‘Two Together’ discount national railcard now on sale
Adults travelling as a pair can save a third on rail journeys with the new Two Together Railcard.
A new national railcard called the Two Together Railcard has been launched, offering discounts for adults that travel together.
It's available for £30 and offers a third off Standard Anytime, First Class Anytime, Off-Peak and Advanced journeys made after 9.30am Monday to Friday and all day at weekends and bank holidays.
It's the first new national railcard to be launched in over 30 years and the first to be available to anyone over the age of 16.
It's hoped the new Two Together Railcard will fill a gap and encourage more people to ditch their car and travel by train instead.
How it works
To use the Two Together card you will need to be over 16 years old and be travelling with another person, named on your railcard, from start to finish.
The other person can be anyone over 16 that you intend to regularly travel with on the same journey, such as your partner, a relative, a friend or even a commuter buddy.
You can apply for a card online, over the phone or at any staffed ticket station or National Rail licensed travel agent. You will need two photos for each of the people named, as each card will feature pictures of both people eligible to travel.
As well as saving a third on your tickets the card also entitles you to discounts at selected partners on things like days out, restaurants and theatre visits.
There is no minimum fare to get a discount and the card can be used an unlimited number of times on rail journeys across England, Wales and Scotland.
You can use the Two Together Railcard to get discounted tickets online, at ticket machines or at staffed station ticket offices.
Both people don’t have to be present at the time of buying a ticket but they must travel together on the journey. So even if your friend, partner or family member gets off a stop before you the discount won’t apply unless you travel all the way together; from start to finish.
But there is no limit on the number of Two Together Railcards you can hold – so you could buddy up with more than one person to save on rail journeys.
How much can you save?
National Rail says you can save over £100 a year with the Two Together Railcard.
And you can recoup the cost of getting the railcard within just one or two journeys.
An off-peak return journey for two people travelling between Glasgow Central and London Euston tomorrow and returning a week later, for example, would cost £371.20 or £185.60 each.
But with the Two Together Railcard you can knock £126.20 off the price – saving £63.10 each.
So even if you don't plan to do regular short journeys with another person, one big journey you are planning could be worth the price of the cards.
Other railcards
If the new Two Together Railcard doesn’t suit your travel needs, you may be able to get money off your journey with another type of railcard.
The 16-25 Railcard offers those aged between 16 and 25 or full-time students a third off travel. Card holders can save an average of £161 with the card, which costs £30 for one year or £70 for three years.
The Senior Railcard is available to anyone over the age of 60 and also gets holders a third off fares. It's estimated to save an average of £106 a year on journeys. This card also costs £30 for one year or £70 for three.
If you have a disability that makes travelling by train difficult you might be eligible for the Disabled Persons Railcard. It saves a third off rail fares for the person who has the Railcard plus one companion travelling with them. On average the card can save £114 on rail journeys. It costs £20 for one year or £54 for three years.
The Family & Friends Railcard can save groups up to £117 a year. It allows up to four adults and four children to travel together and save, providing at least one child aged 5-15 is travelling in the party. Adults can save a third on their fare while children receive 60% off their ticket price. The card costs £30 a year or £70 for three years.
The HM Forces Railcard is available to members of the Regular Forces or a member's spouse. It saves a third on adult rail fares. The card also allows the holder to travel with up to four children under 16 years with 60% off fares. It costs £15 a year.
Will you be getting the Two Together Railcard? Let us know in the Comments box below.
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Comments
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I saw this headlined yesterday on another money saving forum as an article, but didn't get a chance to read it. From the off seeing the headline yesterday, I thought that this can't really work for the normal 9-5 commute ? So both parties on the card must travel at exactly the same time together both morning &/or evening, for the same length of journey (i.e. getting on & off at the same stops), on the same day. Really you need at least 5 of these cards, one for each day of the working week and a couple spare for this to work out. The reason for this is: a) A single person that your traveling with might have the day off. b) Like myself, if I need to be off in a hurry from the station for whatever reason, I might hop off a stop earlier where there is free car parking. c) You can't really work late or get in early if you need to without relying on the other party to go as well. d) Are you guaranteed that both of you will manage to catch the same service every day ? Are you expected to tap somebody on the shoulder that you see on the platform most days and say "Excuse me, but would you mind spending some money to tie us both together to traveling at the same time every day ?". I think that this travel card is mainly aimed at people who often go away together say, a day trip to London or some such, no towards the everyday traveler. Some situations it could well work, but for the mass market ? Probably or possibly not. /CPC
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For Family and Friends, you need to pay for at at least one child - but they can be under 5. So it is usually worth paying for a child that would otherwise be free, to get the saving on adult tickets.
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05 March 2014