On this page
Guides for your situation
Delayed on the Tube, DLR, Overground or Elizabeth line, or forgot to tap out? See TfL refunds. Want Railhop to do it for you? See automatic Delay Repay. Used Delay Repay Sniper? Railhop is the modern way to claim: it finds your delays and fills in the form, and you stay in control of the claim. Read what happened to Delay Repay Sniper.
What is Delay Repay?
Delay Repay is the compensation scheme UK train companies run for late trains. It's based on how late you arrive at your destination, not how late the train left. Each train company runs its own scheme and claim form, and pays you directly. Most use Delay Repay 15, which pays from 15 minutes late; some use Delay Repay 30, which starts at 30 minutes.
You don't have to prove whose fault the delay was: the National Rail Conditions of Travel say all you need to explain is that there was a delay. A delay of 60 minutes or more is compensated whatever caused it.
Railhop checks your train against the scheme of the company that ran it, works out what you're owed and fills in that company's form for you.
How much you get
You get a share of the fare for the journey, based on how late you arrived. The bands depend on which scheme the company runs:
| Scheme | 15 to 29 min | 30 to 59 min | 60 to 119 min | 120 min or more |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delay Repay 15 18 train companies, including Great Northern, Southern and GWR | 25% (12.5%) | 50% (25%) | 100% (50%) | 100% (100%) |
| Delay Repay 30 6 train companies, including LNER, CrossCountry and ScotRail | Nothing | 50% (25%) | 100% (50%) | 100% (100%) |
| TfL Service Delay Refund Elizabeth line, London Overground | Nothing | The single fare for the journey | ||
Season Tickets are covered too, valued per journey: on most train companies one journey is worth 1/10 of the price of a weekly Season Ticket, 1/40 of a monthly and 1/464 of an annual one (more in Delay Repay with a Season Ticket). Railcard fares are covered on the discounted price you paid. Not sure your train was late enough? The Delay Repay checker tells you, for each train company with a Delay Repay scheme.
Railhop works this out for you: check your train and it shows how late it was, which band that is and what you're owed.
Return tickets
Each delayed leg of a return is its own claim. On Delay Repay 15 a delayed leg pays 12.5%, 25% or 50% of the whole return fare, and 2 hours or more pays the full return fare. LNER, Lumo and Hull Trains word it as a share of the half you were delayed on, which comes to the same; GWR asks for separate claims for the outward and return legs. Railhop checks each leg for you.
How to claim
- Check your train on Railhop. Tell Railhop where you travelled and roughly when. It finds the train, how late it really was from National Rail's data, and what you're owed.
- Railhop fills in the train company's claim form. In the Railhop iPhone app, or with Railhop's browser extension on a computer, Railhop opens the claim form of the company that ran your train and fills it in for you, with your journey, your ticket and your details.
- Check it and press submit. You check the claim and press submit on the train company's own form, within 28 days of travelling. The train company pays you directly. Railhop never submits a claim for you.
You claim from the company whose train delayed you, even if you bought the ticket from a retailer: Railhop picks the right one. Your proof of travel is your ticket, e-ticket or booking confirmation or, for pay as you go, your TfL journey history.
If your train is retimed, or the timetable changes
Delay Repay is measured against the timetable in place on the day you travel (National Rail Conditions of Travel, condition 32.1). So when a change was made matters:
- Changed in advance (planned engineering works, a temporary timetable; train companies treat the timetable as settled at 22:00 the evening before): your delay counts from the new times. If you decide not to travel because of it, you can usually get a refund with no admin fee from whoever sold you the ticket.
- Changed on the day (retimed or cancelled after 22:00 the evening before): that's disruption. Your delay counts from the time you planned for.
- Replacement buses: when a replacement timetable is in place, compensation is based on that timetable. More in rail replacement buses and Delay Repay.
- Strike days: delays are measured against the strike timetable in place on the day. More in Delay Repay on strike days.
Railhop keeps each train's times as they stood at 22:00 the evening before. A train retimed after that is marked "Retimed" and its delay measured from the planned time.
What each company pays
Every train company we checked uses the same 28-day time limit; the starting point differs. The Elizabeth line, London Overground, Heathrow Express, Merseyrail and Grand Central have their own schemes.
| Train company | Scheme | Pays from | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avanti West Coast | Delay Repay 15 | 15 min | Avanti West Coast Delay Repay |
| c2c | Delay Repay 15 | 15 min | c2c Delay Repay |
| Caledonian Sleeper | Delay Repay 30 | 30 min | Caledonian Sleeper Delay Repay |
| Chiltern Railways | Delay Repay 15 | 15 min | Chiltern Railways Delay Repay |
| CrossCountry | Delay Repay 30 | 30 min | CrossCountry Delay Repay |
| East Midlands Railway | Delay Repay 15 | 15 min | East Midlands Railway Delay Repay |
| Gatwick Express | Delay Repay 15 | 15 min | Gatwick Express Delay Repay |
| Great Northern | Delay Repay 15 | 15 min | Great Northern Delay Repay |
| Greater Anglia | Delay Repay 15 | 15 min | Greater Anglia Delay Repay |
| GWR | Delay Repay 15 | 15 min | GWR Delay Repay |
| Hull Trains | Delay Repay 30 | 30 min | Hull Trains Delay Repay |
| LNER | Delay Repay 30 | 30 min | LNER Delay Repay |
| London Northwestern Railway | Delay Repay 15 | 15 min | London Northwestern Railway Delay Repay |
| Lumo | Delay Repay 30 | 30 min | Lumo Delay Repay |
| Northern | Delay Repay 15 | 15 min | Northern Delay Repay |
| ScotRail | Delay Repay 30 | 30 min | ScotRail Delay Repay |
| South Western Railway | Delay Repay 15 | 15 min | South Western Railway Delay Repay |
| Southeastern | Delay Repay 15 | 15 min | Southeastern Delay Repay |
| Southern | Delay Repay 15 | 15 min | Southern Delay Repay |
| Stansted Express | Delay Repay 15 | 15 min | Stansted Express Delay Repay |
| Thameslink | Delay Repay 15 | 15 min | Thameslink Delay Repay |
| TransPennine Express | Delay Repay 15 | 15 min | TransPennine Express Delay Repay |
| Transport for Wales | Delay Repay 15 | 15 min | Transport for Wales Delay Repay |
| West Midlands Railway | Delay Repay 15 | 15 min | West Midlands Railway Delay Repay |
Whichever company ran your train, Railhop checks it against that company's rules and fills in its form for you.
