TransPennine Express vs MCard Mobile
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
MCard Mobile
Purchase bus and rail tickets for various age groups directly on your phone. Avoid the need for physical smartcards or cash, with tickets accessible 24/7. Accepted across all operator services in West Yorkshire.
- Daily, weekly, monthly ticket purchase
- Digital tickets on phone
- Accepted on all West Yorkshire operators
- Supports adult, child, student tickets
- 24/7 availability
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Buy daily, weekly or monthly bus and rail tickets for adults, children, students and young people. Available 24/7, tickets appear in your phone, so no need for a smartcard or cash any more. All MCard tickets are accepted on all operator services in West Yorkshire, including First, Arriva, and Transdev. If you buy a discounted Under 19 or 19-25 or Student ticket, you may be asked for proof of eligibility when you travel. You can show your Under 16, 16-18, 19-25 or Student PhotoCard or an NUS card, driver’s licence or passport. Mature full-time students need to show their 19-25 or Student PhotoCard. For an easier way to get around West Yorkshire, get on board with MCard Mobile. Happy travelling!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: TransPennine Express at 4.5 against MCard Mobile's 1.0. TransPennine Express also leads on ratings volume (205 vs 1) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months). MCard Mobile's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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.
TransPennine Express holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: TransPennine Express has 205 ratings behind it against 1, 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 5% of MCard Mobile's.
TransPennine Express ships an update every 2 weeks, MCard Mobile every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | TransPennine Express | MCard Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (205 ratings) — better | 1.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 27.9% of reviews — better | 4.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 205 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 83 MB | 52 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | TransPennine Express | Yorcard Limited |
Customer experience
TransPennine Express
MCard Mobile
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
MCard Mobile
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
TransPennine Express
No in-app purchases
MCard Mobile
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is TransPennine Express free?
Is MCard Mobile free?
Which has better reviews, TransPennine Express or MCard Mobile?
Do TransPennine Express or MCard Mobile have ads?
Which is updated more often, TransPennine Express or MCard Mobile?
Other comparisons
