Getting one
How to buy a 16-25 Railcard — digital or plastic?
Where to buy a 16-25 Railcard — the official site, a staffed ticket office or a ticket retailer — how digital and plastic cards differ, and how long each takes to arrive.
On this page
At a glance
- Buy online from the official site (1-year or 3-year, digital or plastic), or get a 1-year card the same day at a staffed station ticket office.
- Some retailers and train companies sell it too — Trainline sells digital cards only.
- You can’t buy a railcard in the Railcard app; the app just holds a digital card once you’ve bought it.
- Digital cards usually arrive straight away; for a plastic card allow up to 10 days.
Where you can buy one
| Where | Which card | Digital or plastic | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| The official 16-25 Railcard site | 1-year or 3-year | Either | Where mature students apply (with the endorsed form) |
| A staffed station ticket office | 1-year only | Issued at the counter | Same day; you can renew a 1-year card there too |
| Trainline (website and app) | 1-year or 3-year | Digital only | Kept in the Trainline app; not for mature students |
| TrainPal | 1-year or 3-year | Digital | Lists both cards at the same prices |
| Some train companies, e.g. GWR and Avanti West Coast | 1-year or 3-year | Digital available | Sold on their websites |
Prices are the same everywhere we checked: £35 for a year and £80 for three years.
Digital or plastic?
Both cost the same and give exactly the same discount. The differences:
| Digital | Plastic | |
|---|---|---|
| How fast | Usually straight away — you get a download code by email | Posted: allow up to 10 days |
| Where it lives | The free Railcard app (or the Trainline app if you bought it there) | Your wallet |
| Lose your phone or card? | Move it to a new phone free of charge | A replacement costs £10 |
| Flat battery? | No excuse — you’re treated as not having it | — |
You can’t switch between digital and plastic while a card is running, and you can’t have both. You can choose the other format when you renew online. More on the rules in digital or plastic: carrying it.
How long it takes to arrive
- Digital: usually immediate, with a download code sent by email.
- Plastic: the official homepage says up to 5 working days and the FAQ says 10 days, so allow up to 10 days.
- Special Delivery (extra cost): order before 15:45 and it arrives within 2 days for orders Monday to Thursday, or 3 days for orders Friday to Sunday.
- Mature students: approval can take up to 5 working days first.
You can’t buy discounted tickets until your railcard has arrived — so if you’re travelling soon, digital is the safer choice.
Step by step (official site)
- Go to the official 16-25 Railcard site and choose the 1-year or 3-year card.
- Choose digital or plastic.
- Prove your age (passport, UK driving licence including provisional, or EEA national identity card) and add a digital passport-style photo. Mature students complete the Mature Student section and have it endorsed.
- Pay. For a digital card, use the download code to add it to the Railcard app.
Sources
Checked 17 October 2026. We wrote this guide from these sources, in our own words:
- 16-25 Railcard: where to buy (official) (16-25railcard.co.uk)
- 16-25 Railcard (official site) (16-25railcard.co.uk)
- 16-25 Railcard: FAQs (official) (16-25railcard.co.uk)
- 16-25 Railcard: digital Railcard (official) (16-25railcard.co.uk)
- 16-25 Railcard terms and conditions (official) (16-25railcard.co.uk)
- Trainline: 16-25 Railcard (thetrainline.com)
- Trainline help: buying a digital Railcard (help.thetrainline.com)
- TrainPal: railcard guide (mytrainpal.com)
- Avanti West Coast: Railcards (avantiwestcoast.co.uk)
- GWR: 16-25 Railcard (gwr.com)
We are an independent guide, not the official Railcard website. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.