Advance: Advance Purchase tickets are non-refundable because at the point of purchase customers are entering an agreement whereby they limit their flexibility to travel on multiple services in exchange for a lower ticket price.

If the service operates as scheduled, the decision to abandon the journey lies with the customer and therefore a refund is not applicable.

However, Advance tickets are amendable: please see the 'Amending my ticket' section for more information.
 

However, an exception is made when the service the customer is due to travel on is either cancelled, delayed or disrupted and the customer decides not to travel, rendering the tickets unused in which case the tickets are eligible for a full refund without an admin charge deduced.

In these cases, a full refund can be claimed from the point of purchase, with no administration fee.
 

Off-Peak Return / Anytime Tickets / Day Travelcards / Rover tickets / Ranger tickets

Refunds Change | National Rail

For tickets purchased until 31 March 2026:

Your ticket is refundable. If you decide not to use your ticket to make all or part of your intended journey then you can get a refund by returning your unused ticket to the ticket office or place of purchase (for tickets bought via websites, telesales or travel agents) within 28 days of the ticket expiry date.

You may be required to pay an administration fee (up to a maximum of £5 per ticket). The refund amount will normally take into account any use you have made of the ticket and in some circumstances no refund will be paid.

For tickets purchased from 1 April 2026:

Refundable until 23:59 the day before the ticket becomes valid for travel.

Not refundable once the ticket has become valid for travel unless Condition 30 of the National Rail Conditions of Travel (failure of train service) applies.

In exceptional circumstances a refund may be considered on unused or part-used tickets that have become valid for travel. In such cases an application must be made to the retailer within 28 days of the expiry date of the ticket and should include the reason for non-use. Additional evidence may be requested, refunds will be on a discretionary basis, and any use made of the ticket may mean that in some circumstances no refund will be due.

Refunds are only available from the retailer that sold the tickets.

An administration fee (up to a maximum of £5 per ticket) may be applied.