I’ve just renewed a Railcard for no outlay of real money. This was done by
getting £10 worth of Tesco Clubcard vouchers by virtue of shopping at
Tesco. For reasons known presumably to both Tesco and ATOC/RDG <insert
latest name> this magically multiplies by three to be enough to purchase a
£30 railcard. Now, immediately I’m happy because it’s saved me £30. However
I am bothered that a taxpayer funded railway is offering a very large
incentive (I very much doubt that Tesco is transferring the whole £30 to
the railway, and perhaps not even the £10) to one supermarket group at the
exclusion of the others. It’s not as though you can do the same with, say,
Nectar points from Sainsburys.

On 16/07/2022 11:21, Tweed wrote:
> I’ve just renewed a Railcard for no outlay of real money. This was done by
> getting £10 worth of Tesco Clubcard vouchers by virtue of shopping at
> Tesco. For reasons known presumably to both Tesco and ATOC/RDG <insert
> latest name> this magically multiplies by three to be enough to purchase a
> £30 railcard. Now, immediately I’m happy because it’s saved me £30. However
> I am bothered that a taxpayer funded railway is offering a very large
> incentive (I very much doubt that Tesco is transferring the whole £30 to
> the railway, and perhaps not even the £10) to one supermarket group at the
> exclusion of the others. It’s not as though you can do the same with, say,
> Nectar points from Sainsburys.
>

It's even worse that that because only £5 is paid to the railway.

<martin.coffee@round-midnight.org.uk> wrote:
> On 16/07/2022 11:21, Tweed wrote:
>> I’ve just renewed a Railcard for no outlay of real money. This was done by
>> getting £10 worth of Tesco Clubcard vouchers by virtue of shopping at
>> Tesco. For reasons known presumably to both Tesco and ATOC/RDG <insert
>> latest name> this magically multiplies by three to be enough to purchase a
>> £30 railcard. Now, immediately I’m happy because it’s saved me £30. However
>> I am bothered that a taxpayer funded railway is offering a very large
>> incentive (I very much doubt that Tesco is transferring the whole £30 to
>> the railway, and perhaps not even the £10) to one supermarket group at the
>> exclusion of the others. It’s not as though you can do the same with, say,
>> Nectar points from Sainsburys.
>>
>
> It's even worse that that because only £5 is paid to the railway.
>

Are you able to divulge how you know that?

In message <taub3j$3ci5o$1@dont-email.me>, at 12:31:47 on Sat, 16 Jul
2022, Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> remarked:
><martin.coffee@round-midnight.org.uk> wrote:
>> On 16/07/2022 11:21, Tweed wrote:
>>> I’ve just renewed a Railcard for no outlay of real money. This was done by
>>> getting £10 worth of Tesco Clubcard vouchers by virtue of shopping at
>>> Tesco. For reasons known presumably to both Tesco and ATOC/RDG <insert
>>> latest name> this magically multiplies by three to be enough to purchase a
>>> £30 railcard. Now, immediately I’m happy because it’s saved me
>>>£30. However
>>> I am bothered that a taxpayer funded railway is offering a very large
>>> incentive (I very much doubt that Tesco is transferring the whole £30 to
>>> the railway, and perhaps not even the £10) to one supermarket group at the
>>> exclusion of the others. It’s not as though you can do the same with, say,
>>> Nectar points from Sainsburys.
>>
>> It's even worse that that because only £5 is paid to the railway.
>
>Are you able to divulge how you know that?
? --
Roland Perry

In message <taub3j$3ci5o$1@dont-email.me>, at 12:31:47 on Sat, 16 Jul
2022, Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> remarked:
><martin.coffee@round-midnight.org.uk> wrote:
>> On 16/07/2022 11:21, Tweed wrote:

>>> I’ve just renewed a Railcard for no outlay of real money. This was done by
>>> getting £10 worth of Tesco Clubcard vouchers by virtue of shopping at
>>> Tesco. For reasons known presumably to both Tesco and ATOC/RDG <insert
>>> latest name>

It's going to eventually be the Fat Controller, I suppose.

>>>this magically multiplies by three to be enough to purchase a
>>> £30 railcard. Now, immediately I’m happy because it’s saved me £30.

Interesting - I have at least £10 worth of Tesco vouchers on the fridge
door. Where do I spend them to get a railcard?

>>>However I am bothered that a taxpayer funded railway is offering a
>>>very large incentive (I very much doubt that Tesco is transferring
>>>the whole £30 to the railway, and perhaps not even the £10) to one
>>>supermarket group at the exclusion of the others. It’s not as
>>>though you can do the same with, say, Nectar points from Sainsburys.
>>
>> It's even worse that that because only £5 is paid to the railway.
>
>Are you able to divulge how you know that?

A train ticket seller will typically get 9% commission, and while 9% of
£30 is only £2.70, I wouldn't find it surprising if they got £5 for
issuing something a bit more complicated like a Railcard.
--
Roland Perry

Roland Perry <roland@perry.co.uk> wrote:
> In message <taub3j$3ci5o$1@dont-email.me>, at 12:31:47 on Sat, 16 Jul
> 2022, Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> remarked:
>> <martin.coffee@round-midnight.org.uk> wrote:
>>> On 16/07/2022 11:21, Tweed wrote:
>>>> I’ve just renewed a Railcard for no outlay of real money. This was done by
>>>> getting £10 worth of Tesco Clubcard vouchers by virtue of shopping at
>>>> Tesco. For reasons known presumably to both Tesco and ATOC/RDG <insert
>>>> latest name> this magically multiplies by three to be enough to purchase a
>>>> £30 railcard. Now, immediately I’m happy because it’s saved me
>>>> £30. However
>>>> I am bothered that a taxpayer funded railway is offering a very large
>>>> incentive (I very much doubt that Tesco is transferring the whole £30 to
>>>> the railway, and perhaps not even the £10) to one supermarket group at the
>>>> exclusion of the others. It’s not as though you can do the same with, say,
>>>> Nectar points from Sainsburys.
>>>
>>> It's even worse that that because only £5 is paid to the railway.
>>
>> Are you able to divulge how you know that?
> ?

