Honesty is indeed the best Policy

[major_clanger]

As a student (yes, even trainee barristers count) I was able to get a student railcard last year. Actually, it's now called a '16-25 Railcard', although mine has a big endorsement of 'STUDENT' scrawled across it. I didn't bother getting one until I was due to make a big train journey, so it's not due to expire until mid-October. But I stop being a student soon (if you take the definition the Council Tax people use, I stopped a fortnight ago) so, seeing as how I suffer from crippling levels of honesty, I wondered if I ought to return my railcard.

The FAQ section on the relevant website wasn't very helpful, but there was an enquiry email address, so yesterday afternoon I sent the following query:

I have a question about the validity period of a 16-25 Railcard
issued to a mature student.

I am over 26 but was issued a 16-25 Railcard on 16 October 2008. My
eligibility was based on me being a postgraduate law student, but my
course is soon to finish. I wanted to check exactly when my Railcard
expires, but the FAQ on the website does not seem to cover this,
although it does note that a 16-25 Railcard is normally valid for one
full year even if the holder turns 26 during that year.

So, when can I use my railcard until?

- 9 July, when I get my results?
- 31 July, when my student ID card expires?
- 17 October, when the railcard says it expires?

Thanks,

Simon Bradshaw

This morning, I received the following response from the Association of Train Operating Companies:

Dear Simon

Thank you for your enquiry.

I am pleased to advise you that you can use your 16-25 Railcard until
the expiry date of 17 October.

Yours sincerely

Lisa Bettinson
Assistant Customer Relations Manager

So, by asking I have cleared my conscience and found that I can actually get 1/3 off for another three months!

Comments

[time-freak.livejournal.com]

Yay! I had them throughout my time at uni and it saved me SO much money. Brilliant things.

[swisstone.livejournal.com]

What is more, there is nothing wrong with you getting your railcard stamped right up until the last possible moment that you are still officially a student, and using it for the next year (likewise, people often pick up a railcard the day before their 26th birthday).

[nmg.livejournal.com]

Been there, done that.

If you swing it right, you can get one of the 15-months-for-the-price-of-12 offers.

I had a young person's railcard until I was 31. If I could have been bothered to pick up the student ID that I was issued with when I was doing the PCAP course (Postgrad Cert in Academic Practice - quite as bad as it sounds), I could have wangled another couple of years.

[aeglefinus.livejournal.com]

You can get a Network Railcard which covers most of the South East at any age. I renewed mine earlier in the year when it was still just twenty quid, but now at twenty-five, a trip into London from Cambridge every two months and it pays for itself.

See http://www.railcard.co.uk/network