Family & Friends Railcard Terms & Conditions

1. Introduction

1.1. These terms and conditions (“Railcard Conditions”) apply to the use of Famiiy & Friends Railcard and reduced priced tickets (“discounted tickets”) bought with the Famiiy & Friends Railcard.

1.2. In addition to the Railcard Conditions, the National Rail Conditions of Travel (“NRCoT”) apply to any journey on the rail network. Where the NRCoT conflict with these Railcard Conditions, the NRCoT override the Railcard Conditions. Copies of the NRCoT are available online at nationalrail.co.uk/nrcot or at staffed National Rail stations.

1.3. These Railcard Conditions form a contract between you and ATOC Ltd (Registered in England and Wales No. 03069033, Company Registered Office: RDG, First Floor North, 1 Puddle Dock, London, EC4V 3DS. ATOC Ltd enters into this contract on behalf of the train companies listed at railcard.co.uk/traincompanies (“Train Companies”).

1.4. Train Companies shall have rights under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 to enforce any of these Railcard Conditions.

1.5. These Railcard Conditions are valid up to and including 31 March 2024.

1.6. Train Companies may change the Railcard Conditions during the validity of your Railcard.  Where possible, the Train Companies will communicate these changes to you by displaying information at stations at least three months prior to the change.

2. General conditions of use of the Railcard

2.1. If you have a physical Railcard, your Railcard is not valid, and you cannot use it, until you have signed it. If your Railcard covers more than one person, the second cardholder must also sign the physical Railcard before use.

2.2. The Railcard does not become your property and, if requested:

2.2.1. You must hand it to a representative of any of the Train Companies, if you have a physical Railcard. 

2.2.2. You must remove it from your mobile device if requested by a representative of any of the Train Companies, if you have a digital Railcard.

2.3. The Railcard and tickets bought with it are not transferable to anyone else and you must not give, lend, or resell them. Only the named cardholder(s) can use the Railcard.

2.4. Train Companies will not issue refunds on unused/unwanted Railcards, or extend their validity period.

2.5. You may be asked to show your Railcard when purchasing discounted tickets.

2.6. Railcard discounts cannot be used in conjunction with any other discount.

2.7. You must buy the tickets before boarding the train unless:

2.7.1. there was no ticket office at the station at which you began the journey or if the ticket office was closed, and there was no working ticket machine from which you could buy discounted tickets; or

2.7.2. you have a disability which prevented you accessing ticket retailing facilities.

In these cases you will be able to use your Railcard to buy tickets on the train or at your destination.

  1. 2.8. You must carry your valid Railcard with you on your journey. When asked by rail staff, you must show a valid ticket and valid Railcard within its period of validity when you travel.
    1. 2.8.1. If you have a physical Railcard, it must be signed by you and the second cardholder and should be legible so staff can read it, as further detailed in the NRCoT.
    2. 2.8.2. If you have a digital Railcard, you must be able to show it on a mobile device throughout your journey.

2.9 The photo of the cardholder must meet our guidelines and be recognisable as the cardholder.

2.10. If you fail to comply with condition 2.7, 2.8 and/or 2.9, the Train Company reserves the right to charge you the full price for a standard single fare for your journey, as if no ticket had been purchased before starting the journey. In some cases you may also be issued with a Penalty Fare. If you are using your Railcard to get discounts for other members of your group, they will also be charged the full price for a standard single fare for their journey, as if no ticket had been purchased before starting the journey. In some cases they may also be issued with a Penalty Fare.

2.11. Fraudulent applications and fraudulent use of Railcards and Railcard discounted tickets may lead to criminal prosecution.

 

INFORMATION:

  • See the NRCoT for more information about Penalty Fares.
  • Railcard discounts do not apply to Season tickets, train company promotional tickets, Eurostar tickets, and most London Underground and DLR tickets - see familyandfriends-railcard.co.uk for the most up to date information.  

 

3. Replacing your lost, damaged or stolen Railcard

3.1. If you have a physical Railcard and lose or damage your Railcard or it is stolen, you can apply for a replacement. If you bought the original Railcard at a rail station, you can request a replacement only at a ticket office and you must show the completed ‘Receipt’ voucher from the original application form. You will be requested to show some form of identification when obtaining a replacement at a station. If you purchased your Railcard online, you must request a replacement online.

3.2. You will only be issued with one replacement of a physical Railcard in any 12 month period, and you will need to pay an administration fee, unless your physical Railcard was stolen and you have a crime reference number or documentation issued by the Police. For Family & Friends Railcard, the administration fee is £10.  

3.3. If you have a digital Railcard and lose or damage the mobile device that it is stored on, you can upload it to a new mobile device with no administration fee by accessing your online account at familyandfriends-railcard.co.uk.

 

4. Conditions of use of the Family & Friends Railcard

4.1. One Railcard will be issued to up to two people aged 16 years or over. The names of the cardholders must be provided at the time of purchase – if you purchase a Railcard for one person, you cannot add a second name later.

