Refund changes from 1 April 2026

What’s changing? 

If you’re buying a ticket from 1 April 2026 onwards, most flexible tickets (like Anytime, Off-Peak, Super Off-Peak, and Day Travelcards) will now only be refundable up to 23:59 the day before travel.

From the day your ticket becomes valid for travel, you’ll no longer be able to get a refund just because you didn’t use it – you’ll only be able to get a refund if there’s disruption or exceptional circumstances. ‘Valid for travel’ means the date shown on your ticket (the day it starts being usable).

Which tickets does this affect?

This change will affect all flexible/refundable ‘walk-up’ tickets, including:

• Anytime Day Single / Return, Anytime Single / Return, Anytime Short Distance Return, Anytime Open Return
• Off-Peak Day Single / Return, Off-Peak Single / Return
• Super Off-Peak Day Single / Return, Super Off-Peak Single / Return
• Evening Out Single / Return, Evening Day Single / Return, Sunday Out Single / Return
• Anytime Day Travelcard, Off-Peak Day Travelcard, Super Off-Peak Day Travelcard, Evening Out Travelcard, Sunday Out Travelcard
• Kids for a Quid Single / Return, Accompanied Child Single / Return

It doesn’t change the refund rules for tickets that are already non-refundable, including:

• Advance Single
• 70min Flex Single
• Semi-Flex Return

Does this affect tickets bought before 1 April 2026?

No – the new rules will apply based on the day you buy your ticket, not the day you travel.

• If you buy a walk-up (flexible) ticket until 23:59 on 31 March 2026, the current refund rules will apply, allowing you to request a refund until 28 days after your date of travel. This will be the case even if you are travelling after 1 April 2026, or if you’re travelling before 31 March but request a refund after 1 April.
• If you buy a walk-up (flexible) ticket from 00:00 on 1 April 2026, the new rules will apply. Your ticket will only be refundable until 23:59 on the day before travel.

Can I still get a refund on the day of travel if I decide not to go?

If you buy a walk-up (flexible) ticket on or after 1 April 2026, this will be non-refundable from 00:00 on the day of travel – so if your plans change, unfortunately we won’t be able to give you a refund.

As with Advance tickets, there will be a few circumstances where a refund will still be available:

• Your train has been cancelled or delayed and you decide not to travel 
• The train operator has advised you not to travel because of service disruption
• You have abandoned your journey part-way through and returned to your origin because of disruption

Please note: if you did travel and arrived late at your destination, you can’t claim a refund but you may be eligible for Delay Repay. Please see our Disruptions and cancellations FAQ page for more details.

What if there are exceptional circumstances?

If exceptional circumstances arise that genuinely stop you travelling on the day (e.g. a medical emergency), we will consider granting a refund on a case-by-case basis. We may ask for evidence of what happened (e.g. a doctor’s letter). You’ll need to contact our Customer Service team to request a refund, within 28 days of the day you were due to travel.

Refunds won’t be available for walk-up (flexible) tickets if your plans simply changed on or after the day your ticket is valid.

Will I still be able to get a refund online?

Tickets bought up to (and including) 31 March 2026:

You’ll still be able to get a refund online until 28 days after the day of travel – even if you’re travelling after 1 April, or if you’re travelling before 31 March but requesting the refund after 1 April. We won’t charge you an admin fee!

Tickets bought from 1 April 2026:

You’ll be able to get a refund online until 23:59 before the day of travel. You’ll be able to do this via the Ticketyboo app or online when you’re logged into your Ticketyboo account. We won’t charge you an admin fee!

You’ll no longer be able to request a refund online, if it’s on or after the day of travel. If you want to request a refund due to disruption or exceptional circumstances, you’ll need to get in touch with our Customer Services team.

Will other retailers still offer refunds on the day?

As this is an industry-wide change, all National Rail retailers will apply the same refund rules for tickets bought on or after 1 April 2026 – they won’t be able to offer you a refund for walk-up (flexible) tickets, once it’s on or after the day of travel.

Where can I find out more information?

You can find out more information about the changes on the National Rail Enquiries website here.