Veterans' Railcard launches today

The Veterans' Railcard will be valid from Thursday 5 November, giving an estimated 830,000 people access to discounted rail journeys.

The card will be available to anyone who has served at least one day in the armed forces, or merchant mariners who have seen duty on legally defined military operations.

It will offer the cardholder and a companion a third off most rail fares, plus 60% off for up to four children aged five to 15 travelling with the holder.

Initially the one-year version of the card will cost £21, with the three-year card costing £61. This price is fixed until 31 March 2021 as an "introductory offer" – so if you buy one after this date, you may have to pay more.

Customers will be able to choose from a physical card or a digital version they can keep on their phone. 

Captain Sir Tom Moore (pictured above) – who raised over £30 million for NHS charities by walking laps of his garden in April – became the first veteran to receive one of the railcards earlier today.

See our Cheap Trains guide for more info on other railcards.

How does the Veterans' Railcard work?

Here are the need-to-knows: 

• It works on most tickets. You can get discounts off anytime, off-peak, super off-peak and advance single and return tickets.

• There's a £12 minimum fare on weekday mornings. This applies between 4.30am and 10am from Monday to Friday, except bank holidays.

• You can get a discount on London travel. The railcard gives you the discount on off-peak fares, off-peak daily caps on Oyster cards and off-peak travelcards.

  You can also use it on an anytime day zones 1-6 travelcard when bought as part of a ticket to London from outside the London zones area, but there's a minimum fare of £19.10.

You can get the railcard on the Veterans Railcard website.