england rail pass for english resident

According to the BritRail website you can buy a pass if you are NOT a resident of the UK. Even though your son is a US citizen he is currently a resident of the UK so I would think he would not be eligible.

This is just my reading of the information on the website, for an official answer why don't you contact BritRail either by email or phone?

Britrail website is quite clear that it is residency rather than nationality that is the criterion. A UK national resident in Canada would by eligible for example. Britrail used to try to make its website inaccessible from the UK.

As you are using passes that are so limited in scope (only 3 days in 2 months) he may well be able to buy advance first class tickets to match your itinerary at a decent price if bought early enough.

There is also the Britrail Guest pass, but I'll leave that to someone more familiar with it as to whether that is any good although it may be too late if you have bought your own passes.

Thanks for confirming that the "advice" I was getting from Rail Europe was inaccurate and self-serving. I am usually suspicious when a vendor tells me something that runs contrary to others, when their faulty opinion is connected to selling me something. I will pass on their generous advice.

The one pass that a British resident qualifies for is called the BritRail Guest Pass. We don't publicize this since it works for so few people. You have to book the passes together and your son must travel with you. If he needs to travel separately to meet you or to go home, then he must buy a separate ticket for that trip. See http://www.raileurope.com/rail-tickets-passes/britrail-guest-pass/index.html. If you already competed the order, then Rail Europe probably won't change it, but if the order is on hold, then they can.