If you commute by train in the UK, you're almost certainly owed money you've never claimed. The Delay Repay scheme entitles passengers to compensation when their train is delayed — and most people don't know about it, forget to claim, or assume it's not worth the effort.
It is worth the effort. Here's everything you need to know.
What is Delay Repay?
Delay Repay is a compensation scheme operated by UK train companies. If your train arrives later than scheduled, you're entitled to a percentage of your ticket price back — regardless of the reason for the delay. Engineering works, signal failures, staff shortages, weather — it doesn't matter. If the train was late, you can claim.
This is different from the old National Rail Conditions of Travel, which only covered delays of 60 minutes or more. Delay Repay reduced that threshold significantly, and most operators now compensate from 15 minutes.
How much can you claim?
| Delay | Compensation |
|---|---|
| 15–29 minutes | 25% of ticket price |
| 30–59 minutes | 50% of ticket price |
| 60–119 minutes | 100% of ticket price |
| 120+ minutes | 100% of ticket price |
| Cancellation | 100% of ticket price |
For season ticket holders, the calculation is based on the proportional daily cost of your ticket. A monthly season ticket divided by the working days in that month gives your daily rate, and compensation is calculated from that.
Who can claim?
Anyone with a valid ticket for the delayed service. This includes single tickets, return tickets, season tickets (weekly, monthly, annual), advance tickets, and even railcard-discounted fares. The compensation is based on what you actually paid.
You don't need to have been on the train when the delay occurred. If you arrived at the station and the departure board showed your train was cancelled or significantly delayed, and you took a later service as a result, that counts too.
The 28-day deadline
This is the part most people miss
You have 28 days from the date of the delay to submit your claim. After that, train operators will reject it — no exceptions. If you commute five days a week and your train is delayed on a Monday, you need to have claimed by the Monday four weeks later.
This is why so many claims go unsubmitted. By the time you get home, you've forgotten. By the weekend, the details are fuzzy. By the time you remember, the deadline has passed.
How to claim
Every train operator handles claims differently, which is part of the problem. Some accept claims by email. Some require you to fill out an online form. Some make you create an account on their website first. A few have their own apps.
Here's what you'll typically need:
The date of travel, your departure and arrival stations, the scheduled departure time, what actually happened (delay length or cancellation), your ticket type and price, and proof of purchase (a photo of your ticket, or your booking confirmation email).
The operator-by-operator reality
Some operators make this straightforward. LNER, for example, accepts claims by email — you can send a single message with your details and they'll process it, typically within 5-10 working days.
Others make it painful. South Western Railway requires you to create a dedicated account on their delay repay portal, fill in a multi-step form, and upload ticket images in specific formats. CrossCountry has a similar portal-based approach.
We've published a detailed Operator League Table rating every UK train operator on how easy (or difficult) they make the claims process.
Season ticket claims
If you have a season ticket, every single delay is claimable — and they add up fast. A commuter experiencing two 15-minute delays per week on a £5,000 annual season ticket could be owed over £240 per year in compensation. That's money most people leave on the table because tracking individual delays on a season ticket feels impossible.
The daily value of your season ticket is calculated by dividing the total price by the number of valid travel days. For an annual ticket, operators typically use 464 (return journeys across working days). For a monthly ticket, it's the working days in that month times two.
What if your claim is rejected?
Operators do sometimes reject valid claims. Common reasons include "the delay was less than 15 minutes" (when it wasn't), "the claim was submitted outside the 28-day window" (when it wasn't), or simply no response at all.
If your claim is rejected and you believe it's valid, you can escalate. First, reply to the operator and reference the specific service, the published timetable, and the actual arrival time. If they still refuse, you can escalate to the Rail Ombudsman, an independent body that resolves disputes between passengers and train companies. The Rail Ombudsman's service is free.
Why most people don't claim
The Office of Rail and Road estimates that only around 35% of eligible passengers claim the compensation they're owed. That leaves hundreds of millions of pounds unclaimed every year across the UK rail network.
The reasons are consistent: people forget, they don't know about Delay Repay, they think the amount is too small to bother, or they find the process too tedious. For a single journey, claiming £3.10 for a 15-minute delay might not feel worth the ten minutes it takes to fill out a form. But for a daily commuter, those small claims compound into significant money over a year.
Stop leaving money on the table
DelayRepay monitors your commute automatically. When your train is delayed, you get an instant alert with the compensation amount and a direct link to claim. No more forgetting. No more missed deadlines.
Start monitoring your routeTips for claiming effectively
Keep your tickets. If you use paper tickets, photograph them immediately after purchase. If you book online, keep the confirmation emails. Operators can and do ask for proof of purchase, and without it your claim may be rejected.
Note the actual time your train departed or arrived, not just the scheduled time. If the departure board at the station showed "+15 min" for your service, make a mental note or take a quick photo. This is your evidence.
Claim promptly. The 28-day window is absolute, and it's easy to let it slip. If you can claim on the day of the delay, do it. The details are fresh and you won't forget.
Track your claims. When you submit a claim, note the date, the operator, and the amount. Most operators aim to process claims within 20 working days, but some take longer. If you haven't heard back after a month, chase it.
Know your operator's preferred method. Some process email claims faster than form submissions, and vice versa. Our operator guides break this down for each company.
The future of Delay Repay
There's growing pressure on the rail industry to make compensation automatic. Transport Focus, the independent watchdog, has repeatedly called for "one-click" or automatic delay repay, where passengers are compensated without needing to submit a claim at all. Some operators have trialled this for smart card and digital ticket users, but industry-wide automatic compensation remains a long way off.
Until that happens, the responsibility falls on you to know your rights, track your delays, and submit your claims. Or you can let technology handle it.