16-25 Railcard Discount Code Offers and Cheap Train Tickets for Young People and Students

16-25 Railcard holders enjoy 1/3 OFF train travel in Britain with savings of £576* and more! SAVE a further £20 on 3-year and 12% OFF 1-year Railcards with 16-25 Railcard discount code deals.

With unlimited ways to save money on rail travel, there’s never been a better deal for young people. Here are the best 16-25 Railcard offers and 2018/2019 discounts on rail travel.

16-25 Railcard: Quick Links

• 16-25 Railcard: What’s the deal?
• Is it worth it?
• Hidden tips, hacks and tricks
• 3-year 16-25 Railcard discount: £20 OFF
• 1-year 16-25 Railcard discount code 2018: 12% OFF
• Cheap train tickets for students

Everything you need to know about a 16-25 Railcard from the basics to tips and hacks!

16-25 Railcard: What’s the deal?

A 16-25 Railcard is a rail discount card which gives young people 1/3 OFF most train journeys in Britain (England, Scotland and Wales).

On average 16-25 Railcard holders SAVE a whopping £192* per year (that’s £576* over three years!) with unlimited potential money-savings. Railcard holders who travel a few times a year (or even in one trip!) will have saved enough money to pay for the card.

The 16-25 Railcard is sometimes known as a Student Railcard or Young Persons Railcard. Today, it’s available in a digital or plastic format.

Am I eligible?

Anyone aged between 16 and 25 can apply for a 16-25 Railcard, whether you’re living in Britain or overseas. Mature students over 25 in full-time study and living in the UK (Great Britain and Northern Ireland), can also apply.

Find out what 16-25 Railcard you’re eligible for:

Save money on these train tickets in Britain

1/3 OFF 16-25 Railcard discounts apply to these types of Standard Class and First Class tickets:

• London travel for National Rail, London Underground and Docklands Light Railway journeys:
  • Oyster Off-Peak pay as you go daily capped limits (the maximum you will need to spend each day)
  • Oyster Off-Peak single tickets
  • Off-Peak Day Travelcard zones 1-6 (minimum fare of £8)
  • Anytime Day Travelcard zones 1-6 when bought as part of a ticket to London (minimum fare £18.10)
• Caledonian Sleeper:
  • First Class and Standard Class sleeper, and seated tickets (till October 2018)
    Lowlander between London and Glasgow/Edinburgh – single Club or Classic rooms, and seated tickets (from late October 2018)
  • Highlander between London and Aberdeen/Inverness/Fort William – single rooms and seated tickets (from late October 2018)
• PLUSBUS bus tickets

There are minimum fare rules. For more information, check out when can I use my Railcard?

© Chris P King

Is it worth it?

So, you’re thinking, is a 16-25 Railcard worth it? You bet it is! For starters, on average 16-25 Railcard holders SAVE £192* per year, but you can save a lot more!

And don’t forget you can use your Railcard to buy Advance tickets, which are the cheapest rail fares in Britain. So, you’ll get double the savings with an extra 1/3 OFF the lowest priced tickets.

And if you buy online, you’ll get money off the card itself with 2018/2019 16-25 Railcard discount code offers!

Hidden tips, hacks and tricks

Still undecided? Check out our hidden tips, hacks and tricks that make a fantastic deal, even better!

Save money until the day before your 27th birthday

Although it’s called a 16-25 Railcard, you can actually use it right up to the day before your 27th birthday! You can buy or renew a 1-year 16-25 up till the day before your 26th birthday. And, for more savings, you can get a 3-year 16-25 Railcard up till the day before your 24th birthday.

Switch off auto-renewal for Railcard discounts

To save money on the card itself, make sure you switch off online auto-renew. That way, when it’s time to renew your Railcard, you can get a reduced price with a 16-25 Railcard discount code.

Otherwise, if it’s set to auto-renew, you’ll pay the full price for your new Railcard.

Buying train tickets

In Britain, the cheapest train tickets are available three months in advance or longer in some cases. Book your tickets as early as possible and include a 16-25 Railcard discount, even if you don’t have a Railcard yet.

As long as you have a valid 16-25 Railcard with you the day you travel, you’re OK to buy tickets in advance. We recommend purchasing tickets from Loco2 who have no booking or credit and debit card fees.

London travel

Frequent and occasional travellers in London get cheaper travel with a 16-25 Railcard.

Oyster card holders get 1/3 OFF single off-peak pay as you go and daily capped limits (the maximum you will pay in any one day. This applies to journeys on London Underground, National Rail and Docklands Light Railway.

Take your 16-25 Railcard and Oyster card to a London Underground station, and they’ll apply the discount. Both cards must be in the same name.

Railcard holders also get 1/3 OFF Off-Peak Day Travelcards (London zones 1-6) and Anytime Day Travelcards (zones 1-9) when bought with a ticket to London.

Student Railcard discounts

Both UK-born and international students enjoy 1/3 OFF train tickets in Britain. Of course, if you’re aged between 16 and 25, you qualify anyway.

