Job Centre Plus Travel Discount card

[whole diary]

[grahame]

From Chronicle Live

Quoting / documenting here as a 'guest service' ... as it says in the article "not well known"

Little known railcard that gives Universal Credit claimants 50% off - and 11 other discounts

The Job Centre Plus Travel Discount Card takes 50% off the price of train travel for those claiming Universal Credit or Jobseekers Allowance

Millions of people could be entitled to half price train travel because of a little known railcard that's linked to the Job Centre.

The Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card provides 50% off selected rail journeys for those claiming Jobseekers Allowance or Universal Credit.

It is provided for three to nine months if they're aged 18-24 or three to 12 months for over 25s.

The Job Centre Plus Travel Discount card effectively halves rail fares for anytime day tickets, off peak day tickets and three-month season tickets across all operating services for those who are actively looking for work.

The card allows you to travel for job interviews at a reduced rate but can also ease the financial strain on families being forced to stretch out their payments.

To be eligible, you must have been claiming Jobseekers Allowance or Universal Credit for at least three months.

[TaplowGreen]

Excellent idea but should be extended to local bus services too which the unemployed may find more useful if they are away from rail routes/looking for local work.

[broadgage]

ISTR^▸ (I seem to recall/remember), that this or something VERY similar has been discussed previously on this forum.
A member in receipt of jobseekers allowance reported considerable problems in obtaining the card, the staff in the job center seemingly being very reluctant to authorise this.

[grahame]

ISTR^▸ (I seem to recall/remember), that this or something VERY similar has been discussed previously on this forum.
A member in receipt of jobseekers allowance reported considerable problems in obtaining the card, the staff in the job center seemingly being very reluctant to authorise this.

I felt I had seen it too - certainly knew about it but wasn't sure if that was in a public area ... further search using different keywords and I found http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=16537.msg188029#msg188029 from over three years ago, which is actually in a public area.  Still worth a bump - freshly publicised, etc and not well known.  I may merge the threads when I get a chance to tidy up.

[JayMac]

ISTR^▸ (I seem to recall/remember), that this or something VERY similar has been discussed previously on this forum.
A member in receipt of jobseekers allowance reported considerable problems in obtaining the card, the staff in the job center seemingly being very reluctant to authorise this.

That would have been me then! And what a palaver it was getting one.

As can be seen in the thread grahame linked to, the JobcentrePlus Travel Discount Card is also available to Employment & Support Allowance (ESA) claimants if they are actively engaged with a work coach with a view to returning to work at some point, or if the are planning to do, or are doing, what is called 'Permitted Work'. Such ESA claimants would usually be those who have been placed in the 'Work Related Activity' group. Those in the 'Support' group would be unlikely to be eligible for the Travel Discount Card as they don't have to engage with a work coach.

Back in 2014 when I applied for mine i was both seeing a Work Coach on a monthly basis and doing some Permitted Work.

[broadgage]

Yes, I believed that it was you, but did not like to say so in case I was mistaken.