Questions
My train was retimed. Can I claim Delay Repay?
It depends on when it changed. Delay Repay is measured against the timetable in place on the day you travel. If the train company changed the time in advance (usually by 22:00 the evening before), your delay counts from the new time. If it was retimed on the day, your delay counts from the time you planned for, so you can claim if that makes you late enough at your destination.
Can I claim if my train was cancelled in advance?
Usually not under Delay Repay: a train taken out of the timetable before the day (for example for planned engineering works) isn't counted as a cancellation, and delays are measured against the revised timetable. If you chose not to travel because of the change, you can usually get a refund with no admin fee from whoever sold you the ticket. A train cancelled on the day is different: you can claim based on when you reached your destination on a later train.
What is Delay Repay?
Delay Repay is the compensation scheme run by UK train companies. If your train gets you to your destination late by at least the qualifying time, you can claim back part or all of the ticket price. Each train company runs its own scheme with its own claim form. Railhop checks your train against the right company's scheme and fills in its form for you.
How late does my train have to be to claim Delay Repay?
On most train companies it's 15 minutes at your destination (Delay Repay 15). Caledonian Sleeper, CrossCountry, Hull Trains, LNER, Lumo and ScotRail start at 30 minutes (Delay Repay 30). Each train company's guide has its own threshold. Railhop checks how late your train really was.
How much Delay Repay will I get?
It depends on how late you arrived, your ticket and the train company. On Delay Repay 15: On a single ticket you get 25% of the fare for 15–29 minutes, 50% for 30–59 minutes, 100% for 60–119 minutes and 100% for 2 hours or more. On a return ticket: 12.5%, 25%, 50% and 100% of the return fare. Railhop works out the amount for your train.
How long do I have to claim Delay Repay?
28 days from the date you travelled. Every train company we checked uses the same 28-day limit, so claim soon after the journey. Railhop shows the claim-by date for every delay it finds, and the app reminds you 3 days before it runs out.
Can I claim Delay Repay if my train was cancelled?
Yes, if you were at the station ready to travel. The claim is based on how late you reached your destination on the next train you could take, compared with when the cancelled train was due.
Can I claim Delay Repay with contactless or Oyster pay as you go?
Yes, on train companies that run in the TfL fares area. There's no ticket, so you send your TfL journey history showing where you touched in and out and the cost. Railhop can read your TfL statement in your browser and find the delays you can claim for.
What do I need to claim Delay Repay?
The date and time of your journey, the stations you travelled between, your ticket type, proof of travel (such as the ticket number, a photo of the ticket, an e-ticket or a pay as you go journey history) and how you'd like to be paid. Railhop fills these into the form for you, and attaches your ticket where the form takes one.
Are delays caused by engineering works covered?
Usually not if the work was planned: delays are measured against the timetable in place on the day, so a revised timetable published in advance is the one that counts. Unplanned disruption is covered whatever the cause.
Can I claim Delay Repay for someone else?
GTR (Great Northern, Thameslink, Southern and Gatwick Express) says the person who was delayed should make the claim, except in mitigating circumstances such as travelling with children. Its online form takes up to three claims at once, so you can add the people you travelled with.
Does Railhop submit my Delay Repay claim?
No. Railhop checks how late your train was and prepares a claim pack with what the train company's form asks for. In the Railhop iPhone app it can open the form and fill it in for you. Either way you check the claim and press submit yourself. Railhop never submits it for you.
Can I claim Delay Repay on both halves of a return ticket?
Yes, each delayed leg is its own claim. On Delay Repay 15, a delayed leg pays 12.5%, 25% or 50% of the whole return fare, and a delay of 2 hours or more pays 100% of it. Some companies, such as GWR, ask for separate claims for the outward and return legs.
Sources
- National Rail Conditions of Travel
- Office of Rail and Road: complaints handling and delay compensation
- TfL: your contactless and Oyster journey history
- Department for Transport: Rail passenger compensation paid by train operating companies
- Department for Transport and Transport Focus: Rail delays and compensation 2025
- Office of Rail and Road: Rail delay compensation claims, April 2025 to March 2026
- Each train company's Delay Repay page, checked 6 October 2026: linked from its guide above.
Terms change. If something here doesn't match the train company's own page, the company's page is right. Tell us and we'll fix it. Railhop fills in the train company's own claim form, and you check it and submit it yourself. Railhop is not affiliated with any train company, TfL or National Rail. This guide is general information, not legal advice.