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How much Great Northern pays
Great Northern uses Delay Repay 15: from 15 minutes late at your destination, it pays back 25% to 100% of the fare for the journey.
| Late by | Single | Return |
|---|---|---|
| 15 to 29 min | 25% | 12.5% |
| 30 to 59 min | 50% | 25% |
| 60 to 119 min | 100% | 50% |
| 2 hours or more | 100% | 100% |
More in Delay Repay with a Season Ticket. On a Railcard or Advance ticket, the bands apply to the price you paid: see Delay Repay with a Railcard and Delay Repay on an Advance ticket.
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.
How to claim Great Northern Delay Repay
- Check your train on Railhop. Tell Railhop where you travelled and roughly when. It finds your Great Northern train, how late it really was from National Rail's data, and what you're owed: Great Northern pays from 15 minutes late.
- Railhop fills in Great Northern's claim form. In the Railhop iPhone app, or with Railhop's browser extension on a computer, Railhop opens Great Northern's own claim form and fills it in for you, with your journey, your ticket and your details. Great Northern's form needs an account: you sign in yourself, and Railhop never keeps your login.
- Check it and press submit. You check the claim and press submit on Great Northern's own form, within 28 days of travelling. You choose how to be paid: bank transfer (BACS), PayPal, an e-Voucher (with an online account), National Rail vouchers, or a donation to charity. Great Northern pays you directly. Railhop never submits a claim for you.
Great Northern has automatic Delay Repay for some tickets: see below. For everything else, Railhop fills in the form.
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.
Cancelled Great Northern trains
If a Great Northern train is cancelled on the day and you take the next train you can, the delay is measured at your destination against when the cancelled train was due.
If you decide not to travel, ask whoever sold you the ticket for a full refund, with no admin fee. You can have a refund or Delay Repay, not both. More in Delay Repay for a cancelled train.
Strike days and replacement buses have their own rules: see Delay Repay on strike days and Delay Repay on a rail replacement bus.
Check the cancelled train on Railhop: it shows the cancellation, works out what you can claim and fills in Great Northern's form for you.
Contactless and Oyster on Great Northern
Contactless and Oyster pay as you go are covered: attach a print-out of your TfL journey history showing the date, where you touched in and out and the cost.
More in Delay Repay with contactless and Oyster. Add your TfL statement and Railhop checks every journey on it, finds the delays you can claim for and fills in Great Northern's form for each.
Great Northern Delay Repay form and login
You claim on Great Northern's own Delay Repay form, which runs on the OTRL claim system. Railhop opens it and fills it in for you in the Railhop iPhone app, or with Railhop's browser extension on a computer: your details, the journey, the delay and your ticket. Great Northern's form needs an account: you sign in yourself, and Railhop never keeps your login. You check the claim and press submit yourself.
Proof of travel
Great Northern accepts these, depending on your ticket:
- The ticket number or Unique Ticket Number (UTN).
- A photo of your paper ticket, or an image of your e-ticket barcode.
- A booking confirmation or receipt showing the date, ticket type and price.
- Your Key Smartcard number.
- For pay as you go (Oyster or contactless): a journey history print-out showing where you touched in and out and the cost.
- For season tickets: the season ticket and photocard.
Add your ticket in Railhop once: snap it in the app, or add it on the website, and Railhop attaches it to your claim where the form takes a file.
Automatic Delay Repay on Great Northern
If you have a Key Smartcard and tap in and out, Auto Delay Repay can start the claim for you: Great Northern emails you within 48 hours of the delayed journey and you confirm it within 28 days.
For tickets the automatic scheme doesn't cover, check your train on Railhop and it fills in Great Northern's form for you.
How Great Northern pays, and how long it takes
You choose when you claim: bank transfer (BACS), PayPal, an e-Voucher (with an online account), National Rail vouchers, or a donation to charity. The National Rail Conditions of Travel say a claim should be paid within 14 days of being agreed. More in how long Delay Repay takes. Great Northern pays you directly, and Railhop keeps the claim reference for each claim you make, so it's easy to follow up.
