Season Tickets FAQs

Season Tickets offer unlimited travel between two stations for a week, a month or up to a year. They’re usually most beneficial if you’re travelling at peak times at least three times a week.

Flexi Seasons offer 8 days of travel in 28 days - any time of day between two stations. They’re a flexible solution if you travel just a few times a week at peak times.

Find out which ticket is best for your journey with the National Rail Season Ticket calculator

Yes, you’ll need to show a National Rail Photocard (as a form of ID) to buy and travel with a monthly or longer Season Ticket.

To get your free Photocard:

• Take a recent passport-type photograph of yourself to any station ticket office
• You only need to do this once - you don’t need a new Photocard each time you buy or renew your Season Ticket

If you’re buying your Season Ticket online and can’t get to a ticket office, we can also accept a standard form of ID (for example a driver's licence) as proof of identification.

If you’re trying to buy a ticket between two stations within the West Midlands rail zones, these Season Tickets are only available from the Transport for West Midlands website

Yes, a Season Ticket that includes “London Travelcard zones 1-6” allows you to travel on the tube, bus, DLR, overground, tram and other trains in those zones.

To add a Travelcard to your Season Ticket, set your destination station to the London zones you require, eg “London Underground Zone 1-6” or “London Underground Zone 1-2”.

You can buy and renew Season Tickets online from our website or app, or at the station.

Buy or renew Season Tickets online

If you’ve bought online before, we’ll remember your photocard ID and any saved payment cards.

As Season Tickets are already discounted tickets, in most cases you can’t get additional National Railcard discounts.

The only exceptions are:

• 16-17 Saver: Get a 50% discount on all train tickets including Season Tickets
• Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card: 50% discount on Season Tickets

If you’re buying online, select “Ticket options” on the Season Tickets fares screen to add your Railcard.

Report your lost or stolen ticket to us as soon as possible. If your Season Ticket is valid for a month or more we can issue a duplicate. A £10 admin fee applies.

If you’ve also lost your photocard, you’ll need to get a new one before we can issue a replacement Season Ticket.

If you bought your ticket:

• At a station: We can issue a duplicate Season Ticket at the ticket office
• From our website or app: You can apply for a duplicate ticket online
  • Log into your Season Ticket account
  • Choose “Apply for a duplicate ticket” and follow the instructions on screen
  • Or call us on 0333 311 0006

Additional information:

• There’s no limit to the number of duplicate tickets you can claim, but we carry out additional checks for the second and any subsequent duplicates issued in a 12 month period
• We can’t issue duplicate tickets for lost or stolen Weekly Season Tickets
• If you need to travel whilst waiting for a replacement Season Ticket, purchase a daily or weekly paper ticket. To claim a refund for this ticket:
  • Take your ticket to any London Northwestern Railway or West Midlands Railway staffed station
  • OR contact our Customer Relations team online

You can find ticket office opening hours and check station facilities in our A-Z stations guide .

A Flexi Season offers a frequent travel discount for 8 days of travel in 28 days. It’s more flexible than a Season Ticket, so could save you money if you travel at peak times on the same route just 2-3 times a week.

Find out which ticket offers the best value for your journey with the National Rail Season Ticket calculator

Key differences:

A Flexi Season offers a frequent travel discount for 8 days of travel in 28 days.

It could save you money if you travel at peak times on the same route just 2-3 times a week compared to buying Anytime fares or a standard Season Ticket.

Find out which ticket offers the best value for your journey with the National Rail Season Ticket calculator

Yes.

If you’re buying another Flexi Season ticket for the same route, before you've finished using your active ticket:

• Make sure the start date of your newer ticket is after the date you intend to use your last day of travel on the older ticket
• This is to avoid starting your new ticket before you’ve used all 8 days of travel on your active ticket

As Flexi Seasons are already discounted tickets, in most cases you can’t get additional National Railcard discounts.

The only exceptions are:

• 16-17 Saver: Get a 50% discount on all train tickets including Flexi Seasons
• Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card: 50% discount on Flexi Seasons

If you’re buying online, select “Ticket options” on the Season Tickets fares screen to add your Railcard.

In most cases you can travel with any operator between your start and end stations.

You’ll need to buy a new ticket for your journey if your Flexi Season ticket is only valid on one train operator and you wish to travel with a different one.

If your Flexi Season ticket is restricted to a particular route, you can change the route it covers and pay the difference in fare.

It’s your responsibility to make sure you can present your Flexi Season ticket at the ticket gate and when requested by a member of rail staff or you could be liable for a penalty fare.

You’ll need to buy a new ticket for your journey if:

• Smartcard tickets: You lose or forget your Smartcard
• Mobile tickets: Your phone is lost, broken or runs out of battery and you can’t show your mobile ticket for any reason

It depends on your age when you buy the ticket:

• Age 16 or older: Select an adult ticket
• Age 15 or younger: Select a child ticket
  Your child ticket is still valid if you turn 16 before the expiry date

Yes, you can use your Student Season until the ticket’s expiry date for unlimited travel between the two stations listed.

