To add a child to a rail ticket to save money? F&F railcard (boring sorry!)

[user75]

I have a family and friends railcard. I am going to London in the summer, alone. If I buy a ticket for myself the cost is £16 more than buying for myself and a child (who is not coming). I cannot find anything in the T&C to stop me doing this - is it ok?

You can't do this - they check if you have a child with you

As far as I'm aware, you have to be travelling with a child to use the Railcard. Thus has always been the case, unless they've changed the rules Otherwise everyone would get one.

You can use the ticket splitter thing and it's sometimes a bit cheaper that way.

At least one child must be with you. I found it in the t&c in the app.

I travelled to London with my daughter using a F and F railcard and it was checked who I was travelling with.

No you definitely can't, I was looking into this yesterday.

I was trying to find out if I buy a family railcard when my dc is 15, can I still use it when she's 16 if it's still in date. It seems ridiculous that a 16 year old is an adult on the train.

No, its fraud.

You have to have the child with you.

Thanks v much, I thought that would be the case but couldn't find it in the t&c

Two adults can be named as cardholders on your Family & Friends Railcard.
The two adults don't need to travel together but you do need to be travelling with at least one child between the ages of 5 and 15 to be eligible for the discount.

www.familyandfriends-railcard.co.uk/about-railcard/are-you-eligible/

You can still use it when they turn 16, until it expires according to the t+c here

Here

You need a child with you or your ticket isn't valid.

Thanks @NannyR

Our 16 year old has his own 16-18 railcard..it’s £30 for a year and w eased our Tesco vouchers to buy it. It gives them 50% off their fares I think

Yes, my 16 and 18yos have their own cards - I don't think there is one for middle aged women is there? 😂

Have you considered a Network card. Covers most Of South East England. I’ve ‘split’ tickets before, ie, using Network card for as far as I could, and then buying=a second ticket without the discount.
The other tip is to book in advance. Also, not buying tube tickets reduce the cost.

My friend made her son take his twelve year old brother with him on a university open day because otherwise the train fare was going to be £180 more expensive.

You definitely used to need a child, I remember been taken on random train journeys as a child for just this reason. My uncle used to collect/drop off my cousin from her mums house by train during school holidays. It worked out cheaper to take two kids one way and one kid back, then just taking one kid and having a solo adult on the return journey.

no it is not.

You need a Network Card assuming you're in the South East, gives you a third off, with a minimum spend of £13 during the week (so some fares are cheaper without it) but can be used to buy travel cards too. I have one instead of F&F because I'm not always travelling with someone else, but the network card covers you solo and covers up to three others travelling with you I believe.

I am laughing at this - hopefully they both, in the end, had a good day!

I dragged my son down to Poole to pick up a car so that I could use the F&F card.

I also thought he’d be a bit excited to be driving back in new car

he wasn’t even that impressed…

but it was literally just before the F&F ran out, so I thought it was worth it 🤣😂

You can't have a ticket for a "phantom child" in order to use a family railcard.

The only ways that the rules are relaxed are:

• You can take a 16 year old at the discounted child rate (normally a 16 year old is an adult).
• An under 5 can hold the discounted child ticket if there are no older children with you (otherwise they'd travel free anyway).

Family & Friends Railcard Terms & Conditions:

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