Railcards for the Armed Forces community - Eligibility & How to Apply

On this page you will find information about:

Railcards for members of the currently serving community.
Railcards for veterans, and bereaved members of the community.
Discount travel cards for those who are not considered eligible for the railcards above.

Being a member of the Armed Forces community may mean that you spend more time and money travelling. Owning a valid Railcard may help to reduce the cost of this travel.

HM Forces Railcard

For currently serving personnel, regular or reserves, and their spouses or civil partners.

Using the HM Forces Railcard, those who are eligible can save up to a third on most rail, bus, and ship fares.

Eligibility

According to the HM Forces Railcard website, the following are eligible to be issued with the HM Forces Railcard:

All members of the Regular Forces wherever they are stationed.
All members of the Volunteer Reserve.
Non-Regular Permanent Staff.
Members of the Regular Reserve during periods of full time service of at least 3 months.
Commissioned Officers of the RAF Reserve carrying out full time duties in uniform in peacetime.
NATO personnel serving in official NATO UK appointments under the direct command of the MOD (or NATO HQ).
Members of other Government Defence Forces serving in official exchange appointments.
Spouses/civil partners of those above.
Dependant children of those above. Please see our Terms and Conditions for full details.
Widows/Widowers and their dependant children may retain the use of purchased HM Forces Railcards for the remainder of the valid period until the existing expiry date of the card. Thereafter, HM Forces Railcards can be obtained by war widows/widowers and their dependants, through the Royal British Legion.

How to apply

The HM Forces Railcard costs £21 per year and can be purchased through your Unit HR admin Staff by regular and reservist personnel. The price of the Railcard is deducted from your pay.

HM Forces Railcards cannot be purchased from the National Rail service.

War widows, widowers and their dependents can purchase a HM Forces Railcard through the Royal British Legion.

Find out more about the HM Forces War Widows Railcard and how to apply through the Royal British Legion further down this webpage.

Veterans Railcard

For HM Armed Forces ex-service personnel and UK merchant Mariners who have seen duty on legally defined military operations.

A Veterans Railcard could help you save up to a third off rail fares in England, Scotland and Wales. The railcard can be used to purchase Standard and First class Anytime, Off-Peak, and Advanced tickets.

Additionally, you can use the Veterans Railcard to nominate one companion to receive a third off their ticket price when travelling with you, and up to four children travelling with you can receive 60% off.

If you are living with a disability or condition you may be eligible for the Disabled Persons Railcard. This discount card costs less to purchase than the Veterans railcard. Those who receive War Pensioner's Mobility Supplement or a War / Service Disablement Pension for 80% or more disability are eligible for a Disabled Persons Railcard

Find out more about the Disabled Persons Railcard on their website.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the Veterans Railcard you must have:

Served for at least one day or more in HM UK Armed Forces, Regular or Reserve.
Served as a UK Merchant Mariner and saw duty on legally defined military operations.

To receive your Veterans Railcard, you will need to prove your eligibility. Details of how to prove your eligibility can be found on the Veterans Railcard website.

Find out more about how to prove your eligibility for the Veterans Railcard on their website.

Learn more about applying for a Veterans ID Card, which can be used to prove your eligibility for a Veterans Railcard on the RBL Knowledge Base website.

How to apply

The Veterans Railcard costs £30 for one year or £70 for three years. Veterans Railcards can be purchased online or via post.

Applying online

To apply for a Veterans Railcard online you will need:

evidence of your eligibility as a veteran
a good quality digital passport-style photo ready to upload, and
a debit or credit card to pay for the railcard.

When you apply online you can choose to receive a digital or physical Railcard.

Digital Railcards can be downloaded onto the Railcard app using a code which will be emailed to you once your application has been approved. Applications can take up to five working days to be approved.

Physical Railcards are dispatched after the card has been approved. This can take up to five working days. The card is sent free of charge first class, but you can choose to have it sent via Special Delivery for an extra cost.

Apply on the Veterans Railcard website.

Applying via post

To apply for a Railcard via post please download, print, and complete the application form. The form should then be returned to the address listed below with a copy of your evidence of eligibility, a passport style photo of yourself and your named companion (if applicable), and payment.

Cheques and postal orders should be made payable to 'ATOC Ltd Railcard'

Return the completed form with the extra requirements to: National Railcards, PO box 8626, SWADLINCOTE, DE11 1JA

Download a postal form from the Veterans Railcard website.

