08.08.17
RDG to start roll-out of digital railcards
A new innovation by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) is set to ensure that passengers will never miss out on a discount from a railcard again, as they will soon be able to store it digitally on their phones.
For the first time, passengers will be able to bring up their railcard on their phones. The change will first be rolled out for young people holding a 16-25 railcard this summer, before the same happens for other types of cards later in the year.
The digital railcard follows another measure to help out forgetful passengers, as back in March the RDG said that passengers will not be fined for forgetting their railcard the first time they are found travelling without one in the span of a year.
Jacqueline Starr, managing director of customer experience at the organisation, said: “Railcards have joined the digital age just like the new generation of young people using the iconic card which started it all, helping to connect the country.
“Railcards save customers cash so they can take more train trips and have more to spend where they go, supporting local communities – and we’re making them easier to buy.”
The change will also help new customers, who will now be able to load their railcard onto their phone immediately rather than be forced to wait for it to come in the post.
And if your phone runs out of battery or is lost, the RDG assured that customers will be able to swap their digital railcard onto a different device quickly and easily.
The full range of railcards offered by train companies and managed by National Rail will be available on smartphones by the end of this autumn for new and existing customers.
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