He said that only £5 is paid to the railway, which I took to mean Tesco pay
£5 to RDG when a railcard is purchased by means of Clubcard vouchers. If
that is what is meant I’m curious to know where that figure comes from. If
that’s not what was meant then I apologise for misunderstanding.

Roland Perry <roland@perry.co.uk> wrote:
> In message <taub3j$3ci5o$1@dont-email.me>, at 12:31:47 on Sat, 16 Jul
> 2022, Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> remarked:
>> <martin.coffee@round-midnight.org.uk> wrote:
>>> On 16/07/2022 11:21, Tweed wrote:
>
>>>> I’ve just renewed a Railcard for no outlay of real money. This was done by
>>>> getting £10 worth of Tesco Clubcard vouchers by virtue of shopping at
>>>> Tesco. For reasons known presumably to both Tesco and ATOC/RDG <insert
>>>> latest name>
>
> It's going to eventually be the Fat Controller, I suppose.
>
>>>> this magically multiplies by three to be enough to purchase a
>>>> £30 railcard. Now, immediately I’m happy because it’s saved me £30.
>
> Interesting - I have at least £10 worth of Tesco vouchers on the fridge
> door. Where do I spend them to get a railcard?

<https://secure.tesco.com/clubcard/vouchers/1-year-senior-railcard/UK-009982.prd>

>
>>>> However I am bothered that a taxpayer funded railway is offering a
>>>> very large incentive (I very much doubt that Tesco is transferring
>>>> the whole £30 to the railway, and perhaps not even the £10) to one
>>>> supermarket group at the exclusion of the others. It’s not as
>>>> though you can do the same with, say, Nectar points from Sainsburys.
>>>
>>> It's even worse that that because only £5 is paid to the railway.
>>
>> Are you able to divulge how you know that?
>
> A train ticket seller will typically get 9% commission, and while 9% of
> £30 is only £2.70, I wouldn't find it surprising if they got £5 for
> issuing something a bit more complicated like a Railcard.

You might want to rethink that response…

Roland Perry <roland@perry.co.uk> wrote:
> In message <taub3j$3ci5o$1@dont-email.me>, at 12:31:47 on Sat, 16 Jul
> 2022, Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> remarked:
>> <martin.coffee@round-midnight.org.uk> wrote:
>>> On 16/07/2022 11:21, Tweed wrote:
>
>>>> I’ve just renewed a Railcard for no outlay of real money. This was done by
>>>> getting £10 worth of Tesco Clubcard vouchers by virtue of shopping at
>>>> Tesco. For reasons known presumably to both Tesco and ATOC/RDG <insert
>>>> latest name>
>
> It's going to eventually be the Fat Controller, I suppose.
>
>>>> this magically multiplies by three to be enough to purchase a
>>>> £30 railcard. Now, immediately I’m happy because it’s saved me £30.
>
> Interesting - I have at least £10 worth of Tesco vouchers on the fridge
> door. Where do I spend them to get a railcard?
>
Log into your Clubcard account. That knows what vouchers you have (the
paper ones are irrelevant here). Once logged in you can find partner
offers, and a subsection called transport (from memory). There you can find
the railcard you want. You then go through a purchase process (a bit
complex but don’t blame me) which ultimately results in you being emailed a
code. Follow the instructions in that email to redeem the code on the
railcard website. Be careful to select the correct railcard as the codes
are not interchangeable between types.

So if you redeem £10 of Clubcard vouchers you get a code worth £30 off a
railcard. This results in a transaction for £0 on the railcard website. It
does work, my card turned up today.

Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> wrote:
> Roland Perry <roland@perry.co.uk> wrote:
>> In message <taub3j$3ci5o$1@dont-email.me>, at 12:31:47 on Sat, 16 Jul
>> 2022, Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> remarked:
>>> <martin.coffee@round-midnight.org.uk> wrote:
>>>> On 16/07/2022 11:21, Tweed wrote:
>>>>> I’ve just renewed a Railcard for no outlay of real money. This was done by
>>>>> getting £10 worth of Tesco Clubcard vouchers by virtue of shopping at
>>>>> Tesco. For reasons known presumably to both Tesco and ATOC/RDG <insert
>>>>> latest name> this magically multiplies by three to be enough to purchase a
>>>>> £30 railcard. Now, immediately I’m happy because it’s saved me
>>>>> £30. However
>>>>> I am bothered that a taxpayer funded railway is offering a very large
>>>>> incentive (I very much doubt that Tesco is transferring the whole £30 to
>>>>> the railway, and perhaps not even the £10) to one supermarket group at the
>>>>> exclusion of the others. It’s not as though you can do the same with, say,
>>>>> Nectar points from Sainsburys.
>>>>
>>>> It's even worse that that because only £5 is paid to the railway.
>>>
>>> Are you able to divulge how you know that?
>> ?
>
> He said that only £5 is paid to the railway, which I took to mean Tesco pay
> £5 to RDG when a railcard is purchased by means of Clubcard vouchers.

Yes, that was my interpretation, too. Like you, I find it surprisingly low.

> If that is what is meant I’m curious to know where that figure comes from. If
> that’s not what was meant then I apologise for misunderstanding.
>
>

In message <tauj6t$3da0f$1@dont-email.me>, at 14:50:05 on Sat, 16 Jul
2022, Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> remarked:
>Roland Perry <roland@perry.co.uk> wrote:
>> In message <taub3j$3ci5o$1@dont-email.me>, at 12:31:47 on Sat, 16 Jul
>> 2022, Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> remarked:
>>> <martin.coffee@round-midnight.org.uk> wrote:
>>>> On 16/07/2022 11:21, Tweed wrote:
>>>>> I’ve just renewed a Railcard for no outlay of real money. This
>>>>>done by
>>>>> getting £10 worth of Tesco Clubcard vouchers by virtue of shopping at
>>>>> Tesco. For reasons known presumably to both Tesco and ATOC/RDG <insert
>>>>> latest name> this magically multiplies by three to be enough to purchase a
>>>>> £30 railcard. Now, immediately I’m happy because it’s saved me
>>>>> £30. However
>>>>> I am bothered that a taxpayer funded railway is offering a very large
>>>>> incentive (I very much doubt that Tesco is transferring the whole £30 to
>>>>> the railway, and perhaps not even the £10) to one supermarket
>>>>>group at the
>>>>> exclusion of the others. It’s not as though you can do the same
>>>>>with, say,
>>>>> Nectar points from Sainsburys.
>>>>
>>>> It's even worse that that because only £5 is paid to the railway.
>>>
>>> Are you able to divulge how you know that?
>> ?
>
>He said that only £5 is paid to the railway, which I took to mean Tesco pay
>£5 to RDG when a railcard is purchased by means of Clubcard vouchers. If
>that is what is meant I’m curious to know where that figure comes from. If
>that’s not what was meant then I apologise for misunderstanding.

