International Rail Passes & Railcards
The terms railcard and rail pass are often used in the context of train travel, particularly in the UK and Europe, but they refer to different things:
INTERNATONAL RAIL PASSESS
A rail pass is essentially a prepaid travel pass that allows unlimited or flexible travel on one or more rail networks for a specified period of time.
When traveling on a rail pass you do not buy additional separate tickets (except for seat or sleeper cabin reservations if needed) and just need show your pass when boarding the train or upon request to the ticket inspector.
Rail passes are typically used by tourists or travelers covering multiple destinations, the most popular of which are:
The popular Eurail Global Pass is a single document that allows you to travel by train multiple times and across 33 countries in Europe. With this, you can take as many train trips as you want within a set time period that ranges from 4 days to 2 months — all without breaking the bank!
Validity of rail passes can range from a few days to a few months and are priced accordingly whilst many rail passes also include free or heavily discounted access to the most popular tourist attractions in the area covered.
Rail Passess generally need to be purchased prior to you departing your country of residency.
RAILCARDS
The
British Railcard is a discount card that gives the holder discounts on train tickets (usually about 1/3 off) in the UK. They are typically used by UK residents or long-term visitors and valid for a 12 month period from date of purchase.
There are several type of UK Railcards, the most popular of which are:
You may view details and any applicable restrictions of and purchase any of the available Railcards online via this link.
If you purchase a Railcard you still need to purchase individual tickets, but you you will pay less for most journeys and enjoy even greater savings when using a railcard to purchase split train tickets.
