Using it
A third off — and the £12 weekday morning rule
The 16-25 Railcard takes a third off most rail fares in Great Britain, including Advance tickets. The one big catch is the £12 minimum fare on weekday mornings before 10am — and the times it doesn’t apply.
On this page
At a glance
- A third off Anytime, Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak fares in Standard, and off Advance fares in Standard and First Class.
- Monday to Friday, for journeys starting between 04:30 and 09:59, the railcard can’t take a fare below £12.
- The minimum fare doesn’t apply to Advance fares, on public holidays, at weekends, or at all in July and August.
- You can use it as often as you like, but you can’t combine it with any other discount.
What it takes off
The 16-25 Railcard gives 1/3 off most rail fares across Great Britain. According to the official “Using your Railcard” page, that covers:
- Anytime, Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak fares in Standard class
- Advance fares — in Standard and First Class
You can use it as often as you like while it’s valid. It can’t be combined with any other discount, and if your ticket includes a bus or ferry link, the discount on that part may be less than a third. Some tickets get no discount at all — see which tickets it works on.
The £12 weekday morning rule
This is the rule people trip over. On Monday to Friday, for journeys starting from 04:30 to 09:59, there’s a £12 minimum fare. In practice:
- If the full fare is £12 or less, you get no discount at that time.
- If it’s more than £12, it comes down by a third — but never below £12.
| Full fare, weekday before 10am | With the railcard |
|---|---|
| £10 | £10 (no discount) |
| £15 | £12 (a third off would be £10, but it can’t go below £12) |
| £30 | £20 (a third off, still above £12) |
These are simple worked examples using the rule as the official pages describe it — real fares vary.
When the minimum fare doesn’t apply
- Advance fares — any time of day
- Public holidays
- All of July and August
- Weekends — the rule only applies Monday to Friday
So a 9am train on a Saturday, on a bank holiday Monday or in August gets the full third off, and so does an Advance ticket on any morning.
The other rules to remember
- Carry it. You must have a valid railcard with you when you travel and show it when asked. A digital railcard has to be available on your phone for the whole journey. See digital or plastic: carrying it.
- It’s only for you. Only the named holder can use it. Railcards can’t be transferred, lent or sold, and you can’t use yours to get cheaper tickets for anyone else.
- Wait until it arrives. You can’t buy discounted tickets until your railcard has arrived.
- Misuse or fraud can lead to prosecution.
- The current conditions run until 8 March 2027. Train companies can change them and aim to give three months’ notice.
Sources
Checked 17 October 2026. We wrote this guide from these sources, in our own words:
- 16-25 Railcard (official site) (16-25railcard.co.uk)
- 16-25 Railcard: benefits (official) (16-25railcard.co.uk)
- 16-25 Railcard: using your Railcard (official) (16-25railcard.co.uk)
- 16-25 Railcard terms and conditions (official) (16-25railcard.co.uk)
- 16-25 Railcard: FAQs (official) (16-25railcard.co.uk)
- Trainline: 16-25 Railcard (thetrainline.com)
We are an independent guide, not the official Railcard website. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.