That over-brief posting of mine was finger trouble. But my
interpretation was that of the £10, only half would not be
eaten up by front-loaded administrative expenses.
--
Roland Perry

In message <taujeh$3dal0$2@dont-email.me>, at 14:54:09 on Sat, 16 Jul
2022, Recliner <recliner.usenet@gmail.com> remarked:
>Roland Perry <roland@perry.co.uk> wrote:
>> In message <taub3j$3ci5o$1@dont-email.me>, at 12:31:47 on Sat, 16 Jul
>> 2022, Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> remarked:
>>> <martin.coffee@round-midnight.org.uk> wrote:
>>>> On 16/07/2022 11:21, Tweed wrote:
>>
>>>>> I’ve just renewed a Railcard for no outlay of real money. This
>>>>>done by
>>>>> getting £10 worth of Tesco Clubcard vouchers by virtue of shopping at
>>>>> Tesco. For reasons known presumably to both Tesco and ATOC/RDG <insert
>>>>> latest name>
>>
>> It's going to eventually be the Fat Controller, I suppose.
>>
>>>>> this magically multiplies by three to be enough to purchase a
>>>>> £30 railcard. Now, immediately I’m happy because it’s saved me £30.
>>
>> Interesting - I have at least £10 worth of Tesco vouchers on the fridge
>> door. Where do I spend them to get a railcard?
>
><https://secure.tesco.com/clubcard/vouchers/1-year-senior-railcard/UK-00
>9982.prd>

Thanks. So I suppose the first step is how does one turn bits of paper
on the fridge into something I can use online.

>>>>> However I am bothered that a taxpayer funded railway is offering a
>>>>> very large incentive (I very much doubt that Tesco is transferring
>>>>> the whole £30 to the railway, and perhaps not even the £10) to one
>>>>> supermarket group at the exclusion of the others. It’s not as
>>>>> though you can do the same with, say, Nectar points from Sainsburys.
>>>>
>>>> It's even worse that that because only £5 is paid to the railway.
>>>
>>> Are you able to divulge how you know that?
>>
>> A train ticket seller will typically get 9% commission, and while 9% of
>> £30 is only £2.70, I wouldn't find it surprising if they got £5 for
>> issuing something a bit more complicated like a Railcard.
>
>You might want to rethink that response…

Why?
--
Roland Perry

Roland Perry <roland@perry.co.uk> wrote:
> In message <taujeh$3dal0$2@dont-email.me>, at 14:54:09 on Sat, 16 Jul
> 2022, Recliner <recliner.usenet@gmail.com> remarked:
>> Roland Perry <roland@perry.co.uk> wrote:
>>> In message <taub3j$3ci5o$1@dont-email.me>, at 12:31:47 on Sat, 16 Jul
>>> 2022, Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> remarked:
>>>> <martin.coffee@round-midnight.org.uk> wrote:
>>>>> On 16/07/2022 11:21, Tweed wrote:
>>>
>>>>>> I’ve just renewed a Railcard for no outlay of real money. This
>>>>>> done by
>>>>>> getting £10 worth of Tesco Clubcard vouchers by virtue of shopping at
>>>>>> Tesco. For reasons known presumably to both Tesco and ATOC/RDG <insert
>>>>>> latest name>
>>>
>>> It's going to eventually be the Fat Controller, I suppose.
>>>
>>>>>> this magically multiplies by three to be enough to purchase a
>>>>>> £30 railcard. Now, immediately I’m happy because it’s saved me £30.
>>>
>>> Interesting - I have at least £10 worth of Tesco vouchers on the fridge
>>> door. Where do I spend them to get a railcard?
>>
>> <https://secure.tesco.com/clubcard/vouchers/1-year-senior-railcard/UK-00
>> 9982.prd>
>
> Thanks. So I suppose the first step is how does one turn bits of paper
> on the fridge into something I can use online.
>
>>>>>> However I am bothered that a taxpayer funded railway is offering a
>>>>>> very large incentive (I very much doubt that Tesco is transferring
>>>>>> the whole £30 to the railway, and perhaps not even the £10) to one
>>>>>> supermarket group at the exclusion of the others. It’s not as
>>>>>> though you can do the same with, say, Nectar points from Sainsburys.
>>>>>
>>>>> It's even worse that that because only £5 is paid to the railway.
>>>>
>>>> Are you able to divulge how you know that?
>>>
>>> A train ticket seller will typically get 9% commission, and while 9% of
>>> £30 is only £2.70, I wouldn't find it surprising if they got £5 for
>>> issuing something a bit more complicated like a Railcard.
>>
>> You might want to rethink that response…
>
> Why?

You seem to think Tesco is getting paid a commission for selling a
Railcard.

In message <taujm6$3db9n$1@dont-email.me>, at 14:58:14 on Sat, 16 Jul
2022, Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> remarked:
>Roland Perry <roland@perry.co.uk> wrote:
>> In message <taub3j$3ci5o$1@dont-email.me>, at 12:31:47 on Sat, 16 Jul
>> 2022, Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> remarked:
>>> <martin.coffee@round-midnight.org.uk> wrote:
>>>> On 16/07/2022 11:21, Tweed wrote:
>>
>>>>> I’ve just renewed a Railcard for no outlay of real money. This
>>>>>done by
>>>>> getting £10 worth of Tesco Clubcard vouchers by virtue of shopping at
>>>>> Tesco. For reasons known presumably to both Tesco and ATOC/RDG <insert
>>>>> latest name>
>>
>> It's going to eventually be the Fat Controller, I suppose.
>>
>>>>> this magically multiplies by three to be enough to purchase a
>>>>> £30 railcard. Now, immediately I’m happy because it’s saved me £30.
>>
>> Interesting - I have at least £10 worth of Tesco vouchers on the fridge
>> door. Where do I spend them to get a railcard?
>>
>Log into your Clubcard account.

