How to get a refund on your train season ticket or Oyster card

As the coronavirus pandemic sweeps its way through the UK, travelling by train is out of the question for the vast majority of people. 

But if you regularly commute to work and are not considered one of the government’s key workers, it’s highly likely that you’ll have paid for a service that you are no longer using.

You might think that you’ll have to say goodbye to all that wasted money, but that’s not the case. Whether you use National Rail services or Transport for London to get to and from work, here’s how to claim back money on your train tickets. 

How to apply for refund on your rail season ticket

With train services throughout the UK operated by various companies, there’s no one-size-fits-all website to apply for a refund. 

Instead you’ll need to go direct the company that operates the service you’d normally use. Some have dedicated forms to fill out, while others will just direct you to the customer service department, so we’ve included the most relevant link below:

• Avanti West Coast
• C2C
• Caledonian Sleeper
• Chiltern Railways
• Crosscountry
• East Midlands Railway
• Gatwick Express
• Grand Central Railway
• Great Northern
• Great Western Railway
• Greater Anglia
• Heathrow Express
• Hull Trains
• LNER
• London Northwestern Railway
• Merseyrail
• Northern
• Scotrail
• South Western Railway (including Island Line)
• Southeastern
• Southern
• Stansted Express
• Thameslink
• Transpennine Express
• Transport for Wales
• West Midlands Railway

The vast majority of companies are also waiving the standard £10 cancellation on one-off journeys too, so you should be able to get as much money back as possible. However, do note that many are warning it may take longer to deal with enquiries, due to the phenomenal volume of demand for refunds at the moment. 

How to apply for a refund on your Oyster travelcard

If you’re one of the estimated three million people who commute into London for work, you’ll probably have bought an Oyster travel card. These are available in one week, one month, six month or one year variants, so you could be saving a lot of money by claiming back. 

To do so, just head to the dedicated refund section of the TfL website for all the information. Due to the level of demand, you’ll need to call 0343 222 1234 and provide your Oyster card number, alongside your bank sort code and account number. Don’t worry, money can only be deposited in your account with these details.  

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is offering a similar service with its transport network. Just head to the official site to apply.