Concessionary fares on the British railway network

There is no single 'discount railcard' available on the UK railway network. In addition to the large number and variety of short-term or localised promotional fares that have been available to passengers on the British railway network in recent decades (especially since privatisation), there are many permanent concessionary fare schemes available to passengers. Some of these take the form of Railcards, which can be purchased by people who qualify according to the conditions, and which give discounts for all journeys over a period; other concessions are available for individual journeys. In all cases, details of the type of concession will be printed on the passenger's travel ticket, to distinguish reduced-rate tickets from those sold at the standard full fare.

Before the rail network was privatised, British Rail introduced several discount cards that were available to certain groups of people. Various reasons are usually cited:

All of the schemes were retained after privatisation, despite some threats of abolition. By generating extra income at off-peak times when trains are generally less crowded, they offer a potential commercial benefit for the TOCs.

Participation in the Young Persons, Senior and Disabled Persons Railcard schemes is mandatory for all TOCs under their franchise agreements; the Family and HM Forces Railcard schemes are notionally voluntary, but all TOCs participate in them. For the Network Railcard, which has a restricted geographical area, all TOCs in the relevant area are members of the scheme and participate in it. The revenue applicable to each TOC from the use of each Railcard is calculated by the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC), and voting rights and costs payable are attributed accordingly.

7% of fare revenue is derived from travel using one of the Railcard schemes. This amounts to approximately £400m, of which £60m is estimated by ATOC to be attributable entirely to the existence of the Railcards – if they were not available, journeys to a total value of £60m per year would not be made by rail. Approximately 2,200,000 Railcards are in use at any one time in Britain.

Many passengers potentially qualify for more than one railcard (the potential for confusion has led to the Campaign For A National Railcard. The main differences between the main railcard types are summarised below, although the terms and conditions are detailed in each case, so potential passengers are advised to check the links for each:

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