<Goatherder alert>

My clubcard account is at least 20yrs old, and any login credentials are
lost in the mists of time. Trying to recover them online has never
worked, and the stores point blank refuse to get involved "because of
data protection". Yes, literally had that excuse rolled out.

>That knows what vouchers you have (the
>paper ones are irrelevant here). Once logged in you can find partner
>offers, and a subsection called transport (from memory). There you can find
>the railcard you want. You then go through a purchase process (a bit
>complex but don’t blame me) which ultimately results in you being emailed a
>code. Follow the instructions in that email to redeem the code on the
>railcard website. Be careful to select the correct railcard as the codes
>are not interchangeable between types.
>
>So if you redeem £10 of Clubcard vouchers you get a code worth £30 off a
>railcard. This results in a transaction for £0 on the railcard website. It
>does work, my card turned up today.

For £20 I don't think I'll be bothering, but interesting to hear about
your experiences.
--
Roland Perry

In message <taukg3$3ddv8$2@dont-email.me>, at 15:12:03 on Sat, 16 Jul
2022, Recliner <recliner.usenet@gmail.com> remarked:
>Roland Perry <roland@perry.co.uk> wrote:
>> In message <taujeh$3dal0$2@dont-email.me>, at 14:54:09 on Sat, 16 Jul
>> 2022, Recliner <recliner.usenet@gmail.com> remarked:
>>> Roland Perry <roland@perry.co.uk> wrote:
>>>> In message <taub3j$3ci5o$1@dont-email.me>, at 12:31:47 on Sat, 16 Jul
>>>> 2022, Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> remarked:
>>>>> <martin.coffee@round-midnight.org.uk> wrote:
>>>>>> On 16/07/2022 11:21, Tweed wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>>> I’ve just renewed a Railcard for no outlay of real money. This
>>>>>>> done by
>>>>>>> getting £10 worth of Tesco Clubcard vouchers by virtue of shopping at
>>>>>>> Tesco. For reasons known presumably to both Tesco and ATOC/RDG <insert
>>>>>>> latest name>
>>>>
>>>> It's going to eventually be the Fat Controller, I suppose.
>>>>
>>>>>>> this magically multiplies by three to be enough to purchase a
>>>>>>> £30 railcard. Now, immediately I’m happy because it’s saved
>>>>>>>me £30.
>>>>
>>>> Interesting - I have at least £10 worth of Tesco vouchers on the fridge
>>>> door. Where do I spend them to get a railcard?
>>>
>>> <https://secure.tesco.com/clubcard/vouchers/1-year-senior-railcard/UK-00
>>> 9982.prd>
>>
>> Thanks. So I suppose the first step is how does one turn bits of paper
>> on the fridge into something I can use online.
>>
>>>>>>> However I am bothered that a taxpayer funded railway is offering a
>>>>>>> very large incentive (I very much doubt that Tesco is transferring
>>>>>>> the whole £30 to the railway, and perhaps not even the £10) to one
>>>>>>> supermarket group at the exclusion of the others. It’s not as
>>>>>>> though you can do the same with, say, Nectar points from Sainsburys.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> It's even worse that that because only £5 is paid to the railway.
>>>>>
>>>>> Are you able to divulge how you know that?
>>>>
>>>> A train ticket seller will typically get 9% commission, and while 9% of
>>>> £30 is only £2.70, I wouldn't find it surprising if they got £5 for
>>>> issuing something a bit more complicated like a Railcard.
>>>
>>> You might want to rethink that response…
>>
>> Why?
>
>You seem to think Tesco is getting paid a commission for selling a
>Railcard.

Someone is.
--
Roland Perry

Roland Perry <roland@perry.co.uk> wrote:
> In message <taukg3$3ddv8$2@dont-email.me>, at 15:12:03 on Sat, 16 Jul
> 2022, Recliner <recliner.usenet@gmail.com> remarked:
>> Roland Perry <roland@perry.co.uk> wrote:
>>> In message <taujeh$3dal0$2@dont-email.me>, at 14:54:09 on Sat, 16 Jul
>>> 2022, Recliner <recliner.usenet@gmail.com> remarked:
>>>> Roland Perry <roland@perry.co.uk> wrote:
>>>>> In message <taub3j$3ci5o$1@dont-email.me>, at 12:31:47 on Sat, 16 Jul
>>>>> 2022, Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> remarked:
>>>>>> <martin.coffee@round-midnight.org.uk> wrote:
>>>>>>> On 16/07/2022 11:21, Tweed wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I’ve just renewed a Railcard for no outlay of real money. This
>>>>>>>> done by
>>>>>>>> getting £10 worth of Tesco Clubcard vouchers by virtue of shopping at
>>>>>>>> Tesco. For reasons known presumably to both Tesco and ATOC/RDG <insert
>>>>>>>> latest name>
>>>>>
>>>>> It's going to eventually be the Fat Controller, I suppose.
>>>>>
>>>>>>>> this magically multiplies by three to be enough to purchase a
>>>>>>>> £30 railcard. Now, immediately I’m happy because it’s saved
>>>>>>>> me £30.
>>>>>
>>>>> Interesting - I have at least £10 worth of Tesco vouchers on the fridge
>>>>> door. Where do I spend them to get a railcard?
>>>>
>>>> <https://secure.tesco.com/clubcard/vouchers/1-year-senior-railcard/UK-00
>>>> 9982.prd>
>>>
>>> Thanks. So I suppose the first step is how does one turn bits of paper
>>> on the fridge into something I can use online.
>>>
>>>>>>>> However I am bothered that a taxpayer funded railway is offering a
>>>>>>>> very large incentive (I very much doubt that Tesco is transferring
>>>>>>>> the whole £30 to the railway, and perhaps not even the £10) to one
>>>>>>>> supermarket group at the exclusion of the others. It’s not as
>>>>>>>> though you can do the same with, say, Nectar points from Sainsburys.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> It's even worse that that because only £5 is paid to the railway.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Are you able to divulge how you know that?
>>>>>
>>>>> A train ticket seller will typically get 9% commission, and while 9% of
>>>>> £30 is only £2.70, I wouldn't find it surprising if they got £5 for
>>>>> issuing something a bit more complicated like a Railcard.
>>>>
>>>> You might want to rethink that response…
>>>
>>> Why?
>>
>> You seem to think Tesco is getting paid a commission for selling a
>> Railcard.
>
> Someone is.

