Delay Repay is the national scheme that train companies use to compensate you for unexpected delays or cancellations.
If you're travelling on one of our services and have been delayed by 30 minutes or longer, you are entitled to claim compensation under our Delay Repay scheme (except when delays are caused by planned engineering works). You can also claim if you've missed your connection to other National Rail services because of a delay or cancellation on your SWR train.
Details are outlined in our Passenger's Charter, available to view online or you can pick up a copy from one of our staffed stations.
If your train is delayed or cancelled and this results in you not travelling, you can claim a full refund. Our ticket office will give you a refund immediately, if it can.
Should you find yourself unable to travel for any other reason or just decide not to travel, you may be entitled to a refund. The amount refunded will take into account any use you’ve had from your ticket, and we may charge an administration fee of £10 per refund request. You must request your refund no later than 28 days after the ticket expiry date, you must return the unused ticket or send us a scan or photo of it online, and in some cases a refund may not be given.
Delay Repay was launched for South Western Railways on the 4th September 2017 and is only applicable where your journey was made on or after this date. For all claims relating to unexpected delays or cancellations on or before 3rd September 2017, please follow the claim method for the previous charter scheme, which is based on your ticket type and is described below.
Season tickets
To claim a refund on a Season ticket you’ll need to return it to the same place you bought it. If it’s a monthly Season ticket, there must be at least 7 days remaining on it. If it’s a weekly Season ticket, there must be at least 3 days remaining on it – but it might not have any refund value left. See how we calculate the refund value below.
Refunds are calculated from the date you return the Season ticket. If you’ve been ill, we can backdate the refund if you provide written evidence and have not started using the Season ticket again. We won’t give you a refund or extend your Season ticket just because you don’t use it for a period of time, for example because you’ve been on holiday.
To calculate the refund value we’ll work out the total cost of the tickets you’d have needed to buy to make one return journey a day up to the date you returned your Season ticket. The refund will be the difference, if any, between this total cost and the price you paid for the Season ticket, less a reasonable administration fee (no more than £10).
This means the refund won’t be just a fixed proportion of what you paid, and in some cases there may be no refund value – because of the discount on weekly Season tickets, for example, they have no refund value after 4 days use. For the same reason, annual Season tickets have no refund value after 10 months and 12 days, although they’re still valid for travel until the expiry date and you can continue to enjoy any Gold Card benefits along with it.
Replacement Season tickets
Conditions apply if you want a refund for a duplicate Season ticket we issued to replace one that was lost or stolen. You’ll need to contact us, and we’ll normally only give a refund for a replacement Season ticket where any of the following applies:
- The original Season ticket is returned within 1 month of the date you told us it was lost
- The original and replacement tickets were Electronic Tickets and it was possible to cancel the original ticket
- You were made redundant, resigned, retired, changed your job or address, became pregnant or suffered prolonged illness, and you provide satisfactory evidence of this
We’ll consider a refund on a replacement Season ticket in other circumstances, but we may ask you to attend a meeting with us to confirm the reason for your refund. All train companies have agreed a Code of Practice for such meetings, which you can find on the National Rail website.
If we agree to a refund, we’ll calculate the amount in the same way as for ordinary Season tickets.
Tickets you bought while waiting for a replacement Season ticket
If you’ve applied for a replacement Season ticket and had to buy tickets to travel while waiting for it to arrive, we’ll give you a full refund on the extra tickets you’ve bought. This applies only to tickets for the same journey as on your Season ticket.
Forgotten your Season ticket?
If you forget your Season ticket and have to buy another ticket to travel, we’ll refund the cost of the extra ticket. When you request the refund, you must show your Season ticket and photocard, and both must be valid. Our ticket office will give you a refund immediately, if it can. We’ll give no more than 2 refunds in any 12 month period:
- First occasion: we’ll give you a full refund
- Second occasion: we’ll give you a full refund, less a £10 administration charge
- Third or later occasion: no refund will be given
Forgotten your Railcard?
If you forget your Railcard and have to pay full fare or buy another ticket, we’ll refund the extra cost if you meet the conditions listed below. If you received a Penalty Fare or Unpaid Fare Notice for failing to show your Railcard, you can ask us to cancel it. We’ll give no more than 1 refund in any 12 month period.
- You must claim a refund within 28 days of the expiry date on your ticket
- You’ll need to upload a photo or scan of your Railcard and photocard, plus another form of ID that shows your full name
- Your railcard must be valid for the day and time of travel
- You’ll need to send us the original tickets, not photocopies
- You’ll need to send us any Penalty Fare or Unpaid Fare Notice
Compensation
If your journey with us is delayed, you may be able to claim compensation in accordance with our Passenger's Charter and the National Rail Conditions of Travel. This does not in any way limit or exclude your legal rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
To claim compensation online, please complete this form.
To find out more, please select one of the options below.
Compensation for delays – Anytime, Off-peak, Advance & Weekly tickets
Compensation for delays – Monthly or longer, including Annual Season tickets
Refunds, including refunds for unused tickets
