How Much Does a Railcard Save?

Wondering how much a Railcard can save you? Discover average savings, card types, and whether it’s worth it for your train travel in the UK.

DLR train in Canary Wharf, London, UK.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Train travel across the UK is a popular mode of transport for multiple reasons. Whether it’s for days out, commuting to work, visiting a place of study, or visiting relatives, the rail network allows for trips up and down the country that are both environmentally friendly and time-efficient.

Where our rail network arguably lets us down, however, is the prices that we have to pay to use the service. Indeed, following updates by the UK Gov and reporting by the BBC and The Guardian,  ​as of March 2, 2025, train fares in England and Wales have increased by an average of 4.6%, including Railcards. This rise is actually 1% higher than the inflation rate recorded in July 2024, which was 3.6%. It's only the second time since 2013 that train fares have gone up faster than inflation. In Wales, the government followed suit with the 4.6% cap on regulated fares. But Transport for Wales took a slightly different approach, adjusting the prices of certain ticket types by different amounts, with anytime single fares only rising by 3%. So, do Railcards still save you money?

Disclaimer

Prices were correct at time of writing When you click on one of our links to our discount code page or a retailer page, we may receive a small commission if you purchase something from the retailer's website. Here's how it works.

Recent updates

Updated by Nathan Walters 14/04/2025

Jack Cunningham
Senior Editor

 

Hi, I’m Jack; a Senior Copywriter on the vouchers team at Future PLC. Since joining in 2022, I’ve been crafting my money-saving skills in several areas, including tech, entertainment, sports, fitness, home and travel. You’ll usually find me here at MyVoucherCodes; updating users with money-saving hints, tips, discounts, and offers for hundreds of popular retailers. I can also be found on one of our other sites, TechRadar.

A former sports journalist and content creator, I decided to swap the press box for a permanent desk several years ago. Despite giving match reports the red card, I still enjoy attending live sporting events and I like to wind down by playing video games, visiting new places, and getting my head stuck into a good book.

With contributions from