Huh? Nobody is paying Tesco anything and no commission is being paid.

Tesco is paying the RDG a sum of money to pay for a £30 customer railcard.
We are trying to ascertain just how much the RDG gets from Tesco. It's
obviously well under £30, but £5 seems surprisingly low. I'd have guessed
between £10 and £20.

On 16/07/2022 13:31, Tweed wrote:
> <martin.coffee@round-midnight.org.uk> wrote:
>> On 16/07/2022 11:21, Tweed wrote:
>>> I’ve just renewed a Railcard for no outlay of real money. This was done by
>>> getting £10 worth of Tesco Clubcard vouchers by virtue of shopping at
>>> Tesco. For reasons known presumably to both Tesco and ATOC/RDG <insert
>>> latest name> this magically multiplies by three to be enough to purchase a
>>> £30 railcard. Now, immediately I’m happy because it’s saved me £30. However
>>> I am bothered that a taxpayer funded railway is offering a very large
>>> incentive (I very much doubt that Tesco is transferring the whole £30 to
>>> the railway, and perhaps not even the £10) to one supermarket group at the
>>> exclusion of the others. It’s not as though you can do the same with, say,
>>> Nectar points from Sainsburys.
>>>
>>
>> It's even worse that that because only £5 is paid to the railway.
>>
>
> Are you able to divulge how you know that?
>
I worked for an organisation that accepted Tesco vouchers and the
accountant informed me.

<martin.coffee@round-midnight.org.uk> wrote:
> On 16/07/2022 13:31, Tweed wrote:
>> <martin.coffee@round-midnight.org.uk> wrote:
>>> On 16/07/2022 11:21, Tweed wrote:
>>>> I’ve just renewed a Railcard for no outlay of real money. This was done by
>>>> getting £10 worth of Tesco Clubcard vouchers by virtue of shopping at
>>>> Tesco. For reasons known presumably to both Tesco and ATOC/RDG <insert
>>>> latest name> this magically multiplies by three to be enough to purchase a
>>>> £30 railcard. Now, immediately I’m happy because it’s saved me £30. However
>>>> I am bothered that a taxpayer funded railway is offering a very large
>>>> incentive (I very much doubt that Tesco is transferring the whole £30 to
>>>> the railway, and perhaps not even the £10) to one supermarket group at the
>>>> exclusion of the others. It’s not as though you can do the same with, say,
>>>> Nectar points from Sainsburys.
>>>>
>>>
>>> It's even worse that that because only £5 is paid to the railway.
>>>
>>
>> Are you able to divulge how you know that?
>>
> I worked for an organisation that accepted Tesco vouchers and the
> accountant informed me.
>

So this company supplied a service normally priced at £30 for only £5?
That seems very low indeed.

Of course, Tesco might well negotiate different terms with different
suppliers, so your employer might have accepted less than some other
suppliers.

Roland Perry <roland@perry.co.uk> wrote:
> In message <taujm6$3db9n$1@dont-email.me>, at 14:58:14 on Sat, 16 Jul
> 2022, Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> remarked:
>> Roland Perry <roland@perry.co.uk> wrote:
>>> In message <taub3j$3ci5o$1@dont-email.me>, at 12:31:47 on Sat, 16 Jul
>>> 2022, Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> remarked:
>>>> <martin.coffee@round-midnight.org.uk> wrote:
>>>>> On 16/07/2022 11:21, Tweed wrote:
>>>
>>>>>> I’ve just renewed a Railcard for no outlay of real money. This
>>>>>> done by
>>>>>> getting £10 worth of Tesco Clubcard vouchers by virtue of shopping at
>>>>>> Tesco. For reasons known presumably to both Tesco and ATOC/RDG <insert
>>>>>> latest name>
>>>
>>> It's going to eventually be the Fat Controller, I suppose.
>>>
>>>>>> this magically multiplies by three to be enough to purchase a
>>>>>> £30 railcard. Now, immediately I’m happy because it’s saved me £30.
>>>
>>> Interesting - I have at least £10 worth of Tesco vouchers on the fridge
>>> door. Where do I spend them to get a railcard?
>>>
>> Log into your Clubcard account.
>
> <Goatherder alert>
>
> My clubcard account is at least 20yrs old, and any login credentials are
> lost in the mists of time. Trying to recover them online has never
> worked, and the stores point blank refuse to get involved "because of
> data protection". Yes, literally had that excuse rolled out.
>
>> That knows what vouchers you have (the
>> paper ones are irrelevant here). Once logged in you can find partner
>> offers, and a subsection called transport (from memory). There you can find
>> the railcard you want. You then go through a purchase process (a bit
>> complex but don’t blame me) which ultimately results in you being emailed a
>> code. Follow the instructions in that email to redeem the code on the
>> railcard website. Be careful to select the correct railcard as the codes
>> are not interchangeable between types.
>>
>> So if you redeem £10 of Clubcard vouchers you get a code worth £30 off a
>> railcard. This results in a transaction for £0 on the railcard website. It
>> does work, my card turned up today.
>
> For £20 I don't think I'll be bothering, but interesting to hear about
> your experiences.

A phone call to the Clubcard phone line should help. Worked for me, as I
accidentally purchased the code for the wrong railcard. This is how I
discovered the codes were tied to a particular railcard.

