I didn’t use my train ticket, and the reason for this was not the fault of the train company. Can I get a refund?

08 June 2012

If you have not used a ticket and want a refund then the following applies to different tickets:

• Single and Return tickets – most tickets can be refunded if they are wholly unused and returned no later than 28 days after the expiry of the ticket’s validity. An administration fee is usually charged. Check with the train company or ticket retailer that sold you the ticket.
• Advance tickets – these are not refundable at all unless the train is delayed or cancelled and you decide not to travel. The date of travel can be changed if the booked train has not yet departed and an administration fee and any difference in fare is paid. If you choose not to use an Advance ticket at all, other than if the train is delayed or cancelled, it has no refund value.
• A Season ticket – if you have a season ticket that, on issue, was valid for one month or more, and you want to replace this and buy another season ticket for a different journey, you will be entitled to a refund on the original ticket, calculated pro-rata to the number of days of validity remaining when the ticket is handed in and taking any administration fee into account. The new ticket’s validity must begin the day after the original ticket was handed in and be for a period at least as long as the original ticket.

  If you hand in a season ticket as you no longer intend to use it, the cost of the tickets which you would have had to buy will be deducted from the amount paid and an administration fee will be charged. The refund is not calculated on a pro-rata basis and towards the end of the ticket, may have little refund value.