I want to know how to refund a train ticket
Wondering how to refund a train ticket? We’re here to help. Did you know that in many cases, there’s no need to contact us? You can do it straight from your Railsmartr account if you have one.
No matter whether you’ve changed your plans or just fancy a lie-in, then we’re happy to help. We won’t charge you any admin fees, either.
What you need to do
The way that you can refund your ticket depends on the type of ticket you’ve booked with us. Flexible tickets, such as Anytime, Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak, are all fully refundable. You can refund them from your Railsmartr online account if you have one.
Advance tickets aren’t normally refundable, except in cases where service disruption prevented you from using them. If you need to refund or amend them, please contact us.
Not sure about the type of ticket that you purchased? It’s detailed in the confirmation email you’ll receive when you book with us. You can also check this information in your online account.
Uncollected tickets or eTickets
Not collected your tickets yet? Purchased an eTicket? You can refund these tickets in your online account or email our refunds team with your booking reference. There’s no need to attach your eTickets – we can access all the details.
Collected tickets
You’ll need to get in touch with our refunds team with your booking reference number and images of any unused tickets you’d like refunded. You’ll also need to cut your tickets diagonally through the centre before taking a photo so they can’t be used.
Please keep your tickets in case we need them in order to process the refund. In exceptional circumstances, you may need to post the physical tickets to us.
How to refund your train ticket – conditions:
- Available for unused Anytime, Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak train tickets. Advance tickets cannot normally be refunded except in some cases of service disruption
- Refund requests must be received by us within 28 days of the final date your ticket is valid
- Partial refunds for outbound or return trips will be given based on the difference between a single and a return for the same ticket type. Where no equivalent is available, the nearest will be used
- We may need to call you to process your refund if your payment card has expired
- Card payments may take 3-5 working days to reach your account once the refund has been processed.
What next?
While you can’t normally receive a refund for an Advance ticket, you can find out more about amending your Advance ticket to a different date or time.
Caught up in disruption? We’re here to help with refunding your ticket if your train was cancelled, seeking compensation if your train was delayed or claiming partial refunds for your return journey. Looking for help with refunding other ticket types? Check out our refunds help page.