Recliner <recliner.usenet@gmail.com> wrote:
> <martin.coffee@round-midnight.org.uk> wrote:
>> On 16/07/2022 13:31, Tweed wrote:
>>> <martin.coffee@round-midnight.org.uk> wrote:
>>>> On 16/07/2022 11:21, Tweed wrote:
>>>>> I’ve just renewed a Railcard for no outlay of real money. This was done by
>>>>> getting £10 worth of Tesco Clubcard vouchers by virtue of shopping at
>>>>> Tesco. For reasons known presumably to both Tesco and ATOC/RDG <insert
>>>>> latest name> this magically multiplies by three to be enough to purchase a
>>>>> £30 railcard. Now, immediately I’m happy because it’s saved me £30. However
>>>>> I am bothered that a taxpayer funded railway is offering a very large
>>>>> incentive (I very much doubt that Tesco is transferring the whole £30 to
>>>>> the railway, and perhaps not even the £10) to one supermarket group at the
>>>>> exclusion of the others. It’s not as though you can do the same with, say,
>>>>> Nectar points from Sainsburys.
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> It's even worse that that because only £5 is paid to the railway.
>>>>
>>>
>>> Are you able to divulge how you know that?
>>>
>> I worked for an organisation that accepted Tesco vouchers and the
>> accountant informed me.
>>
>
> So this company supplied a service normally priced at £30 for only £5?
> That seems very low indeed.
>
> Of course, Tesco might well negotiate different terms with different
> suppliers, so your employer might have accepted less than some other
> suppliers.
>
>

If this is correct it is somewhat egregious. As a non Tesco customer, ie
standard passenger, I have to pay £30. Tesco can purchase at £5. As the
railway is largely taxpayer funded this is a huge subsidy to a large
private company or a huge disadvantage to the standard purchaser.

In message <taumng$3dkio$2@dont-email.me>, at 15:50:08 on Sat, 16 Jul
2022, Recliner <recliner.usenet@gmail.com> remarked:
><martin.coffee@round-midnight.org.uk> wrote:
>> On 16/07/2022 13:31, Tweed wrote:
>>> <martin.coffee@round-midnight.org.uk> wrote:
>>>> On 16/07/2022 11:21, Tweed wrote:
>>>>> I’ve just renewed a Railcard for no outlay of real money. This
>>>>>done by getting £10 worth of Tesco Clubcard vouchers by virtue of
>>>>>shopping at Tesco. For reasons known presumably to both Tesco and
>>>>>ATOC/RDG <insert latest name> this magically multiplies by three
>>>>>to be enough to purchase a £30 railcard. Now, immediately I’m
>>>>>happy because it’s saved me £30. However I am bothered that a
>>>>>taxpayer funded railway is offering a very large incentive (I very
>>>>>much doubt that Tesco is transferring the whole £30 to the
>>>>>railway, and perhaps not even the £10) to one supermarket group at
>>>>>the exclusion of the others. It’s not as though you can do the
>>>>>same with, say, Nectar points from Sainsburys.
>>>>
>>>> It's even worse that that because only £5 is paid to the railway.
>>>>
>>>
>>> Are you able to divulge how you know that?
>>>
>> I worked for an organisation that accepted Tesco vouchers and the
>> accountant informed me.
>
>So this company supplied a service normally priced at £30 for only £5?
>That seems very low indeed.

You are assuming that every £10 of vouchers converted into a code to
buy a railcard, is actually used to buy a railcard.

It's the ones which fall by the wayside which often make schemes like
this worth operating.

>Of course, Tesco might well negotiate different terms with different
>suppliers, so your employer might have accepted less than some other
>suppliers.

Obviously it's going to also depend on whether the thing being bought
has a cost of manufacture or not. In the particular case of railcards
(if we ignore the cost of printing and mailing out the plastic, which
could easily be approaching £5) it might never be used, so any money
received "by the TOCs" is pure profit. Or if it is used, many of the
journeys would never have been made without the railcard discount, so
the fares received (even though discounted) are again pure profit,
because they aren't going to lease any extra trains to carry the
passengers.

--
Roland Perry

In message <taup6i$3drq6$1@dont-email.me>, at 16:32:18 on Sat, 16 Jul
2022, Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> remarked:
>Roland Perry <roland@perry.co.uk> wrote:
>> In message <taujm6$3db9n$1@dont-email.me>, at 14:58:14 on Sat, 16 Jul
>> 2022, Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> remarked:
>>> Roland Perry <roland@perry.co.uk> wrote:
>>>> In message <taub3j$3ci5o$1@dont-email.me>, at 12:31:47 on Sat, 16 Jul
>>>> 2022, Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> remarked:
>>>>> <martin.coffee@round-midnight.org.uk> wrote:
>>>>>> On 16/07/2022 11:21, Tweed wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>>> I’ve just renewed a Railcard for no outlay of real money. This
>>>>>>> done by
>>>>>>> getting £10 worth of Tesco Clubcard vouchers by virtue of shopping at
>>>>>>> Tesco. For reasons known presumably to both Tesco and ATOC/RDG <insert
>>>>>>> latest name>
>>>>
>>>> It's going to eventually be the Fat Controller, I suppose.
>>>>
>>>>>>> this magically multiplies by three to be enough to purchase a
>>>>>>> £30 railcard. Now, immediately I’m happy because it’s saved
>>>>>>>me £30.
>>>>
>>>> Interesting - I have at least £10 worth of Tesco vouchers on the fridge
>>>> door. Where do I spend them to get a railcard?
>>>>
>>> Log into your Clubcard account.
>>
>> <Goatherder alert>
>>
>> My clubcard account is at least 20yrs old, and any login credentials are
>> lost in the mists of time. Trying to recover them online has never
>> worked, and the stores point blank refuse to get involved "because of
>> data protection". Yes, literally had that excuse rolled out.
>>
>>> That knows what vouchers you have (the
>>> paper ones are irrelevant here). Once logged in you can find partner
>>> offers, and a subsection called transport (from memory). There you can find
>>> the railcard you want. You then go through a purchase process (a bit
>>> complex but don’t blame me) which ultimately results in you being
>>>emailed a
>>> code. Follow the instructions in that email to redeem the code on the
>>> railcard website. Be careful to select the correct railcard as the codes
>>> are not interchangeable between types.
>>>
>>> So if you redeem £10 of Clubcard vouchers you get a code worth £30 off a
>>> railcard. This results in a transaction for £0 on the railcard website. It
>>> does work, my card turned up today.
>>
>> For £20 I don't think I'll be bothering, but interesting to hear about
>> your experiences.
>
>A phone call to the Clubcard phone line should help. Worked for me, as I
>accidentally purchased the code for the wrong railcard. This is how I
>discovered the codes were tied to a particular railcard.

