Railcards and cheaper fares
Network Railcard: London and the South East
Type a usual off-peak fare inside the area and how often you travel: the tool shows when the card pays back, with the weekday minimum fare.
Does a railcard pay for itself?
Pays for itself after
5 trips
| Railcard (1 year) | £35 |
| Saving per trip | £8 |
| Net over a year | £61 |
Minimum fare £13 Monday to Friday.
The Network Railcard is the regional card of London and the South East. It costs £35 a year, anyone aged 16 or over can buy it with no other condition, and it takes a third off most tickets for journeys that start and end inside the Network Railcard area, for the holder and up to three other adults travelling together, plus 60% off for up to four children aged 5 to 15. The limits are time and place. From Monday to Friday it is valid only on journeys after 10am, and a minimum fare of £13 applies on weekdays; at weekends and on public holidays it works all day with no minimum. Child tickets have a minimum of £1. Journeys that leave the area are not discounted beyond its boundary, and Advance tickets are excluded. On a usual fare of £24, the card saves £8 a trip and pays back on the 5th trip, faster when friends come along.
Fare with the railcard
You pay
£13
| Discount | 33.3% |
| Saving | £4 |
| Minimum fare | £13 |
Valid in the London and South East area only, from 10am on weekdays and at any hour at weekends and on public holidays; £1 minimum child fare.
Schemes and rules read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
What a trip costs with the card
| Usual fare | Weekend | Weekday after 10am | Weekday before 10am |
|---|---|---|---|
| £12 | £8 | £12 | full fare |
| £16 | £10.67 | £13 | full fare |
| £20 | £13.33 | £13.33 | full fare |
| £30 | £20 | £20 | full fare |
| £45 | £30 | £30 | full fare |
The area
The card covers London and the South East, the area shown on the Network Railcard map published by Railcards. Journeys within it are discounted; a journey that leaves it is discounted only up to the boundary station, provided you buy the rest before crossing and the train stops there. Some stations have easements allowing earlier departures on weekdays, listed by Railcards.
Fare with the railcard
You pay
£26.67
| Discount | 33.3% |
| Saving | £13.33 |
| Minimum fare | £12 |
1-year card can be bought until the day before the 26th birthday, 3-year card until the day before the 24th.
Group savings
The card's strength is the group. With three friends, a trip where each ticket costs £24 saves £32 in one go, more than twice the price of the card. Add two children and they travel at 60% off. For families who always travel with children, the Family & Friends card offers the same child discount and works across Great Britain, but has a morning peak limit in this area too.
What is excluded
Weekday journeys before 10am, journeys starting or ending outside the area, Advance tickets, most London Underground and DLR tickets, excursion and charter trains and some coach links are outside the card. The card is not valid for season tickets.
Late trains in the area
Most operators of the area run Delay Repay 15. A £16 Network Railcard ticket that arrives 20 minutes late with Southeastern pays £4; at 30 minutes, £8. The Southeastern page and the Southern page have the details.
Buying it
Anyone aged 16 or over can buy the card online, as a digital card in the Railcard app with a passport-style photo or as a physical card by post, or at a staffed ticket office with an application form. There are no age, residence or other conditions. A card bought online arrives by email as an activation link for the app; the purchase confirmation alone cannot be used to buy discounted tickets.
Who it suits
The card is built for leisure travel in the region: shopping trips, visits to friends, days at the coast, family outings at weekends. Someone making two off-peak returns a month at £24 saves £192 over a year for £35. Commuters gain little, since weekday journeys before 10am are excluded and seasons are not discounted.
Network or a personal card?
If you are under 31 or over 60, compare with your age-based card. The 16-25 and 26-30 cards work across Great Britain with no 10am limit, but they discount only your own ticket. The Senior card works everywhere except the morning peak in the region. The Network card wins when you travel in a group in the South East, because companions save too.
Whichever card you choose, the discount applies only to tickets bought while the card is valid, and the card must be carried on every journey.
Child tickets bought with the card cost at least £1 each.