More than 150,000 additional Railcards were sold after prompts were introduced where the cards offered immediate savings.
Analysis shows Railcard ownership boosts future rail journeys by 50%.
While awareness of age-based Railcards is high, many in the ‘missing middle’ are overlooking non-age specific options – creating opportunity for the industry.
Trainline has sold more than 150,000 Railcards after introducing an industry-first booking prompt that highlight when a Railcard would reduce the cost of a customer’s journey.
Between their introduction in September 2025 and March 2026, the prompts have helped customers save an average of £24 after the cost of the Railcard. The Two Together Railcard has proven to be the best seller, accounting for over 40% of sales, followed by the Network Railcard, which gives a third off tickets for travel in the former Network Southeast area, at 35%. These two Railcards offer significant savings potential to those in the ‘missing middle’, from 31 to 59 years of age, who are not eligible for either a youth or senior Railcard.
Railcard savings can often pay for the card in a single journey. For example, two passengers travelling from London Waterloo to Southampton Central on an Off-Peak Return could save £40.50 with a Two Together Railcard, more than covering the £35 cost of the card on a single trip.
One Trainline customer has saved £1,500 since 1 September using a Network Railcard across 76 journeys, underlining the value of these discounts for frequent travellers.
Research conducted by YouGov highlights the scale of the opportunity. Across London, the South East and East of England, only 6% of people hold a Network Railcard, despite it offering discounts across those regions. Nationwide, just 5% hold a Two Together Railcard, while only 28% of eligible over-60s have a Senior Railcard.
The most popular Railcard types are the well-known 16–25 and 26–30 Railcards. However, despite their prominence, 51% of those eligible for the 16–25s1 and 66% of 26–30s are not taking advantage of available discounts.
The popularity of the Two Together and Network Railcards when prompted indicates that, despite strong awareness of age-based railcards, many passengers who do not qualify for those are not aware of alternative available to them.
Railcards present a clear opportunity for passengers and the rail sector. Trainline’s analysis of passenger behaviour following the prompted purchase of a Railcard shows customers made 50% more journeys on average after purchase.2 The findings suggest that reducing upfront cost barriers through better awareness of Railcard discounts could play a key role in driving rail demand and revenue growth across the network.
Paloma Souza, an artist based in the South East of England was the 100,000th person to purchase a railcard having seen the prompt.
“It wasn’t until receiving a Trainline notification that I became aware that I was eligible for a Railcard - I’d always assumed they were intended for students, older passengers or those with additional needs, and I didn’t know about the Network Railcard.” Said Paloma.
“I’ve used my Railcard for work trips, weekends away and visiting friends. It’s definitely made travel feel much more affordable, and I’d encourage anyone who regularly travels by train to take a look for themselves.”
Steve Gooder, VP, Retail Innovation, Trainline, said: “Our analysis shows that when customers are prompted to consider Railcards, they don’t just save money, they also travel significantly more. Two-thirds of UK adults don’t have a Railcard, and that’s a huge opportunity for the railway. Supporting more frequent, incremental journeys is a key priority for the industry, and this kind of retail innovation helps deliver the network’s full potential.”
ENDS
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 3043 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 2nd - 4th February 2026. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).
1Data only applies to 18–25-year-olds due to survey restrictions.
2 Trainline analysed the purchasing activity of a pool of 1000 customers who purchased a Railcard in September 2025 following a prompt to do so. In the 90 days prior to purchase they made an average of 4 journeys. In the 90 days following the purchase this increased to an average of 6 journeys.
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