Unused Ticket Refunds

How to apply

Refunds work differently depending on the type of ticket and where you bought it.

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.

If you travelled but were delayed, visit our compensation page.

If you didn’t buy your ticket from GWR you will have to contact the original retailer to arrange your refund.

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

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COVID-19: Changes to refunding your ticket

Anytime, Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak tickets

If you purchased an Anytime, Off-Peak or Super Off-Peak ticket before 5 January 2021, you can apply for a refund on this ticket. A £10 refund admin fee will apply.

Alternatively, you can change your ticket free of charge for travel on a different date or time.

Advance tickets

If you bought an Advance ticket before 5 January 2021, you can change your ticket for travel on a different date or time. We have temporarily waived the usual £10 admin fee.

Alternatively, if you are unable to reschedule 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 have a paper ticket, we strongly encourage you to submit a refund claim before the date of your journey. This means we can accept a photo of your ticket cut in half to support your claim. If you apply for a refund after the date of your journey, we may ask for your tickets to be posted to us to validate that they have not been used.

Normal refund conditions apply if you bought your ticket on or after 5 January 2021.

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. If you choose not to travel you can apply for a refund up to 28 days after the ticket’s expiry.

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.

Season tickets

Any refund you are entitled to is calculated from the date the ticket is returned to us.

If you bought your season ticket from another train company, or travel agent, you’ll need to get in touch with them directly. A list of other train companies, and how to get in touch with them can be found on the National Rail website here.

You can find more information about season ticket refunds, and how to apply on our season ticket refunds page.

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