Split tickets
You can use two or more tickets for one journey (the National Rail Conditions of Travel, condition 14.2), and the delay is still measured at your destination. More in Delay Repay on split tickets. Railhop checks the whole journey and measures the delay at your destination.
If Great Northern rejects your claim
Ask Great Northern to look at it again, with your evidence: the train, the times and your ticket. If you're still unhappy after Great Northern has replied, you can take it to the Rail Ombudsman. More in what to do if a Delay Repay claim is rejected. Railhop's claims use the train's real times from National Rail's data, so they match what the train company sees.
About Great Northern
Great Northern runs trains from London King's Cross and Moorgate to Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire, including Welwyn Garden City, Hertford North, Stevenage, Cambridge, Peterborough and King's Lynn. Great Northern is also called Great Northern Rail, or GN for short.
Great Northern is one of the four Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) brands, run by Thameslink Southern Great Northern Limited and in public ownership since 31 May 2026.
Good to know on Great Northern
- Great Northern says claims must be made by the person who experienced the delay, except in mitigating circumstances such as travelling with children. The online form takes up to three claims in one go, so you can add a companion's ticket.
- If Great Northern caused the delay, you claim from Great Northern even if you bought the ticket from Trainline, a work booking tool or another retailer.
- Delays caused by planned engineering work are not covered. Unplanned disruption is, whatever the cause.
Questions about Great Northern Delay Repay
How do I claim Great Northern Delay Repay?
Check your train on Railhop: it finds how late it was and what you're owed, then fills in Great Northern's own claim form in the Railhop iPhone app, or with Railhop's browser extension on a computer, with your journey, ticket and details. You check it and press submit within 28 days of travelling, and Great Northern pays you.
How much Delay Repay does Great Northern pay?
Great Northern uses Delay Repay 15, from 15 minutes late at your destination. 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 Great Northern Delay Repay?
28 days from the date of the delayed journey. Railhop shows the claim-by date for every delay it finds, and the app reminds you 3 days before it runs out.
Does Great Northern have automatic Delay Repay?
Yes, for Key Smartcard holders who tap in and out: Great Northern emails you within 48 hours of a delayed journey and you confirm the claim within 28 days. For other tickets, including contactless and Oyster pay as you go, you claim on the Delay Repay form yourself.
Can Railhop fill in the Great Northern Delay Repay form for me?
Yes, in the Railhop iPhone app, or with Railhop's browser extension on a computer. Railhop opens Great Northern's own claim form and fills in your details, the journey, the delay and your ticket. You choose how to be paid, check the claim and press submit: Railhop never submits claims or sees your bank details.
Can I claim Great Northern Delay Repay if my train was cancelled?
Yes, if you still travelled. If a Great Northern train is cancelled on the day and you take the next train you can, the delay is measured at your destination against when the cancelled train was due. If you decided not to travel, ask whoever sold you the ticket for a full refund instead: you can have one or the other, not both. Check the cancelled train on Railhop and it works out what you can claim.
Do I need an account to claim Great Northern Delay Repay?
Great Northern's form needs an account: you sign in yourself, and Railhop never keeps your login. Railhop fills in the rest of the form for you.
How does Great Northern pay Delay Repay?
You choose when you claim: bank transfer (BACS), PayPal, an e-Voucher (with an online account), National Rail vouchers, or a donation to charity. The National Rail Conditions of Travel say a claim should be paid within 14 days of being agreed.
What can I do if Great Northern rejects my Delay Repay claim?
Ask Great Northern to look at it again, with your evidence: the train, the times and your ticket. Railhop has the train's real times from National Rail's data. If you're still unhappy after Great Northern has replied, you can take it to the Rail Ombudsman.
Sources
Other GTR brands: Gatwick Express Delay Repay, Southern Delay Repay, Thameslink Delay Repay. Delay Repay guides for other train companies.
Terms change. If something here doesn't match Great Northern's own terms, Great Northern's terms are right. Railhop fills in Great Northern's claim form for you, and you check it and submit it yourself. Railhop is not affiliated with Great Northern, GTR or National Rail.