TransPennine Express vs Railcard
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
TransPennine Express
Plan your next UK train journey and purchase tickets without any booking or card fees. Save money with advance bookings and store your eTickets or digital railcards directly within the app for easy access.
- Book train tickets with no fees
- Save up to 50% with advance tickets
- Store eTickets and digital railcards
- View live departure and arrival times
- Save common journeys for quick search
- Manage bookings in 'My account'
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No booking or card fees – download the TransPennine Express app to plan your next journey and buy train tickets to any UK railway station. Key Features: - Book in advance and you could save over 50%* with Advance tickets - Store eTickets in our app or save them to your Apple wallet - Buy Digital Railcards, conveniently stored in our app for easy access - Enjoy discounts and promotions on TransPennine Express fares, subject to availability - View live departure and arrival times for all UK Rail services - Make searching quick and easy by saving common journeys - Easily manage your bookings on the go in My account Together, we’re going places. Download now and book your journey. Information to note: Got a question? See our FAQs: https://www.tpexpress.co.uk/help/contact-us/faqs Need to get in touch? Find the best way to here: https://www.tpexpress.co.uk/help/contact-us Follow us on Social Media @TPExpressTrains on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook Learn more about us at https://www.tpexpress.co.uk/ * Full T&Cs for Advance tickets available at https://www.tpexpress.co.uk/special-offers/advance-bookings
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.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Railcard at 4.8 against TransPennine Express's 4.5. Railcard also leads on ratings volume (7.3K vs 204) and review sentiment (44% vs 28%). On price, update cadence, ads 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.
Railcard holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Railcard has 7.3K ratings behind it against 204, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 28% of TransPennine Express's written reviews are positive against 44% of Railcard's.
TransPennine Express ships an update every 2 weeks, Railcard monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | TransPennine Express | Railcard |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (204 ratings) | 4.8 (7.3K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 27.9% of reviews | 43.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 204 | 7.3K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 83 MB | 43 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | TransPennine Express | National Rail |
Customer experience
TransPennine Express
Railcard
User reviews
TransPennine Express
From 204 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Easy and quick to use
- 👍 Straightforward app
- ⭐️ Great savings and easy to navigate
- ⭐️ Efficient and quick to book and pay for tickets
Room to improve
- 🐛 App crashes and technical issues
- 🔒 Frequent log-outs and login problems
- 🔍 Difficult to find and access tickets
- 🤔 Unintuitive user experience and poor design
- 🔍 Lack of useful features like Apple Wallet integration
Railcard
From 7.3K 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
Bugs and requests
TransPennine Express
Reported bugs
3 issues- Tickets disappearing from the app
- Issues with adding tickets to Apple Wallet
- App not working outside the UK
Requested features
5 requests- Add tickets to Apple Wallet
- Remember login details and payment info
- Improve user interface and flow
- Provide better information on tickets and journeys
- Allow booking of open return tickets
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
In-app purchases
TransPennine Express
No in-app purchases
Railcard
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is TransPennine Express free?
Is Railcard free?
Which has better reviews, TransPennine Express or Railcard?
Do TransPennine Express or Railcard have ads?
Which is updated more often, TransPennine Express or Railcard?
Other comparisons
