Ticket refunds and compensation FAQs

You can claim compensation if your train is delayed by 15 minutes or more and you have a valid ticket for your journey. Delay length is based on your train’s actual arrival time at your destination compared to the scheduled arrival time.

You can claim Delay Repay on daily tickets, contactless pay as you go journeys, Season Tickets and Flexi Seasons.

With Flexi Seasons you can claim compensation if you’ve activated a day of travel and are delayed by 15 minutes or more. However, if you’ve activated a day of travel and choose not to travel at the last minute due to the train delays you should apply for a refund from our Customer Relations team.

You can only make one Delay Repay claim per journey. If you travelled on more than one train, with multiple train operators, submit your claim to the train company that caused your first delay or caused you to miss a connecting train.

You should submit your claim to us if:

• You were delayed by 15 minutes or more on a London Northwestern Railway train
• A delay on your London Northwestern Railway train caused you to miss a connecting service, resulting in a delay of 15 minutes or more at your destination

If your initial delay was caused by another train company, you should submit your Delay Repay claim to them, even if you bought your ticket from us.

Claim Delay Repay

You’ll need to include evidence of your ticket/s with your claim form, and we must receive your claim within 28 days of your affected travel date.

• Online:
  • The easiest way to claim is via our online Delay Repay form
  • If you’re a Season Ticket holder and create a Delay Repay account, you can save your Season Ticket details for any future claims you might need to make while your ticket is valid
  • You can also check the status of your online claim
• By post:
  • Download and print off a Delay Repay claim form PDF or pick up a copy from our staffed stations
  • Post the completed form in an envelope, with evidence of your ticket/s, to:
    Freepost LONDON NORTHWESTERN RAILWAY DELAY REPAY

You’ll need to provide evidence that you had a valid ticket for your delayed journey as part of the claims process. To prevent fraudulent Delay Repay claims, we don’t accept receipts or booking confirmation emails as proof of travel unless your actual ticket number is visible on the receipt.

Proof of valid ticket

• QR code and paper tickets: You’ll need to upload a photo or screenshot of your ticket. If you hold multiple tickets, such as split tickets, you will need to take a photo of each ticket used to complete your journey
  If you no longer have access to your QR-coded e-ticket, contact your ticket retailer and they can give you a copy suitable for a Delay Repay claim
• Smartcard and Swift card users: You will need to enter your Smartcard number
• Oyster card and Contactless pay as you go: You will need to upload a copy of the TfL statement of your journey. You can download your statement from the Transport for London (TfL) website but you’ll need to set up a TfL account to see more than 7 days of journey history
• Other screenshots, receipts or bank statements won’t be accepted as proof of travel

Proof of defaced/spoilt tickets

If you have single or return paper ticket/s we will ask you to deface your ticket when you make a Delay Repay claim. This is to ensure the ticket cannot be used or claimed against more than once.

Do not deface your ticket if it’s valid for multiple journeys, for example if you have a Season Ticket (weekly, monthly, annual) or Student Term ticket.

You can deface your single or return ticket by drawing a single line across it in pen, or by cutting the ticket in half. We won’t accept lines drawn in pencil or digitally.

Our one-click Delay Repay service makes claiming compensation easier for qualifying journeys.

You'll be eligible for one-click Delay Repay if you bought an Advance Single ticket from our app or website through your London Northwestern Railway or West Midlands Railway account.

How it works

If your qualifying journey is delayed by 15 minutes or more, you’ll receive an email the day after you travel prompting you to submit a Delay Repay claim. Click the link in the email and the system will automatically fill out and submit the claim form for you.

One-click Delay Repay doesn’t apply to any other ticket types or to tickets purchased elsewhere. You can’t use one-click Delay Repay if you’ve already made a claim for that journey.

Online claims

We’ll email you a link to login and update your claim if any of the information you’ve submitted is incomplete or invalid, for example if the uploaded ticket isn’t valid for the selected journey date.

Please review the highlighted information and resubmit your claim.

You can also provide this information via ‘Check my claim status’ on the Delay Repay claim form.

