Railcard vs TrC | TfW
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Railcard
Access and display your train ticket discounts directly on your mobile device. Never forget your discount card again and save on most train fares. Supports a wide variety of railcards for different traveler needs.
- Store railcards on mobile
- Save 1/3 on train fares
- Instant digital access
- Supports multiple railcard types
- Ready for next train journey
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With a Railcard, you'll enjoy ⅓ off most fares when you go by train. Download the app now so you will never forget your Railcard again- have your Railcard on your mobile, ready for your next train journey. Suitable for storing newly-purchased 16-25 Railcard, Santander 16-25 Railcard, 26-30 Railcard, Devon & Cornwall Railcard, Family & Friends Railcard, Senior Railcard, Two Together Railcard, Veterans Railcard, Disabled Persons Railcard, Network Railcard, and 16-17 Saver. *Most Railcards are available instantly on your mobile. However, 16-25 Railcards for those applying as mature students, Veterans Railcards and Disabled Persons Railcards may take up to 5 working days for approval.
TrC | TfW
Plan your train journeys across Britain with ease. This app allows you to check train times, purchase tickets, and manage your travel. Save money with discounted tickets and enjoy paperless travel with real-time updates and automatic compensation for delays.
- Check train times
- Buy train tickets
- Manage journeys
- Save money on tickets
- Paperless train travel
- Live journey updates
- Delay Repay compensation
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Let the Transport for Wales app do all the thinking, so you don’t have to. Whether you’re planning ahead or travelling on the go, the TfW app makes it simple to check train times, buy tickets and manage your journeys to any destination in Britain. Gadewch i ap Trafnidiaeth Cymru wneud y gwaith meddwl drosoch chi. P'un a ydych chi'n trefnu teithiau ymlaen llaw neu’n cynllunio wrth i chi fynd, mae ap Trafnidiaeth Cymru yn ei gwneud hi'n syml gwirio amseroedd trên, prynu tocynnau a rheoli eich teithiau i unrhyw le ym Mhrydain. Save money - No booking fees - Access to Advance tickets with up to 50% off - Explorer passes with unlimited travel for one or four days on parts of our network. - Spread the cost with Pay in 3 from PayPal when you spend £30 or more - Dim ffioedd archebu - Mynediad at docynnau Advance gyda gostyngiad o hyd at 50% oddi ar docynnau - Tocynnau Crwydro gyda theithio diderfyn am un neu bedwar diwrnod ar rannau o'n rhwydwaith - Gwasgaru’r gost gyda ‘Pay in 3’ gan PayPal pan fyddwch chi'n gwario £30 neu fwy Smarter ways to travel - Manage your Pay as you go account for quick, contactless journeys (available on specific routes). - Easy to use design, shaped by your feedback - Improved performance across all devices - Improved accessibility for everyone, meeting the latest WCAG2.2 standards. - Rheoli eich cyfrif Talu wrth Fynd ar gyfer teithiau cyflym, digyswllt (ar gael ar lwybrau penodol) - Ap hawdd ei ddefnyddio, wedi'i lunio gan eich adborth chi - Perfformiad dibynadwy ar y dyfeisiau diweddaraf - Hygyrchedd gwell i bawb, gan fodloni’r safonau WCAG2.2 diweddaraf. Save time and effort - Enjoy the convenience of paperless train travel with train tickets added to your smartphone’s ticket wallet. - You can also quickly change or exchange your tickets in the app up to 18.00 on the day before you travel without any hidden charges. - Mwynhewch gyfleustra teithio ar y trên heb bapur gyda thocynnau trên wedi'u hychwanegu at waled dalu eich ffôn clyfar. - Gallwch hefyd newid neu gyfnewid eich tocynnau yn gyflym yn yr ap hyd at 18.00 ar y diwrnod cyn teithio heb unrhyw daliadau cudd. Enjoy live journey updates. If you purchased an Advance ticket to travel on a TfW service (for all or part of your journey) using the app or website, and have opted in then you’re covered by our automatic Delay Repay scheme if your train is delayed or cancelled. This means no forms to fill in to claim any compensation you may be entitled to. Key features - Save money with no added booking fees when you buy tickets on the app. - Get access to money-saving Advance tickets, and Explorer tickets. - Manage your Pay-As-You-Go account through the TfW app for smooth and easy travel. - Spread the cost with Pay in 3 from PayPal when you spend £30 or more. - Get real time travel updates. - Access Delay Repay if your train is delayed or cancelled from within your ticket wallet. - Make bike reservations on some services. - Change your Advance tickets up until 18.00 the day before travel without added charges - Customise your search preferences to save time purchasing your regular trips Nodweddion allweddol - Arbedwch arian heb unrhyw ffioedd archebu ychwanegol pan fyddwch chi'n prynu tocynnau ar yr ap. - Mwynhewch fynediad at docynnau Advance sy'n arbed arian, yn ogystal â chael mynediad at docynnau Crwydro Cymru. - Rheolwch eich cyfrif Talu Wrth Fynd drwy ap TrC ar gyfer profiad teithio esmwyth a rhwydd. - Gwasgarwch y gost gyda ‘Pay in 3’ gan PayPal pan fyddwch chi'n gwario £30 neu fwy. - Gallwch dderbyn diweddariadau a hysbysiadau teithio amser real. - Hawliwch Ad-daliad am Oedi os yw'ch trên wedi'i ohirio neu ei ganslo. - Mae modd i chi gadw lle i feic ar rai gwasanaethau. - Newidiwch eich tocynnau Advance hyd at 18.00 y diwrnod cyn teithio heb ffioedd ychwanegol From planning to payment, the Transport for Wales app takes care of the details so you can enjoy the journey.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Railcard at none against TrC | TfW's shown. Railcard also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and review sentiment (43% vs 20%). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Railcard against 4.8 for TrC | TfW. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Railcard has 7.1K ratings behind it against 124, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 43% of Railcard's written reviews are positive against 20% of TrC | TfW's.
Railcard ships an update monthly, TrC | TfW every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Railcard | TrC | TfW |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (7.1K ratings) — better | 4.8 (124 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 43.5% of reviews — better | 20.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 7.1K — better | 124 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 43 MB | 40 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | National Rail | Transport For Wales |
Customer experience
Railcard
TrC | TfW
User reviews
Railcard
From 7.1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 💰 Great value
- 📱 Easy to use app
- 🚀 Fast digital delivery
- 🙌 Helpful customer service
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy app/website
- 🤯 Confusing renewal process
- 📵 Unusable without internet
- 🤖 Lack of accessibility features
TrC | TfW
From 124 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 🚀 Easy to use
- 💡 Useful features like multiflex tickets
- 🤝 Good customer service
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔑 Login issues and account management problems
- ⏱️ Slow app performance and long loading times
- 🔌 Inability to access tickets offline or add to digital wallets
- 🤔 Confusing navigation and unintuitive design
Bugs and requests
Railcard
Reported bugs
3 issues- Railcard disappearing from app
- Download codes not working
- Incorrect/missing card details
Requested features
3 requests- Add to Apple Wallet
- Automatic renewal reminders
- Offline mode for digital cards
TrC | TfW
Reported bugs
4 issues- App frequently logging users out
- Inability to input station names or search for journeys
- Ticket purchase and download issues
- Live train information not updating accurately
Requested features
5 requests- Offline mode for accessing tickets
- Integration with digital wallets like Apple Wallet
- Improved live train information and disruption alerts
- Ability to save favorite journeys and tickets
- Better accessibility features for disabled users
In-app purchases
Railcard
No in-app purchases
TrC | TfW
No in-app purchases









