Unused ticket refunds

How to apply

Refunds work differently depending on the type of ticket and where you bought it. If you choose not to travel you can apply for a refund up to 28 days after the ticket’s expiry.

We charge a £10 admin fee for every application made - this will be waived if your train is delayed or cancelled, and you decide not to travel. Special arrangements are also in place for Advanced tickets for journeys in areas affected by local COVID-19 restrictions.

If you travelled but were delayed, visit our compensation page and if you didn’t buy your ticket from GWR you will have to contact the original retailer to arrange your refund.

Anytime, Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak tickets

You can claim a refund for any reason if you didn’t travel by completing our refund claim form.

We are currently processing refunds within 5 days of receipt. Refunds of tickets originally purchased at stations may take longer.

Advance tickets

Advance tickets are non-refundable, but you can still apply for a refund if your train is delayed or cancelled and you’re unable to complete your journey as planned.

If you are travelling from or to an area affected by a COVID-19 local lockdown restriction and bought your Advance ticket before the Government announcement about that restriction, we have temporarily waived the usual £10 admin fee if you want to change your journey.

Alternatively, if you are unable to change the date of your journey and no longer wish to travel, we can provide an e-voucher to cover the full cost of the ticket, that can be used at any time in the next 12 months.

To apply for an e-voucher you'll need to let us know about your journey and provide a copy of your tickets; we'll do the rest.

If you didn’t buy your Advance tickets with GWR, you’ll need to get in touch with the original retailer.

You can find out an area’s lockdown status via the Government’s postcode checker.

Season tickets

Any refund you are entitled to is calculated from the date the ticket is returned to us. If you’d like a refund on a season ticket visit our season ticket refunds page.

From someone else

If you bought your tickets from another train company, or travel agent, you’ll need to get in touch with them directly.
Ticket machine price guarantee

In the unlikely event that you buy a ticket from one of our self-service machines, and then find a cheaper one for the identical journey, you could be entitled to a refund for the difference.

To get in touch, please use our online contact form.

For further information and advice on how refunds are calculated please see the National Rail website here.

Note: You must not seek to recover the same money twice. However, claiming compensation using our reclaims process does not affect any additional statutory rights you may have, for example under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 where we as a company are at fault.

For more information on the Consumer Rights Act and how it applies to the railway industry please see the FAQ produced by National Rail, which also contains a link to the National Rail Conditions of Travel: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/CRA_Customer_FAQs_2018.pdf

Ticket types

From Off-peak to Anytime, discover our range of ticket types.

Find out more

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