Delayed train? That can be money back — even on contactless.
Delay Repay is one of Britain's most under-claimed entitlements — and if you tap in with contactless or Oyster, no automatic scheme is going to claim it for you.
Thresholds & claim links verified August 2026
Arrive late enough and the train operator owes you a percentage of your fare, whatever ticket you used. CommuteWatch records which train you were on and tells you when a trip qualifies. Or do it yourself: find your operator below, then claim on their site within 28 days.
What each operator pays
Percentage of your single fare, by how many minutes late you arrived.
These percentages are of the single fare for the delayed journey. With a return ticket you are generally paid on the affected half. Season tickets are worked out per journey and the calculation differs by operator — check yours.
| Operator | 15–29min | 30–59min | 1–2hr | 2+hr | Claim |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avanti West Coast | 25% | 50% | 100% | 100% | Delay Repay |
| c2c | 25% | 50% | 100% | 100% | Delay Repay |
| Chiltern Railways | 25% | 50% | 100% | 100% | Delay Repay |
| CrossCountry | — | 50% | 100% | 100% | Delay Repay |
| East Midlands Railway | 25% | 50% | 100% | 100% | Delay Repay |
| Elizabeth line | — | 100% | 100% | 100% | TfL refund |
| Gatwick Express | 25% | 50% | 100% | 100% | Delay Repay |
| Grand Central | — | — | 50% | 75% | Delay Repay |
| Great Northern | 25% | 50% | 100% | 100% | Delay Repay |
| Great Western Railway | 25% | 50% | 100% | 100% | Delay Repay |
| Greater Anglia | 25% | 50% | 100% | 100% | Delay Repay |
| Hull Trains | — | 50% | 100% | 100% | Delay Repay |
| LNER | — | 50% | 100% | 100% | Delay Repay |
| London Northwestern Railway | 25% | 50% | 100% | 100% | Delay Repay |
| London Overground | — | 100% | 100% | 100% | TfL refund |
| Lumo (incl. London–Stirling) | — | 50% | 100% | 100% | Delay Repay |
| Merseyrail | — | 100% | 100% | 100% | Delay Repay |
| Northern | 25% | 50% | 100% | 100% | Delay Repay |
| ScotRail | — | 50% | 100% | 100% | Delay Repay |
| South Western Railway | 25% | 50% | 100% | 100% | Delay Repay |
| Southeastern | 25% | 50% | 100% | 100% | Delay Repay |
| Southern | 25% | 50% | 100% | 100% | Delay Repay |
| Thameslink | 25% | 50% | 100% | 100% | Delay Repay |
| TransPennine Express | 25% | 50% | 100% | 100% | Delay Repay |
| Transport for Wales | 25% | 50% | 100% | 100% | Delay Repay |
The Elizabeth line and London Overground run TfL's own refund scheme rather than national Delay Repay. Not every operator is listed: a few are missing because we couldn't confirm a threshold from their own published terms, and we'd rather list nothing than print a figure we can't stand behind.
How to claim
- Work out which operator ran your train. You claim from the operator that delayed you — not from whoever sold you the ticket.
- Check the delay at your destination reached their threshold above. It is arrival delay that counts, not departure.
- Get your evidence — ticket, e-ticket or booking confirmation. Paid by contactless or Oyster? See below.
- Claim on their site within 28 days. Most operators pay to your bank within a few working days of approving it.
Evidence when you paid by contactless or Oyster
Automatic compensation is tied to tickets the operator sold you. Tap in with a bank card and your journey never touches their ticketing system, so there is nothing for their automation to find. Your entitlement is unchanged — it just means nobody claims it for you.
A bank statement won't do: TfL charges once a day as a single total, with no stations on it. Use your TfL journey history instead.
- Sign in at tfl.gov.uk and add your card.
- Open Contactless & Oyster → journey history: every touch-in and touch-out with station and time, going back 12 months.
- Download or screenshot the day of the delay.
Register the card before you need it — history only attaches to registered cards, and Apple Pay counts as a different card from the plastic one.
When you might not get paid
Delay Repay normally pays out whatever caused the delay, but there are limits. Lateness is measured against the timetable that applied on the day, so planned engineering work or an emergency timetable published in advance is generally not a delay at all. Some operators also exclude causes outside the rail industry's control. Policies differ — each operator's claim page above sets out its own terms.
The annoying part, automated
The hard part isn't the form — it's knowing, three days later, which train you were on and how late it actually arrived. CommuteWatch is a free iPhone app that puts live departure boards on your home screen. Tap the train you're on to save the trip; it checks how that train actually ran, and when the delay crosses your operator's threshold it shows you the record and links straight to the right claim form.
Download on the App StoreCommuteWatch is an independent app and website, not affiliated with National Rail Enquiries, Network Rail, Transport for London or any train operating company. This guide is general information, not legal advice; each operator's own terms govern their scheme.