26-30 Railcard to go on sale nationwide by 'the end of the year'

The 26-30 Railcard is likely to be available to buy on the Railcard website and to download via the Railcard app on a smartphone.

It's likely to cost £30 and will get holders a third off most rail fares across Great Britain - but an exact date for the full roll out is yet to be announced. 

MoneySavingExpert.com was the first to reveal in October last year that a 26-30 Railcard was due to be released. 

After an official announcement by the Chancellor in last year's budget, the Railcard was piloted in the area served by Greater Anglia from December 2017, before a further trial in March offered 10,000 customers nationwide the chance to get one.

But many were left disappointed as phone lines and the Railcard website buckled due to the high demand.

For full tips and tricks on cutting the cost of train journeys, see our  guide.

How does the Railcard work?

Based on the trial this year, the 26-30 Railcard is likely to cost £30 and will give you a third off most rail fares for one year - though a £12 minimum fare applies between 4.30am and 10am Monday to Friday.

You also get a discount on London travel - a third off off-peak fares and off-peak daily caps on Oyster cards.

You'll be able to buy the 26-30 Railcard up to and including the day before your 31st birthday and keep using it until its expiry date – so if you renew it at the right time, you can use it until just before you turn 32.

While it's generally marketed towards giving discounts on leisure tickets, it can also give hefty discounts for commuters too. See our Trick to use the 16-25 Railcard to save £100s on your commute MSE News story for more. 

I'm part of the trial from December 2017 - can I renew?

If you already have a 26-30 Railcard as part of the trial that was launched in the Greater Anglia region last December, it will soon expire.

We've asked the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train firms, if you'll be able to renew your card and will update this story when we hear back.