I'm sure I've tried that. At some stage throwing good money after bad
just isn't worth the candle, especially as I can exchange the paper for
groceries with minimal effort.

It's no just Tesco, I gave up on Nectar several years ago. A little
after Sainsbury's Mobile curled up its toes. For a while they had a
cunning scheme where if you bought a "mobile product" (which they fondly
believed would have been a phone) they automatically issued you a £10
voucher for a top-up. Their problem being that when you bought that
top-up, the till said "oh, you just bought a mobile product - here have
this £10 voucher for [your next] top-up".

I didn't actually use the 'free' airtime much, other than for doing
tests with Vodafone (their partner) as the carrier, because at the time
I needed to have a full house of carriers at my disposal, and native
Vodafone was an unnecessary expense for my client who was a charity.
--
Roland Perry

In message <taupf7$3dsii$1@dont-email.me>, at 16:36:55 on Sat, 16 Jul
2022, Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> remarked:
>Recliner <recliner.usenet@gmail.com> wrote:
>> <martin.coffee@round-midnight.org.uk> wrote:
>>> On 16/07/2022 13:31, Tweed wrote:
>>>> <martin.coffee@round-midnight.org.uk> wrote:
>>>>> On 16/07/2022 11:21, Tweed wrote:
>>>>>> I’ve just renewed a Railcard for no outlay of real money. This
>>>>>>was done by getting £10 worth of Tesco Clubcard vouchers by
>>>>>>virtue of shopping at Tesco. For reasons known presumably to both
>>>>>>Tesco and ATOC/RDG <insert latest name> this magically multiplies
>>>>>>by three to be enough to purchase a £30 railcard. Now,
>>>>>>immediately I’m happy because it’s saved me £30. However I
>>>>>>am bothered that a taxpayer funded railway is offering a very
>>>>>>large incentive (I very much doubt that Tesco is transferring the
>>>>>>whole £30 to the railway, and perhaps not even the £10) to one
>>>>>>supermarket group at the exclusion of the others. It’s not as
>>>>>>Sainsburys.
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> It's even worse that that because only £5 is paid to the railway.
>>>>
>>>> Are you able to divulge how you know that?
>>>>
>>> I worked for an organisation that accepted Tesco vouchers and the
>>> accountant informed me.
>>
>> So this company supplied a service normally priced at £30 for only £5?
>> That seems very low indeed.
>>
>> Of course, Tesco might well negotiate different terms with different
>> suppliers, so your employer might have accepted less than some other
>> suppliers.
>
>If this is correct it is somewhat egregious. As a non Tesco customer, ie
>standard passenger, I have to pay £30. Tesco can purchase at £5. As the
>railway is largely taxpayer funded this is a huge subsidy to a large
>private company or a huge disadvantage to the standard purchaser.

Can you "show your working" where Tesco is making a profit out of this
scheme, rather than the railways having decided that Tesco customers
should be getting this discount?
--
Roland Perry

In message <taulq5$3dhtu$2@dont-email.me>, at 15:34:29 on Sat, 16 Jul
2022, Recliner <recliner.usenet@gmail.com> remarked:
>Roland Perry <roland@perry.co.uk> wrote:
>> In message <taukg3$3ddv8$2@dont-email.me>, at 15:12:03 on Sat, 16 Jul
>> 2022, Recliner <recliner.usenet@gmail.com> remarked:
>>> Roland Perry <roland@perry.co.uk> wrote:
>>>> In message <taujeh$3dal0$2@dont-email.me>, at 14:54:09 on Sat, 16 Jul
>>>> 2022, Recliner <recliner.usenet@gmail.com> remarked:
>>>>> Roland Perry <roland@perry.co.uk> wrote:
>>>>>> In message <taub3j$3ci5o$1@dont-email.me>, at 12:31:47 on Sat, 16 Jul
>>>>>> 2022, Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> remarked:
>>>>>>> <martin.coffee@round-midnight.org.uk> wrote:
>>>>>>>> On 16/07/2022 11:21, Tweed wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> I’ve just renewed a Railcard for no outlay of real money. This
>>>>>>>>> done by
>>>>>>>>> getting £10 worth of Tesco Clubcard vouchers by virtue of shopping at
>>>>>>>>> Tesco. For reasons known presumably to both Tesco and ATOC/RDG <insert
>>>>>>>>> latest name>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> It's going to eventually be the Fat Controller, I suppose.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> this magically multiplies by three to be enough to purchase a
>>>>>>>>> £30 railcard. Now, immediately I’m happy because it’s saved
>>>>>>>>> me £30.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Interesting - I have at least £10 worth of Tesco vouchers on the fridge
>>>>>> door. Where do I spend them to get a railcard?
>>>>>
>>>>> <https://secure.tesco.com/clubcard/vouchers/1-year-senior-railcard/UK-00
>>>>> 9982.prd>
>>>>
>>>> Thanks. So I suppose the first step is how does one turn bits of paper
>>>> on the fridge into something I can use online.
>>>>
>>>>>>>>> However I am bothered that a taxpayer funded railway is offering a
>>>>>>>>> very large incentive (I very much doubt that Tesco is transferring
>>>>>>>>> the whole £30 to the railway, and perhaps not even the £10) to one
>>>>>>>>> supermarket group at the exclusion of the others. It’s not as
>>>>>>>>> though you can do the same with, say, Nectar points from Sainsburys.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> It's even worse that that because only £5 is paid to the railway.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Are you able to divulge how you know that?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> A train ticket seller will typically get 9% commission, and while 9% of
>>>>>> £30 is only £2.70, I wouldn't find it surprising if they got £5 for
>>>>>> issuing something a bit more complicated like a Railcard.
>>>>>
>>>>> You might want to rethink that response…
>>>>
>>>> Why?
>>>
>>> You seem to think Tesco is getting paid a commission for selling a
>>> Railcard.
>>
>> Someone is.
>
>Huh? Nobody is paying Tesco anything and no commission is being paid.

