Frequently Asked Questions?

Most frequently asked questions

• How do I buy my Veterans Railcard?
  A:

  You can buy your Veterans Railcard online or by post. Please note that before your Veterans Railcard can be issued, our team need to approve the eligibility evidence provided (please allow up to 5 working days for this to be done).

  To buy online, simply click 'Buy Now' on the website homepage and follow the instructions on the screen.You will need to provide a passport style photo and proof that you are a veteran. For a list of the accepted proof of eligibility documents click here.

  To buy by post, simply download and complete our application form and then post it with a copy of your evidence of eligibility, passport style photo of yourself and your named companion (if applicable) and payment to:

  National Railcards

  PO box 8626

  SWADLINCOTE

  DE11 1JA

  Please make cheques and postal orders payable to 'ATOC Ltd Railcard'

  When applying by post please allow 20 days for your Railcard to be delivered from date of posting your application form.

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• Can I buy a Veterans Railcard for another person?
  A:

  Yes, you can buy a Veterans Railcard for another person as long as they are eligible. You will need to provide the evidence to prove their eligibility. You will also need to provide their passport-style photo and one of a named companion (if required).

  To order the Railcard, click ‘Buy Now’ on the website homepage to get started, then select ‘Buy 1 Year £30’ or ‘Buy 3 Year £70’ to continue. When you get to ‘Enter your details’ page, under ‘This Railcard is for’ section, select ‘Someone else’ and follow the instructions on the page to complete your purchase.

  Please note that if you have chosen to buy a digital Veterans Railcard on behalf of someone, the download code email will be sent to the person you have bought the Railcard for (cardholder email address). 

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• I am having trouble uploading my photo for my Railcard – what can I do?
  A:

  We're sorry that you've experienced problems whilst uploading a photograph. There can be a number of causes of this - some of which are difficult to diagnose. We’ve compiled a list of trouble-shooting tips that you can try before contacting us:

   

  • Retry the photo upload. Close your web browser before restarting it and logging in again

   

  • Enable Javascript on your web browser. Your web browser may be configured in a way that it makes uploading the photo more difficult (such as. having the Javascript disabled).  Please check your settings and ensure that Javascript is enabled

   

  • Make sure you have up-to-date web browser software. Although our website supports the top browsers (such as Internet Explorer, Chrome, Safari, Mozilla Firefox and Opera), some older versions of these browsers are more likely to cause problems uploading image files to our website. Try updating your web browser to the latest version, or try a different web browser/computer

   

  • Make sure your image is 5 megabytes (5Mb) in size or less. We accept images up to 5Mb in size but the smaller the file the better - it will take less time to transfer to our servers. Crop your photograph before uploading and/or reduce the quality but be careful - the picture still needs to be clear enough to print on the Railcard

   

  • Check that your internet service provider (ISP) is not experiencing problems. These are often difficult to detect but if other websites are unusually slow (especially noticeable when downloading images), then your ISP may be having network issues or might be congested. You may want to check with your ISP by visiting their 'service status' webpage

   

  If you have done all of the above and are still experiencing problems, then please call us on 0346 301 1656.

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

  Please click on ‘Manage my Railcard’ on the top right of the website homepage to log in to your account. Once logged in, please click on ‘MY RAILCARD’ then click on ‘Update addresses’ to change your address.

   

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• I wear a burka or a niqab – will I have to show my face in the photograph?
  A:

  All customers 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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• How much is a Veterans Railcard?
  A:

  A 1-year Railcard costs £30.

  A 3-year Railcard costs £70.

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• What is an acceptable image to use for my Railcard photograph?
  A:

  The image should be a good recognisable likeness of you.
  
  We prefer colour pictures but black and white images are acceptable. Your head and shoulders should be in close-up, with your face clearly visible and filling approximately 70% of the frame (in the same way it would for a passport or driving licence). The image must be in sharp focus.
  
  Please make sure that your face is not obscured by hats or hair.
  
  The file of your photo must be either a .jpg, .bmp, or a .gif and must not exceed 5MB with a resolution of at least 300dpi. We will reject photos if they are not appropriate and ask you for a more suitable image.

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

  No. The Veterans Railcard is only available to purchase online via our website or via our postal service.

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• Why is the title "Mx" not available when I come to make payment?
  A: If you have given your title as "Mx" during the application process then this will be shown on your Railcard and in all correspondence that we have with you. However, the secure payment process is delivered by our Payment Provider and we are only able to offer the range of titles that it provides.

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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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• 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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