Following a trial period, the new ‘Millennial’ 26-30 railcard will go on sale before the end of the year, with four million passengers eligible to buy one.
Initially piloted in East Anglia in December last year, National Rail released a further 20,000 of the railcards nationwide this spring. Once it goes on sale, the rail fare discount card will be available to all passengers aged between 26 and 30.
Unlike existing schemes, the 26-30 railcard will be digital only, with users able to purchase a card for £30 and download it to their smartphone.
The railcard could save users up to a third off most fares and is valid for 12 months. However, cardholders will have to pay a minimum fare of £12 if they use the discount for journeys before 1000 on weekdays and all day on the weekends.
The minimum fare will also apply to all journeys throughout July and August.
Furthermore, the discount will not apply to sleeper trains, first class (unless booked in advance with some train companies) and season tickets or Eurostar services.
If a passenger purchases a London Underground Day Travelcard for Zones 1-6 as part of a national rail ticket to the capital, the discount will also apply subject to a minimum fare of £8.30 for off-peak travel or £18.10 for Anytime tickets.
While the railcard is labelled for leisure journeys, employees within this age range could use their card to get a discount on work trips, assuming they are travelling in standard class (unless they purchase Advance first-class tickets with certain train companies) and off peak.
No official sale date has been announced, but National Rail says it will issue an update in due time.
26-30railcard.co.uk