Who is paying for the back-office administration of the scheme?

If you go into a station and buy a railcard, do you imagine they get no
commission for doing that, when they get 9% for the far simpler task of
issuing a travel ticket?

>Tesco is paying the RDG a sum of money to pay for a £30 customer railcard.
>We are trying to ascertain just how much the RDG gets from Tesco. It's
>obviously well under £30, but £5 seems surprisingly low. I'd have guessed
>between £10 and £20.

Why would Tesco send more than £10 to anyone, when a customer redeems
some of their Clubcard points?
--
Roland Perry

Roland Perry <roland@perry.co.uk> wrote:
> In message <taupf7$3dsii$1@dont-email.me>, at 16:36:55 on Sat, 16 Jul
> 2022, Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> remarked:
>> Recliner <recliner.usenet@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> <martin.coffee@round-midnight.org.uk> wrote:
>>>> On 16/07/2022 13:31, Tweed wrote:
>>>>> <martin.coffee@round-midnight.org.uk> wrote:
>>>>>> On 16/07/2022 11:21, Tweed wrote:
>>>>>>> I’ve just renewed a Railcard for no outlay of real money. This
>>>>>>> was done by getting £10 worth of Tesco Clubcard vouchers by
>>>>>>> virtue of shopping at Tesco. For reasons known presumably to both
>>>>>>> Tesco and ATOC/RDG <insert latest name> this magically multiplies
>>>>>>> by three to be enough to purchase a £30 railcard. Now,
>>>>>>> immediately I’m happy because it’s saved me £30. However I
>>>>>>> am bothered that a taxpayer funded railway is offering a very
>>>>>>> large incentive (I very much doubt that Tesco is transferring the
>>>>>>> whole £30 to the railway, and perhaps not even the £10) to one
>>>>>>> supermarket group at the exclusion of the others. It’s not as
>>>>>>> Sainsburys.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> It's even worse that that because only £5 is paid to the railway.
>>>>>
>>>>> Are you able to divulge how you know that?
>>>>>
>>>> I worked for an organisation that accepted Tesco vouchers and the
>>>> accountant informed me.
>>>
>>> So this company supplied a service normally priced at £30 for only £5?
>>> That seems very low indeed.
>>>
>>> Of course, Tesco might well negotiate different terms with different
>>> suppliers, so your employer might have accepted less than some other
>>> suppliers.
>>
>> If this is correct it is somewhat egregious. As a non Tesco customer, ie
>> standard passenger, I have to pay £30. Tesco can purchase at £5. As the
>> railway is largely taxpayer funded this is a huge subsidy to a large
>> private company or a huge disadvantage to the standard purchaser.
>
> Can you "show your working" where Tesco is making a profit out of this
> scheme, rather than the railways having decided that Tesco customers
> should be getting this discount?

Sure. If I shop more often at Tesco rather than <competitor> I can get the
necessary points for my free rail card. Based on standard points
allocation, you need to spend £1000 in store, or £2000 on fuel. This
clearly benefits Tesco as it encourages customers to go there. Put another
way, if I shop at Sainsburys I have to pay £30 for my railcard, if I shop
at Tesco I potentially get it free.

Roland Perry <roland@perry.co.uk> wrote:
> In message <taumng$3dkio$2@dont-email.me>, at 15:50:08 on Sat, 16 Jul
> 2022, Recliner <recliner.usenet@gmail.com> remarked:
>> <martin.coffee@round-midnight.org.uk> wrote:
>>> On 16/07/2022 13:31, Tweed wrote:
>>>> <martin.coffee@round-midnight.org.uk> wrote:
>>>>> On 16/07/2022 11:21, Tweed wrote:
>>>>>> I’ve just renewed a Railcard for no outlay of real money. This
>>>>>> done by getting £10 worth of Tesco Clubcard vouchers by virtue of
>>>>>> shopping at Tesco. For reasons known presumably to both Tesco and
>>>>>> ATOC/RDG <insert latest name> this magically multiplies by three
>>>>>> to be enough to purchase a £30 railcard. Now, immediately I’m
>>>>>> happy because it’s saved me £30. However I am bothered that a
>>>>>> taxpayer funded railway is offering a very large incentive (I very
>>>>>> much doubt that Tesco is transferring the whole £30 to the
>>>>>> railway, and perhaps not even the £10) to one supermarket group at
>>>>>> the exclusion of the others. It’s not as though you can do the
>>>>>> same with, say, Nectar points from Sainsburys.
>>>>>
>>>>> It's even worse that that because only £5 is paid to the railway.
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Are you able to divulge how you know that?
>>>>
>>> I worked for an organisation that accepted Tesco vouchers and the
>>> accountant informed me.
>>
>> So this company supplied a service normally priced at £30 for only £5?
>> That seems very low indeed.
>
> You are assuming that every £10 of vouchers converted into a code to
> buy a railcard, is actually used to buy a railcard.
>
> It's the ones which fall by the wayside which often make schemes like
> this worth operating.
>
>> Of course, Tesco might well negotiate different terms with different
>> suppliers, so your employer might have accepted less than some other
>> suppliers.
>
> Obviously it's going to also depend on whether the thing being bought
> has a cost of manufacture or not. In the particular case of railcards
> (if we ignore the cost of printing and mailing out the plastic, which
> could easily be approaching £5) it might never be used, so any money
> received "by the TOCs" is pure profit. Or if it is used, many of the
> journeys would never have been made without the railcard discount, so
> the fares received (even though discounted) are again pure profit,
> because they aren't going to lease any extra trains to carry the
> passengers.
>

Yes, those are some of the good reasons why the RDG will accept a
significantly discounted price from Tesco. The question is simply just how
little Tesco pays: Martin (based on experience with a different partner)
suggests it would be as little as £5, whereas I was guessing somewhere
between £10 and £20.