Who Can Make the Claim
Delay Repay is compensation for the passenger whose journey was late: a share of the fare paid for their ticket, based on how late they reached their destination (National Rail Conditions of Travel, condition 32.1). So the claim is for that passenger and that ticket, and train companies set who may send it:
- [Great Northern](/delay-repay/great-northern), Thameslink, [Southern](/delay-repay/southern) and Gatwick Express want the person who was delayed to claim, except in mitigating circumstances such as travelling with children.
- GWR accepts a claim made by someone else if it includes the passenger's name and journey information.
- CrossCountry accepts a claim made by someone else in the name of the passenger who travelled.
- Southeastern won't make a payment to a third party on your behalf.
The other companies' pages we checked don't say. The safe way everywhere: the person who travelled claims, in their own name, with their own ticket.
Claiming for Your Child
A parent or guardian travelling with a child can claim for the child's ticket. The four GTR brands name travelling with children as the example of when they accept a claim from someone other than the passenger, and Thameslink, Southern and Gatwick Express say each traveller claims for themselves unless it's for a child.
The amount is a share of what the child's ticket cost, in the same bands as any other ticket. A Child Single at half the adult fare gets half the money for the same delay.
A child who travelled free paid no fare, so there's nothing to claim on. Transport for London (TfL) says so for children under 11 travelling free with a fare-paying adult on its services.
Family and Group Journeys
Each ticket is its own claim, even when one person bought them all in one booking. Each claim is worked out on the price paid for that ticket, so a Railcard discounted ticket claims on the discounted fare.
Some forms let you send several claims together. Great Northern's form takes up to three claims in one go, and Southern lets you add another claim, copy the journey and change the ticket details for the other traveller. GWR and South Western Railway take one claim for the group, and what to do if a companion's claim is refused as a duplicate: Delay Repay for Groups and Families.
If the tickets came in one booking, the booking confirmation can be the proof for each ticket at the companies that accept one: see Claiming Delay Repay Without a Paper Ticket.
What Each Train Company Says
| Train company | Claims for someone else | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Avanti West Coast | Not stated on its pages: the passenger claims | Guide |
| c2c | Not stated on its pages: the passenger claims | Guide |
| Caledonian Sleeper | Not stated on its pages: the passenger claims | Guide |
| Chiltern Railways | Not stated on its pages: the passenger claims | Guide |
| CrossCountry | CrossCountry accepts claims made by someone else, as long as they are made in the name of the passenger who travelled. | Guide |
| East Midlands Railway | Not stated on its pages: the passenger claims | Guide |
| Gatwick Express | Gatwick Express says claims must be made by the person who experienced the delay, except in mitigating circumstances such as travelling with children. Each traveller makes their own claim unless it's for a child. | Guide |
| 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. Each traveller makes their own claim unless it's for a child. Its online form takes up to three claims in one go, so you can add a companion's ticket. | Guide |
| Greater Anglia | Not stated on its pages: the passenger claims | Guide |
| GWR | GWR accepts claims made by someone else, as long as they include the passenger's name and journey information. | Guide |
| Hull Trains | Not stated on its pages: the passenger claims | Guide |
| LNER | Not stated on its pages: the passenger claims | Guide |
| London Northwestern Railway | Not stated on its pages: the passenger claims | Guide |
| Lumo | Not stated on its pages: the passenger claims | Guide |
| Northern | Not stated on its pages: the passenger claims | Guide |
| ScotRail | Not stated on its pages: the passenger claims | Guide |
| South Western Railway | Not stated on its pages: the passenger claims | Guide |
| Southeastern | Southeastern says it won't make a payment to a third party on your behalf, so the compensation goes to the passenger. | Guide |
| Southern | Southern says claims must be made by the person who experienced the delay, except in mitigating circumstances such as travelling with children. Each traveller makes their own claim unless it's for a child. To claim for someone you travelled with, use "add another claim" on your claim and change the ticket details. | Guide |
| Stansted Express | Not stated on its pages: the passenger claims | Guide |
| Thameslink | Thameslink says claims must be made by the person who experienced the delay, except in mitigating circumstances such as travelling with children. Each traveller makes their own claim unless it's for a child. | Guide |
| TransPennine Express | Not stated on its pages: the passenger claims | Guide |
| Transport for Wales | Not stated on its pages: the passenger claims | Guide |
| West Midlands Railway | Not stated on its pages: the passenger claims | Guide |
From each company's own Delay Repay pages and Passenger's Charter.
How Railhop Helps
Railhop shows the claim-by date for every delay it finds, and the app reminds you 3 days before it runs out. More on how much Delay Repay you get.
Questions
Can I claim Delay Repay for someone else?
Usually the person who travelled claims. GWR and CrossCountry accept a claim from someone else made in the passenger's name. Great Northern, Thameslink, Southern and Gatwick Express accept one only in mitigating circumstances, such as travelling with children.
Can I claim Delay Repay for my child?
Yes, if you travelled with them. The four GTR brands name travelling with children as a reason they accept a claim from someone else. The amount is a share of what the child's ticket cost.
Can I claim for my whole family on one claim?
Each ticket is its own claim. Great Northern's form takes up to three claims in one go, and Southern lets you add another claim for the person you travelled with.
Do children who travel free get Delay Repay?
No. Delay Repay is a share of the fare paid, so a child who travelled free has nothing to claim on. TfL says the same for children under 11 travelling free on its services.
I bought the ticket for someone else. Who claims?
The person who travelled. Buying the ticket doesn't make it your claim, and at the GTR brands the passenger must claim unless there are mitigating circumstances.
Who gets paid when someone else claims?
The passenger. Southeastern says it won't make a payment to a third party on your behalf, and GWR and CrossCountry want the claim in the passenger's name.
Sources
- National Rail Conditions of Travel (30 July 2026)
- CrossCountry: Delay Repay
- Gatwick Express: Delay Repay
- Great Northern: Delay Repay
- GWR: Delay Repay
- Southeastern: Delay Repay
- Southern: Delay Repay
- Thameslink: Delay Repay
- GWR: Passenger's Charter (April 2026)
- CrossCountry: Passenger Charter
- TfL: service delay refunds
Train company terms checked 6 October 2026. 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.