Mature students over the age of 25 and attending a UK university or college full-time are eligible for a 16-25 Railcard. Full-time is 15 hours per week and 20 weeks per year. You’ll need to fill out a form and request an endorsement from your university or college.

The National Union of Students (NUS) have a 12% OFF 1-year Railcard deal. While it’s supposed to be for students, anyone can apply the discount!

16-25 digital Railcard and app

The 16-25 Railcard is available in a digital and physical card format.

After buying a digital Railcard, you’ll need to download an app and apply a code to activate it. With the Railcard app set-up, you can use it immediately.

The Railcard app is only available for Android and iphone and can be added to two devices.

Visitors to Britain

If you’re visiting Britain, you can buy a Railcard online with an overseas credit or debit card. But you must provide a UK delivery address for both digital and plastic Railcards.

There is a simple way around this though! For overseas visitors, you can get your Railcard delivered to your first accommodation. If it’s friends or family, it’s easy. If it’s a hotel or hostel, we recommend you contact them to let them know your Railcard is arriving.

Of course, buying online means you’ll get exclusive online 16-25 Railcard deals!

Annual Gold Card: 16-25 Railcards for £10!

Annual Gold Card holders can get a 16-25 Railcard for themselves or someone else for only £10! Find out how to get this deal.

16-25 Railcard partner offers

16-25 Railcard holders save money on travel and enjoy partner discounts in 2018/2019:

• 90% OFF YHA Membership (pay £1!)
• 60% OFF London West End theatre tickets
• 5% OFF holiday cottages from cottages.com
• £1 for three months tastecard membership
• £1 for three months Gourmet Society membership
• Discounted Hoseasons Parks and Lodges holidays and short breaks
• The Original London Sightseeing Tours offers

3-year 16-25 Railcard discount: £20 OFF

An exclusive online 3-year 16-25 Railcard is always a better deal than a 1-year Railcard. In 2018/2019, the 3-year Railcard costs £70 which means you’ll SAVE £20 compared to buying three 1-year Railcards.

Grab a bargain 3-year Railcard today as prices will only go up!

1-year 16-25 Railcard discount code 2018/2019: 12% OFF

We’ve got all the latest exclusive online 1-year 16-25 Railcard discount code offers. We keep these up to date, so you always get the best deals!

How to use a 16-25 promotional code

To use a 16-25 promotional or discount code, take the following steps:

1. Log-in or register on the 16-25 Railcard website

2. After logging in or registering, go to the ‘Choose Railcard’ page (see A below)

3. Enter your promotional code in the box and select ‘Add’ (see B below)

4. You will get a pop-up box confirming your discount

5. Continue to buy or renew your 16-25 Railcard with the discount applied (you can also use promotional code discounts when renewing your Railcard)

Other ways to buy a 16-25 Railcard

Also, if you’re unable to get a 16-25 Railcard online, there are other ways to get one. But you won’t get the best deals!

If you want a 3-year Railcard, you’re out of luck as you can only buy it online. For 1-year Railcards, you’ll need to pay the standard £30 price.

Still not convinced to buy it online? Here are other ways to buy a 16-25 Railcard:

• At a train station ticket office
• By phone. Call 0345 3000 250 (from 7am hrs to 10pm every day except Christmas Day)

Other Railcards for young people

There are other regional Railcards in Britain for young people to save you 1/3 OFF train tickets.

• Network Railcard – for travel within London and the South East
• Young Scot Card – for trips in Scotland

And of course, the 26-30 Railcard (sometimes called the Millenial Railcard) will launch across Britain soon.

Save money on train travel in Europe

Young people aged 27 and under get the following discounts on rail passes in Europe:

• Interrail 25% OFF – for European residents
• Eurail 20% OFF – for non-European residents

Also, check out our guide to discount youth and student travel in Europe.

Cheap Train Tickets for Students

We always recommend a 16-25 Railcard for students as you get cheaper rail fares throughout Britain. Yet, there are other bargain rail fares for students!

No booking fees or card charges

Book your tickets with Loco2, and you will not pay any booking fees or card charges!

Train company: Special offers for students

Train companies in Britain have special offers on rail fares for students on journeys on their network. They also don’t charge booking or credit and debit card fees.

Don’t know who operates which area of the network? Try this rail company network map of Britain.

Check out our list of 2018/2019 discounted student train tickets!

More ways to save with Railcards

There are plenty of other ways to get 1/3 OFF train travel in Britain with National Railcards. And if you know what you want, check out the discounts and offers on these Railcards.

• 26-30 Railcard – for people aged between 26 and 30
• Disabled Persons Railcard – for people with disabilities and one carer
• Family & Friends Railcards – for families and small groups of adults and children
• Network Railcard – for people living in London and South East England
• Senior Railcard – for people aged 60 and above
• Two Together Railcard – for two people travelling together

* Average saving made by 16-25 Railcard holders in 2016/17 (Source: 16-25 Railcard)
** Use your 16-25 Railcard and get an extra 1/3 OFF discount

Images: Matthew G (edit), Anthony Delanoix (edit), Tomas Anton Escobar, Leonora Giovanazzi (edit), Tim Dennell