4.2. If you buy a physical Railcard, each cardholder must sign the Railcard before use to show acceptance of the Railcard Conditions (see condition 2.1).

4.3. To purchase discounted tickets, at least one cardholder and at least one child aged 5 to 15 years must be travelling together.

4.4. The maximum group size is four adults (aged 16 years and over) including the named cardholder(s) and four children aged between 5 and 15 years. The group must travel with the Railcard holder throughout the journey.

4.5. If the named Railcard holders travel separately, only one cardholder may use the Railcard for discounted tickets as the Railcard must be produced for inspection together with the discounted tickets.

4.6. Discounts are not available on tickets for travel:

4.6.1. on morning peak services for journeys that start and end within the London & South East (defined by the Network Railcard area – network-railcard.co.uk/map) on Monday to Friday (except on public holidays). The time when off-peak services start can vary by station. Use nationalrail.co.uk to plan your journey to identify when off-peak services start or ask rail staff for details; or

4.6.2. in First Class, except for upgrades to First Class at weekends (subject to availability) upon payment of the appropriate supplement.

4.7. All child fares are subject to a £1 minimum fare at all times.

 

INFORMATION:

Children aged under 16 at the time that the Railcard is purchased may still travel at the discounted child fare throughout the validity period of the 1-year Railcard, even if they become 16 years old during that time or, for a 3-year Railcard until the child turns 17.

If the only child in the Family & Friends Railcard group is aged under five years, the Railcard holder must purchase a discounted child ticket for that child in order for the Railcard holder(s) to qualify for the discount on their tickets.

Discounted price tickets purchased by a Family & Friends Railcard holder should be issued for travel for the same origin and destination and should normally be of the same ticket type (example all Off-Peak Returns).

 

Digital Railcard terms & Conditions

1. General

The 'Railcard' app is the digital Railcard storage app of ATOC Ltd, a company registered in England (No.03069033), whose registered office is at:

First Floor North, 1 Puddle Dock, London, EC4V 3DS

Operating under the name Rail Delivery Group (“RDG”)

'Railcard' is offered as a free service to you, the user, by RDG for the purpose of storing and displaying your Railcard, via supported mobile phones and hardware. By installing the 'Railcard' App, you agree to be bound by these terms of use. Please review them carefully before installation and/or acceptance. If you do not agree with these terms and conditions, then you should uninstall the 'Railcard' app and cease using it.

2. Definitions

The ‘Railcard' app shall mean the software provided by RDG to display a travel discount card, to be used on Apple iOS, Android, and any upgrades from time to time and any other software or documentation which enables the use of the 'Railcard' app.

3. Conditions of use

3.1. You will not, nor allow third parties on your behalf to (i) make and distribute copies of the 'Railcard' app (ii) attempt to copy, reproduce, alter, modify, reverse engineer, disassemble, decompile, transfer, exchange or translate the 'Railcard' app; or (iii) create derivative works of the 'Railcard' app of any kind whatsoever.

3.2. The 'Railcard' app is currently made available to you free of charge for your personal, non-commercial use. RDG reserves the right to amend or withdraw the 'Railcard' app, or charge for the application or service provided to you in accordance with these terms and conditions, at any time and for any reason.

3.3. You acknowledge that the terms of agreement with your respective mobile network provider ('Mobile Provider') will continue to apply when using the 'Railcard' app. As a result, you may be charged by the Mobile Provider for access to network connection services for the duration of the connection while accessing the 'Railcard' app or any such third-party charges as may arise. You accept responsibility for any such charges that arise.

3.4. If you are not the bill payer for the mobile telephone or handheld device being used to access the 'Railcard' app, you will be assumed to have received permission from the bill payer for using the 'Railcard' app.

4. Availabilty 

4.1. The 'Railcard' app is available to handheld mobile devices running Apple iOS and Android OS. RDG will use reasonable efforts to make the 'Railcard' app available at all times. However, you acknowledge the 'Railcard' app is provided over the internet and mobile networks and so the quality and availability of the 'Railcard' app may be affected by factors outside RDG’s reasonable control.

4.2. RDG does not accept any responsibility whatsoever for unavailability of the 'Railcard' App, or any difficulty or inability to download or access content or any other communication system failure which may result in the 'Railcard' app being unavailable.

4.3. RDG will not be responsible for any support or maintenance for the 'Railcard' app.

5. System requirements

5.1. In order to use the 'Railcard' app, you are required to have a compatible mobile telephone or handheld device, internet access, and the necessary minimum specifications ('Software Requirements').

5.2. The Software Requirements are as follows: Apple iOS 14.0 and above and Android 5.0 and above.

5.3. The version of the 'Railcard' app software may be upgraded from time to time to add support for new functions and services.

