seniors i.d.
Sep 17th, 2005, 08:51 AM
#1
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seniors i.d.
When a site says that "consession" prices will be offered with "i.d.", does that mean a specific i.d., i.e. a British driver's license, a British passport, etc., or any i.d. which will show a person's age of 60+, such as a U.S. driver's license, etc. In other words, are these concession prices given to non-British as well. How is this handled when ordering entrance tickets (Hampton Court, etc.) over the web? I remember receiving one several years ago in person at the Imperial War Musuem, despite a helpful fellow American calling out from behind me, "check his i.d.". He didn't check my i.d.
Sep 17th, 2005, 01:23 PM
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My partner found that many places in the UK with senior concessions, would not honor his US IDs as they said concessions are for UK citizens only. When they didn't distinquish between the countries, then yes, the home state driver's license was fine, and in fact usually they just took his word for it
Sep 17th, 2005, 03:53 PM
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Hi eashack,
In our recent long trip to the UK my husband and I got seniors concessions everywhere without having to show our Australian Seniors cards. They took our word for it. Maybe we sound more British (my husband was born there) but I am a fifth generation Aussie and they gave me the concession.
Give it a try.
Rosemary
In our recent long trip to the UK my husband and I got seniors concessions everywhere without having to show our Australian Seniors cards. They took our word for it. Maybe we sound more British (my husband was born there) but I am a fifth generation Aussie and they gave me the concession.
Give it a try.
Rosemary
Sep 17th, 2005, 04:16 PM
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In all our travels to Britain as OAPs, we've never been asked for id. My faithful traveling companion just tells them, in his best American, two old people's tickets, and we get them.
I'd love to be carded again just once.
I'd love to be carded again just once.
Sep 17th, 2005, 05:24 PM
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If you look young - don't we all? 
- your passport or drivers license will do.
But do understand -- the vast majority of sites will give you concessions, but it isn't mandated anywhere. So the odd place might deny you a discount because you don't live in the UK.
No big deal - you will save a lot at the places that do.
- your passport or drivers license will do.But do understand -- the vast majority of sites will give you concessions, but it isn't mandated anywhere. So the odd place might deny you a discount because you don't live in the UK.
No big deal - you will save a lot at the places that do.
Sep 18th, 2005, 02:50 AM
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1. It's illegal to restrict a concession to Britons. Any concession offered to all Britons of a particular age or status has to be offered to all EU citizens
2. The qualifying age for concessions to older people is 60, not 62.
3. In practice, most attractions offer these concessions to everyone over 60, as it's more trouble than it's worth denying them to Japanese and the handful of Americans and Australians who haven't got a British, Irish or Italian passport. But there are no "rights" connected with this. If someone choses to limit this concession to EU citizens (though I've never heard of it), then that's up to them. When taking older relatives around, I've found their claim to entitlement is always taken on trust. ID is frequently checked, though, for other concessions - such as students or the unemployed.
4. There is no automatic concession for older people on public transport. Transport for London offers over 60's a Freedom Pass, but for this you must reside (ie actually have a utility bill or whatever) in a London borough and apply for the pass. Most other local transport systems have similar schemes, also limited to local residents. The national aboveground railway system offers a Senior Card, giving you 33% off most journeys. You need to buy this (for £20), though it's pretty quick and you can get it from the station when you buy your ticket (though PLEASE not at a London area station during a rush hour). As I understand it, you need to prove your age for this, but here is absolutely no citizenship or residence rule.
Senior Cards appear tricky for visitors to get, as you need a British address and you need to get the card actually given to you. But if I've got it right - and no doubt someone will correct me otherwise - a foreign visitor over 60 can book train tickets online as a senior railcard holder and collect the tickets from a ticket machine here in the usual way - before actually buying the Senior Railcard. The visitor can then - before boarding the train - buy a Senior Railcard at the ticket office, giving their hotel address and showing their passport as ID. They don't actually need the card to buy the ticket, but they must have the card with them when they're using it.
2. The qualifying age for concessions to older people is 60, not 62.
3. In practice, most attractions offer these concessions to everyone over 60, as it's more trouble than it's worth denying them to Japanese and the handful of Americans and Australians who haven't got a British, Irish or Italian passport. But there are no "rights" connected with this. If someone choses to limit this concession to EU citizens (though I've never heard of it), then that's up to them. When taking older relatives around, I've found their claim to entitlement is always taken on trust. ID is frequently checked, though, for other concessions - such as students or the unemployed.
4. There is no automatic concession for older people on public transport. Transport for London offers over 60's a Freedom Pass, but for this you must reside (ie actually have a utility bill or whatever) in a London borough and apply for the pass. Most other local transport systems have similar schemes, also limited to local residents. The national aboveground railway system offers a Senior Card, giving you 33% off most journeys. You need to buy this (for £20), though it's pretty quick and you can get it from the station when you buy your ticket (though PLEASE not at a London area station during a rush hour). As I understand it, you need to prove your age for this, but here is absolutely no citizenship or residence rule.
Senior Cards appear tricky for visitors to get, as you need a British address and you need to get the card actually given to you. But if I've got it right - and no doubt someone will correct me otherwise - a foreign visitor over 60 can book train tickets online as a senior railcard holder and collect the tickets from a ticket machine here in the usual way - before actually buying the Senior Railcard. The visitor can then - before boarding the train - buy a Senior Railcard at the ticket office, giving their hotel address and showing their passport as ID. They don't actually need the card to buy the ticket, but they must have the card with them when they're using it.
Sep 18th, 2005, 04:41 AM
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flanneruk, you are right that concessions extended to UK citizens must also be extended to EU citizens. My point above was that they often clearly DO NOT extend to US citizens. We've been informed of that quite clearly a number of times.
Sep 18th, 2005, 05:26 AM
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My post was slightly misleading (and corrected by flanneruk's) - to be totally accurate I should have said "So the odd place might deny you a discount because you don't live in the EU". But since you are from the States the result is the same. The vast majority will give you the discounts but once in a while you'll run into a place that won't.