Find out more about how to apply for a Veterans Railcard on the Veterans Railcard website.

Veterans Oyster Photocard

For those who receive a War Pension or Armed Forces Compensation, including widows, widowers, and dependents

The Veterans Oyster Photo Card entitles ex-service personnel, war widow(er)s, recognised partners and dependants who are receiving a War Pension to:

Free travel anytime on London buses, London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway, and Elizabeth Line Services.
Free travel on most National Rail services in London.
Discounted fares on River services.

Find out more about the benefits of having a Veterans Oyster photocard on the Transport For London website.

Eligibility

Ex-service personnel, war widows, widowers and dependents can get a Veterans Oyster photocard if they:

Receive ongoing payments under the War Pension Scheme in their name.
Receive Guaranteed Income Payments under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.

Learn more about eligibility for the Veterans Oyster card on the Transport for London website.

How to apply

To apply for a Veterans photocard you will need to complete and return an application form with:

A photocopy of your Awards Notification or annual uprating letter from Veterans UK or the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (dated in the last two years).
A passport-sized full-face photo including your head and shoulders. Don't wear anything that covers your head unless worn for religious or medical reasons.

To access a copy of the form contact TFL via:

Telephone: 0343 222 1234 (call charges may apply)

HM Forces War Widows Railcard

For war widows, widowers, or dependents of deceased personnel.

As a widow, widower, recognised partner, or dependent of a deceased service personnel, you may be eligible for a War Widow(er)s HM forces Railcard.

The card could allow you to receive up to a third off train ticket prices and free travel for children under the age of 16 of deceased Service personnel in Great Britain.

Sixteen-year-olds who receive a Child's War Pension can apply for the HM Forces Railcard for three years if they're in full-time education.

If you would like to apply for a War Widows Railcard via the Royal British Legion, please note that the team processing the applications are in head office on the last Friday of the month and will be able to create and post back the railcards then. All rail cards are sent back via first class post.

Visit the HM War Widows Railcard website to read frequently asked questions.

Eligibility

Widow(er)s, recognised partners and dependants (aged 16 and over) must be in receipt of:

a Forces Family Pension from either the Armed Forces Pension Scheme 1975 or 2005,
a War Widow(er)s or Child's War Pension, or
a guaranteed Income Payment (GIP) from the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme 2005.

Find out more about eligibility criteria on the HM Forces Railcards website.

How to apply or renew

To get a War Widows Railcard from RBL, for the first time or to renew for another year, there are a few ways you can apply below.

Please note any railcard application and payment must be received before the last Friday of the month for it to be issued on the last Friday of the month.

Ways to apply:

You can download and complete the application form below, emailing it back with the required additional evidence too: [email protected]
Alternatively you can post a completed application from and evidence back to us on the address below. If you would prefer we post you an application first to return it this way, please let us know. Post completed forms to: The Royal British Legion Central Grants Team - Railcards, 199 Borough High Street, London, SE1 1AA

Please make cheques payable to: The Royal British Legion.

Payments can also be made via bank transfer, details of how to do this are included in the application form.

Download the application form.

Please note any railcard application and payment must be received before the last Friday of the month for it to be issued on the last Friday of the month.

First-time applicants must include a passport-sized photograph and a copy of their Widow's pension statement.
Those renewing a railcard need to include at least a copy of their previously issued railcard, if not done this could delay the processing of your application.

Please do not send in your photocard or original documents when applying.

What to do if you have not received your railcard

Due to the variations in the delivery of post locally, please allow 7 days after the last Friday of the month to receive your railcard.

If you still do not have it after this time, please contact us using the details below.

Lost Railcards

If you have lost a railcard after receiving it in the post, and need to have a new railcard issued in it's place, it will require a further £21.00 payment for each new railcard required.

This is because each railcard RBL issues is from stock that was purchased from the MOD, at £21.00 per card.

However, each new railcard issued will be reissued with a new 12-month validity period.

Get in touch

If you have any queries or questions, please contact us via:

Telephone: 0808 802 8080

Email: [email protected]

More rail discount cards

If you do not qualify for any of the Armed Forces specific Railcards listed above, you may be eligible for another Railcard to provide you with discounted travel.