Delay Repay: How to Claim Money Back When Your Train Is 15 Minutes Late
You’ve been there. The board flips to “Delayed”, you finally crawl into your station 20 minutes late, you mutter something under your breath and carry on with your day.
Here’s the thing: you were probably owed money for that. Delay Repay is a national scheme that pays compensation when your train is late, and loads of people never claim. This is one of the easiest life hacks there is, because the money’s already yours. You just have to ask for it.
What is Delay Repay?
National Rail describes Delay Repay as “a nationwide scheme that makes it easier for you to get compensation for delayed train journeys”. If you’re delayed for any reason when you travel on a participating National Rail service, you can claim (>National Rail: Compensation and refunds).
Two words in there matter a lot: for any reason. It doesn’t matter whether the delay was the train company’s fault, a signal failure, the weather or something else. If you were late on a participating service, you can claim.
When can you claim?
For many train companies the trigger is 15 minutes, but it isn’t universal: National Rail says each company sets its own compensation threshold in its Passenger’s Charter, so check yours (>National Rail). South Western Railway, Avanti West Coast and London Northwestern Railway all say you can claim if you’re delayed by 15 minutes or more (>SWR, >Avanti West Coast, >LNR).
Crucially, it’s about when you arrive, not when you leave. Avanti spells it out: the delay is based on the time your train arrives at your destination compared with when it was scheduled to, “not the delay when you first set off” (>Avanti West Coast). So a train that leaves 10 minutes late but loses more time on the way and gets you in 16 minutes late counts.
Delays are measured against the normal timetable or an amended one published in advance, for example during planned weekend engineering works (>National Rail). If the timetable was changed in advance, you can’t claim against the old times.
How much will you get?
Told straight: it varies. National Rail says compensation depends on which company you travelled with, the type of ticket and how long the delay was. Each company sets out its own thresholds in its Passenger’s Charter, and a delay of over an hour will generally pay more than one of 15 to 30 minutes (>National Rail).
Avanti says that depending on the length of the delay, you may get the equivalent of all or part of your ticket cost (>Avanti West Coast). Season ticket holders can claim too (>LNR). Check your train company’s page for the exact amounts.
The 28-day rule
This is where most people lose out. The companies we checked all say you must claim within 28 days of the delayed journey (>SWR, >GWR, >Avanti West Coast). Other operators’ deadlines may differ, so check, but leave it a couple of months and the money’s almost certainly gone.
The hack: claim the same day, on your phone, before you’ve even left the station. It takes a few minutes.
Who do you claim from?
Claim from the train company whose service delayed you, not necessarily the one you bought the ticket from. If your journey involved more than one company, LNR says to claim from the company that caused your first delay or made you miss your connection (>LNR).
National Rail’s compensation page sends you to your train company’s website to start the claim (>National Rail).
What you’ll need
Have these ready and the claim takes minutes:
- Proof of your ticket. A photo or screenshot of your paper ticket or eTicket, or your smartcard number. For split tickets, a photo of each ticket (>LNR).
- Paid by contactless? Some companies accept contactless pay-as-you-go journeys too (>LNR); check your company’s page for what proof it wants.
- Journey details. Where you travelled from and to, and the scheduled time of the train.
- How you want paying. GWR, for example, offers bank transfer, debit or credit card, cheque, vouchers or a donation to charity (>GWR).
Watch out: some companies are strict about proof. LNR says it won’t accept receipts or booking confirmation emails unless the actual ticket number is visible (>LNR). Keep your tickets, or screenshot your eTicket before the app hides it.
Online or by post?
Claim online if you can. It’s faster, and some companies only pay cash by bank or card for online claims. GWR and SWR both say paper or postal claims can only be paid by cheque or vouchers (or a charity donation, in GWR’s case) (>GWR, >SWR).
Register once and the company will remember your details, so next time is even quicker. SWR says it processes claims within 20 days and bank transfers should arrive within 5 working days of approval (>SWR).
Three habits that pay
- Screenshot the board or the app when you’re delayed. It helps you remember the details for the claim.
- Set a phone reminder for “Delay Repay” whenever you get in late, so you claim within the 28 days.
- Check for automatic alerts. Some companies will flag delays for you. GWR, for example, says that if it finds a delay of 15 minutes or more on your booked journey, it will tell you that you may be owed Delay Repay (>GWR).
One honest warning
Only claim for journeys you actually made. SWR warns that knowingly claiming for a journey you didn’t take or didn’t intend to take is fraud, and you may be prosecuted (>SWR). The scheme is generous enough as it is.
The bottom line
If your train got you to your destination 15 minutes or more late, you’re very likely owed something with most companies. Claim from the company that delayed you, within 28 days, online, with a photo of your ticket. That’s it. It might only be a few quid each time, but if you commute, it adds up, and it’s your money.