Claims by post

We may send your claim form back to you if it is incomplete or missing mandatory information that we need to process your claim. We’ll highlight the additional information we need from you.

Please review and fill in the highlighted fields before posting the claim form back to us.

We hope you’ll be satisfied with the outcome of your Delay Repay claim. However, if you believe your claim has been incorrectly rejected or you think you’ve been underpaid, you have one month to submit an appeal.

• Online claims: Appeal a Depay Repay decision
• Claims by post: contact our Customer Relations team and select ‘general enquiry’

You’ll need your claim reference and either the email address or postcode provided to us when your claim was submitted. Your claim reference is specified in any correspondence we have sent you about this claim.

When your appeal is submitted, we will revisit your claim and any supporting information you’ve provided, and get back in touch with a further decision.

If you are having trouble providing proof of your ticket:

Check file size & type: Ensure your file is in JPEG, PNG, or PDF format and under 10 MB in size.

Can't take a screenshot in the app? Security features in some apps (including the LNR app) prevent screenshots of digital season tickets (including Flexi Seasons). If this happens, open the ticket on your phone and use another phone, tablet, or camera to take a clear photo of the screen showing your journey details and ticket barcode.

If you are still unable to upload your ticket, please contact our Customer Relations team for assistance.

Advance tickets:

• You can change the date and/or time of travel for a £10 admin fee
• Contact us before the booked departure time of your first train
• There are limited tickets at each price so you’ll need to pay any difference in fare

Daily tickets: Anytime, Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak

• You can change the date and/or time of travel free of charge
• Contact us by the travel date printed on your ticket 23:59 the day before your ticket is valid for travel.

If you bought your ticket:

• From our website, app or by phone:
  • Log into your account and go to “My Bookings”
  • Click “Manage my booking” under the relevant ticket
  • Select “Change date/time” and follow the instructions
• Online (guest checkout):
  • Email [email protected]
  • Quote your transaction ID and ticket details
  • At the station: Visit the ticket office at any London Northwestern Railway or West Midlands Railway staffed station

During disruption:

• If your train is delayed or cancelled before you start your journey and you decide not to travel, you can claim a full refund (with no admin fee) on your unused tickets
• We’ll also give you a full refund if your train is delayed or cancelled part way and you decide to abandon your journey and return to your original station

During normal service:

• If you decide not to travel for your own reasons, you can claim a refund if your ticket type allows it and you apply by 23:59 the day before the ticket is valid.
• There’s a £5 admin fee per ticket refunded

Note: If you bought your ticket on or before 31 March 2026, you still have up to 28 days from the expiry date to apply for a refund.

How to apply:

• Visit our “Refunds & exchanges” page for full details of how and where to apply
• You can apply for a refund up to 28 days from the last day the ticket was valid. For tickets bought from 1 April 2026, you must apply before your travel date. It takes up to 28 days to process but it may take longer if we need to request more information from you

Ticket purchased online

Log into your online account with your username and password and select the ticket you would like to refund. Then follow the instructions.

Ticket purchased by phone

You can apply for a refund by calling us on 0333 311 0006 .

Ticket purchased from a ticket machine or ticket office

Please visit the original purchase station to claim a refund.

You can apply for a refund as soon as you buy a ticket, up to a maximum of 28 days from the ticket expiry date.

• For tickets bought from 1 April 2026: You can apply for a refund as soon as you buy a ticket, up to 23:59 on the day before the ticket becomes valid.
• For tickets bought on or before 31 March 2026: You have up to 28 days from the ticket expiry date to apply.

Only if you have a paper ticket that you’ve already received in the post or collected from the station.

• Please post your tickets back to us: PO Box 23972, Edinburgh EH3 5DA
• We’ll process your refund when we receive your tickets

Other delivery options:

• Paper tickets not yet collected: If your tickets are still in the machine you don’t need to do anything
• E-tickets: You don’t need to do anything
• Mobile tickets:
  • If you’ve downloaded the ticket you’ll need to remove it from your device before we can process a refund
  • Tickets already activated are non-refundable

We’ll send you an email to confirm your request and process your refund within five working days. All refunds go back onto your original payment card.

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