30 Monday to Friday. |
| Network Railcard | 33% | Valid only within Network Railcard area. Not valid before 10am Monday to Friday. £13 minimum fare also applies Monday to Fridays (except Bank Holidays). Minimum fare of £19.60 on Anytime Day Travelcards applies at all times. |
| Disabled Persons Railcard | 33% | No time restrictions. Discount also applies to one passenger accompanying the card holder. |
| HM Forces Railcard | 33% (60% for children) | Leisure travel only. Cannot be purchased at stations or online. |
| Veterans Railcard | 33% | £12 minimum fare applies Monday to Friday (except Bank Holidays, during July & August and on Advance tickets). |
| Job Centre Plus Railcard | 50% | Valid only on Anytime, Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak tickets, as well as Season Tickets for up to three months. |
| Senior Railcard | 33% | Not valid for journeys wholly within the Network Railcard area during the morning peak. Exceptions apply. |
| Two Together Railcard | 33% | Not valid before 09:30 Monday to Friday (except Bank Holidays). |
| Family & Friends Railcard | 33% (60% for children) | Not valid for journeys wholly within the Network Railcard area during the morning peak. Exceptions apply. Not valid in First Class. |
How do I know if I'm getting a Railcard discount?
As you can see in our guide, some Railcards have a minimum fare or aren't valid at all before a certain time on weekdays. Don't worry, our site will always make it clear what kind of discount you're receiving on your ticket.
When you're searching for the services you'd like to travel on, simply click on the one you'd like followed by the 'i' symbol (highlighted in yellow):
This will bring up a full list of information about your ticket. Look for the section that says 'Passengers' which tells you how much the ticket costs and if a Railcard has been added (highlighted in yellow). If your ticket would be cheaper without any discount, compared to a minimum fare applied to your Railcard, then we'll charge you the cheaper undiscounted fare.
Got more questions about using Railcards with Railsmartr? Click here
Yes, you can get a discount if you don't have a Railcard. There are some great discounts to be had if you’re travelling as a group and will be together for the whole journey. We’ve got them all covered in Railsmartr.
Discounts without Railcards
Wherever there’s a group discount, we’ve got it covered. You can find out more about Group Tickets here.
Yes, it is possible to get an accompanied child discount on some rail tickets. Some train operators have great value flat fares for children accompanying adults, and they can be as low as £1 for a return ticket! They can also include a London Travelcard.
You can buy tickets with an accompanied child discount at Railsmartr for the following companies:
We've got them all covered and they will automatically appear as options if you're travelling on the right journey and with the right combination of passengers.
That's easy! Here at Railsmartr, we'll always offer you the cheapest fare for your journey. So, by default, we'll offer the discounted tickets if they're the cheapest option.
You should also remember that these discounts are normally only available outside of peak times. So, you'll only be able to get them on Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak tickets. When you book on Railsmartr, there are two ways that you can tell if you're buying tickets with an accompanied child discount.
Sometimes, the fare itself will have a special name, so you'll be able to see it when you buy. Just click on the price of the ticket, and you'll see the name:
In this case, it shows as 'Kids for a Quid'. When you get to the final stage of your purchase, we'll also break down the cost for you:
Just remember that you all have to travel together as a group. Children can't travel unaccompanied for a pound! If they become separated from the group, then an undiscounted fare will need to be paid. A Penalty Fare could also be charged on some services.
Is using multiple Railcards in the same booking allowed?
Yes, you can use up to three different Railcards in the same booking, as long as there are enough passengers in the group. We'll do all the hard work for you to find the best discount available.
Railsmartr will automatically use the Railcards offering the best discount, if you have provided more than one Railcard. For example, if there are two adults and two children travelling together, and you have selected one Family & Friends Railcard, one Senior Railcard, and one 16-25 Railcard, Railsmartr will use just the Family & Friends Railcard if that gives you the cheapest option.
How do I add multiple Railcard discounts?
Using multiple Railcards is easy! Let our step-by-step guide show you how:
1. Select how many people are travelling
Head to the Railsmartr website and pop in your journey details. If you're going to be using multiple Railcards, you need to enter the number of passengers travelling, first.
2. Add your first Railcard
Next, head down to the section that says 'Railcards' and select your first Railcard. If several of your travelling companions are using the same type of Railcard, you can choose multiple of the same type.
3. Add another Railcard
When you've added your first type of Railcard, click 'Add another railcard' and repeat the process until you've added all of the Railcards.
4. Get searching!
You're done! Press 'Done' and get searching. We'll calculate the best fare for your journey.
Want to know more about Railcards? Check out our handy guide to all of the different types, which answers the all-important question of 'How much discount does a Railcard give?'
You could also take a look at the official Railcard website.
Many people ask the question: 'Do you need a Railcard for Groupsave?' and we're pleased to tell you that the answer is no! There's no need to have any sort of Railcard or other proof of entitlement to buy a Groupsave ticket. Just make sure that you always travel together in a group of three or more.
The same applies with any similar discounts such as the Stansted Express group discount. Just stick together and save together!
We've produced a handy guide for Groupsave tickets, too. Simply click here to find out more about where they're available and how to buy them.
If you're travelling together as two people, then you won't be able to benefit from Groupsave. However, you could benefit from a Two-Together Railcard. Click here to find out more with our guide to Railcards.
You can also visit the National Rail website to find out more about Groupsave. Now that we've answered your question of 'do you need a Railcard for Groupsave?' you could also jump straight in and book your Groupsave tickets with Railsmartr.
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.
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.
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.
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.
If you've ended up with a forgotten Railcard, then don't panic. There are some things that you can do to remedy the situation.
If you're on the train and you've realised you've forgotten a Railcard, then you should find a member of staff if you can. There's no obligation to do this, but it may give you a more favourable outcome.
You might be charged for a new full-priced ticket or issued a Penalty Fare. If this happens, remain calm and give the correct details.
Remember, a Penalty Fare is designed for 'honest mistakes'. If it was suspected that you were intending to do wrong, then more serious action would have been taken.
Once you find your Railcard, get in touch with the rail operator. Explain that you've forgotten your Railcard, and that you were charged for a new ticket. Once every calendar year, they will refund any new tickets and cancel the Penalty Fare. If you do this more than once per year, the new tickets and/or Penalty Fare will still stand.
It's now possible to get your Railcard on your phone. For example, there's a dedicated Railcard app. If you think that this would be more useful (and less difficult to lose), then it's certainly an option.
If there's a while until your journey, and you've lost your Railcard, then the best option would be to order a replacement.
You can do this through the place where you bought your Railcard, such as on the official Railcard website.
Don't forget that you can either change or refund your ticket free of charge (depending on the ticket type) when you book with Railsmartr. So, you can push your trip back a different date if a forgotten Railcard threatens to derail it.