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You can save up to a third on ferry travel to and from the Isle of Wight when you book your journey with a railcard.
Popular discount train travel cards, like the 16-25 or Senior Railcard, apply on journeys that include cross-Solent travel, so you make a saving on your ferry as well as your train.
You’ll need to book through a train travel website, such as National Rail, to secure your savings.
There are a number of different types of railcard that offer different levels of discount for different groups of people. While the most popular and well-known railcards offer a discount on our ferry service, not all do – see the list below for more details.
16-25 Railcard - Save a third on rail fares
£30 for one year or £70 for three years. Mature students can also apply.
Senior Railcard - Save a third on rail fares
£30 for one year or £70 for three years. Aged 60 and over.
Disabled Persons Railcard - Save a third on adult rail fares
£20 for one year or £54 for three years. See eligibility criteria.
26-30 Railcard - Save a third on rail fares
£30 per year.
Family & Friends Railcard - Save a third on adult rail fares and 60% off for kids
£30 for one year or £70 for three years. Up to four adults travelling with four children. Must travel with a child to get the discount.
Network Railcard - Save a third on rail fares in London and the South East
£30 per year. Aged 16 or over. You can also take up to three adults with you who will also receive the discount. Take up to four children 5-15 years old and save 60% on fares. Kids under 5 years old go free.
Veterans Railcard - Save a third on most rail fares
£30 for one year or £70 for three years. You can nominate a companion to get a third off when travelling with you and up to 4 children travelling with you get 60% off.
If your railcard isn’t listed, there are still a number of ways you can make a big saving on your Isle of Wight ferry travel.
Travel frequently across the Solent? Pick up a Season Ticket, giving you unlimited foot passenger travel over a set period. Our Student Season Tickets for 16-18 year olds are half the price of our Adult Season Tickets.
There’s also our Multilink Passenger Passes, a bulk book of foot passengers sailings at a fixed price from as little as £7.00 per sailing.
If your travel is more ad-hoc, make sure to check out our Ways to Save page, where you can find special offers and seasonal discounts on ferry travel.
Book your rail journey online using a website such as National Rail or South Western Railway, add your railcard and confirm your journey as you would any other train booking – as long as a Wightlink crossing is included in your journey plan, you can consider it booked. Please note, journeys that only go from one of our ports to another cannot be booked – there must be an element of onward train travel.
We recommend choosing an e-ticket as your chosen method of ticket delivery if possible.
Although your ferry is booked when you arrange your train, we’re unable to reserve you a spot on board. Therefore, during particularly busy times, such as Isle of Wight Festival, you may want to guarantee your sailing time by getting in touch with us.
Once you’ve booked your ferry-inclusive journey using your railcard, it’s time to set sail.
When you turn up at one of our ports, you may find ticket barriers in operation, much like at train stations. If you’ve purchased an e-ticket, simply scan the barcode and you’ll be allowed through. If your ticket is an orange ‘magstripe’ version, find a member of staff and they will allow you through.
When ticket barriers are not in operation, or if the port does not have ticket barriers, you’ll be asked to present your ticket by a member of staff while you wait to board.
Never travelled as a foot passenger on a Wightlink ferry before? Check out our ‘how to travel’ guide for all the details on your choice of routes, checking in, bringing along your bike and the facilities on offer at our ports and on board our ferries.
The Isle of Wight is easy to get to by train, with each of our mainland ports only moments from a well-connected railway station. If you’re travelling from London, you could get to the Island in as little as two hours.
Railcards aren’t the only way to save on your cross-Solent ferry travel. We’ve seasonal offers, year-round discounts and frequent travel passes which offer huge savings on both foot passenger and vehicle ferry travel.