6. Personal information and privacy

6.1. Introduction

In order for us to provide some of the services in the 'Railcard' app we will need to collect information from you.  By using these services or providing us with information you consent to the collection, use and transfer of your information under the terms of this policy.

6.2. Personal Information Collected

6.2.1. Active Collection of Information

Some areas of the 'Railcard' app require us to collect and use your information for example location information in order for you to benefit from specific features.

We only collect and use such information unless you opt not to receive such additional features.

Your location data may also be used by our contracted partners to provide you with personalised offers and promotions based on non-identifying data and geo-location data. For the purpose of this service, we only share technical data with our partners (such as your mobile advertising IDs) to ensure that we do not identify you as a person.

We may also use your location information for the purpose of improving the journey experience we provide to you.

If you wish to opt-out of these particular services, you can use the “opt-out of interest-based advertising (https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/3405269)” option on Android or the “Limit Ad-Tracking(support.apple.com/kb/HT4228)” option on iOS.

6.2.2. Passive Collection of Information

We may collect and process anonymous information about your use of the 'Railcard' app, such as some of the pages you visit and some of the searches you perform. Such information is used by us to help us improve the contents of the site and to compile, for internal market research purposes, aggregate statistics about individuals using it.  This kind of anonymous information can be obtained by our use of "cookies" as well as other means. Please see our "Use of Cookies" section below for more information on our use of cookies.

We may also share anonymous information about your use of the 'Railcard' app with third parties for analytical purposes.

6.3. How we use your Personal Information

When you supply personal information to RDG we will use it for the following purposes:
We and/or the train companies whose information is provided in the 'Railcard' app may also use your information: (a) for internal market research and analysis purposes; and (b) to carry out survey related activities with you.

We will not share or distribute any of the information you provide to us to unaffiliated third parties, unless required to do so by law.
We will only collect and use your information for the services to be provided and the duration required for the provision of the services.  We may need to retain the information for a reasonable period of time after the end of the services.

6.4. Sharing of Information

The information you provide to us may need to be accessed by our staff, service providers and train operating companies.
Where you have consented to receive such services we will share your information with contracted third parties for the purpose of:

(a) providing the services and customer service assistance;
(b) marketing services; and
(c) advertising

These service providers will only have access to the information needed to perform the relevant service and may not use your information for any other purpose.  They will also be required to use your information strictly in accordance with data protection laws, including maintaining adequate security measures to protect such information.

6.5. Links to third party Internet sites

The 'Railcard' app may contain links to other sites and sources of information. By clicking on these, you will leave the 'Railcard' app and this Privacy Policy will not apply to your use of any other sites.

6.6. Data Security

We employ administrative, electronic and physical security measures to ensure that the information that we collect about you is protected from access by unauthorised personsand protected against unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction and damage. By using our website and/or services you acknowledge and agree that, except to the extent required by the Data Protection laws, we shall not be responsible for any unauthorised use, distribution, damage or destruction of personal data. We will only retain your information for a reasonable period or as long as is required by law.

We may link you to third party websites which have their own privacy policies. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the privacy policies, content or security of these websites.

6.7. Changes to this Privacy Policy

There may be changes in how we use your data.  All such changes will be notified to you by updating this Privacy Policy.

7. Intellectual proporty rights and licence

7.1. All trade marks, copyright, database rights and other intellectual property rights of any nature in the 'Railcard' app together with the underlying software code are owned either directly by RDG or by RDG’s licensors.

7.2. RDG hereby grants you a non-exclusive, royalty-free revocable licence to use the 'Railcard' app for your personal use in connection with the use of the NRE Website and in accordance with these terms and conditions.

8. Termination

8.1. RDG may terminate use of the 'Railcard' app at any time by giving notice of termination to you.

8.2. Upon any termination,

(a) the rights and licenses granted to you herein shall terminate; and
(b) you must cease all use of the Software;

9. Limitation of liability

9.1. In no event will RDG be liable for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, exemplary or consequential losses or damages of whatsoever kind arising out of your use or access to the 'Railcard' app, including loss of profit or the like whether or not in the contemplation of the parties, whether based on breach of contract, tort (including negligence), product liability or otherwise.

9.2. RDG is not liable to you for any damage or alteration to your equipment including but not limited to computer equipment, handheld device or mobile telephones as a result of the installation or use of the 'Railcard' app.

9.3. Nothing in these terms and conditions shall exclude or limit RDG’s liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence or for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation or any other liability which cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.

9.4. RDG accepts no liability for the content of any third party content advertised on the 'Railcard' app or any transactions made by you in respect of such content. If you object to any such content you should uninstall the 'Railcard' app.

10. Disclaimer of warranties

To the maximum extent permitted by law RDG hereby disclaims all implied warranties with regard to the 'Railcard' app. The 'Railcard' app and software are provided "as is" and "as available" without warranty of any kind.

 

Last updated 11 September 2023