It’s valid on weekdays and weekends, during term time, and during school holidays, including half term.

No, at the moment Student Seasons are only available as paper tickets. However, we are investing in smart technologies for future tickets.

If your Student Season ticket is lost or stolen:

• Email [email protected] and we’ll arrange a duplicate ticket for you
• We may charge a £10 administration fee
• You’ll need to buy day tickets for your journey until your new Season ticket arrives
• Keep hold of these tickets as we may be able to refund them for you

Email [email protected] for help.

If your ticket stops working at the barriers, email [email protected] We’ll ask you to return your ticket and issue you with a free replacement.

You can change the origin and/or destination station if your Season Ticket is monthly or longer and valid for at least another seven days.

Return your ticket to the point of purchase: your local station ticket office or by logging into your online account.

• The ticket expiry date stays the same
• If your new journey is cheaper we'll give you a pro-rata refund, or charge the difference if your new ticket is more expensive
• You won't have to pay an administration fee
• We can't change a ticket retrospectively so refunds won’t be backdated

Find out more about ticket refunds and exchanges

No, Flexi Seasons can’t be exchanged.

If you’re travelling more than expected when you bought your Flexi Season, check which ticket is best for your journey with the National Rail Season Ticket calculator

If a Season Ticket will be better value, you can:

• Use up your remaining Flexi Season journeys and then buy a Season Ticket
• Or request a refund on your Flexi Season and buy a Season Ticket instead

• Weekly, monthly, monthly+, annual Season Ticket: You can apply for a refund before the Season Ticket’s expiry date if you have the minimum time remaining:
  • Weekly: At least 3 days
  • Monthly or more: At least 7 days
  • Annual: At least 12 weeks
  • We’ll deduct the value of any other tickets you would have used to travel for the same time until you surrendered your Season Ticket
• Flexi Season:
  • Refunds are calculated on the difference between the price of the Flexi Season and the cost of an Anytime return ticket for each day you have used
  • If you only have one or two journeys left you may find there’s no refund due
• nTrain, nNetwork Season Tickets: Refunds are calculated by Transport for West Midlands
• Student Season Tickets: Refunds are calculated on a pro-rata basis

You must return your Season Ticket to the point of issue for a refund. A £10 admin fee applies.

Season Tickets bought at a station

London Travelcards, point to point Season Tickets, Flexi Seasons and nTrain:

Staffed stations: Bring your ticket to any London Northwestern Railway or West Midlands Railway staffed station ticket office

Post: Send your unwanted Season Ticket to our Freepost address with a note outlining the reason for refund and your contact details. We must receive your Season Ticket within three days of the 'Last day of use' date or we may use a different date to calculate your refund:
FREEPOST
LONDON NORTHWESTERN RAILWAY
CUSTOMER RELATIONS
We recommend you request a proof of postage certificate from the Post Office

nNetwork multi-modal Season Ticket:

• Apply direct to Transport for West Midlands (TfWM)

Season Tickets bought from our website, app or by phone

Weekly, Monthly, Annual and Student Season Tickets, Flexi Seasons:

• Account holders: Log into your online account and follow the instructions under the relevant ticket in “My bookings”
• Guest checkout: Email [email protected] quoting your transaction ID and ticket details
• Student Season Tickets: Email [email protected]
• Flexi Seasons: Call us on 0333 311 0006 and select OPTION 2

Season Tickets:

• If you’re not using your Season Ticket due to long term sickness, you can return your ticket for a refund and buy a new one when you return to work
• If you’re unable to request a refund on your Season Ticket when you stopped using it, we’ll offer you a refund from the date your illness started, provided that you supply a medical certificate or other evidence of your illness

Flexi Seasons:

• If you were sick and couldn’t use your Flexi Season ticket you can apply for a refund before the end of the 28-day validity period
• There must be at least one unused journey left to refund and a £10 admin fee applies
• We’ll consider your refund request after the expiry date if you can supply a medical certificate or other evidence that illness meant you couldn’t apply for a refund sooner

If you forget your Season Ticket you can claim back the cost of the replacement daily tickets up to twice a year.

You can claim:

• First occasion: Full refund of the replacement ticket cost
• Second occasion: Refund less a £10 administration fee
• Third and subsequent occasions within a 12-month period: No refund

To apply for the refund:

• Take your replacement ticket and Season Ticket to any London Northwestern Railway or West Midlands Railway staffed station ticket office for a refund
• OR contact our Customer Relations team online
  You will need to upload an image of your replacement ticket and an image of your current Season Ticket or Smartcard

You must return your Season Ticket to the point of issue for a refund.

If you bought your ticket at a station you can return it to the ticket office at any London Northwestern Railway or West Midlands Railway station for a refund.

If you bought your Season Ticket from our website, app or by phone:

Account holders: Log into your online account and follow the refund instructions under the relevant ticket in “My bookings”

Guest checkout: Email [email protected] quoting your transaction ID and ticket details

Student Season Tickets: Email [email protected]

Flexi Seasons: Call us on 0333 311 0006 and select OPTION 2