How to get a refund for a train or bus ticket

Depending on the tickets purchased certain tickets may be fully refundable, some may be partially refundable (variable refund percentage), where as certain others may be non-refundable. These conditions can be checked on "Fare details" at the time of booking, and on the order confirmation and under "my trips" after the tickets have been booked.

If the tickets are refundable or partially refundable, it's easy to refund your train or bus ticket in your Rail Europe account, as long as the ticket you bought permits it and the tickets are still within the cancellation period (period within which the refund is allowed). Following is everything you need to know about how to claim a train or bus ticket refund. 

Please note that if you are seeking a refund for an unused train or bus ticket, you are still bound to the fare conditions. Rail Europe doesn’t charge any fee to process your refund. Part of your ticket price may not be reimbursed depending on the fares conditions of your ticket.

IN THIS ARTICLE

Disclaimer: If  you have a protection plan, refer to the help article here.

How to refund your ticket

You can request a refund via your Rail Europe account. It only takes a minute and you'll get instant confirmation!

1

Find the journey you want to refund under Your trips in your account.

2

Review its fare conditions to see the options and any fees. Select "Cancellation options" to specify the changes you want to make and request a refund.

3

Select which journeys and passenger(s) you wish to cancel, and select "Calculate refund". For some tickets, it is only possible to cancel the entire order, i.e. the outbound and return or all passengers. 

4

You'll see a breakdown of your ticket price, cancellation fees and refund due. Click "Confirm" to proceed with the refund. 

Refund requests for UK tickets

UK rail operators will ask you select a refund reason. Be careful to select the correct one!

Effective from 1 April 2024 National Rail UK has reduced the cap for the admin fee for refunding unused refundable tickets from £10 to £5. Please note that non refundable tickets remains non refundable.

For some UK tickets you can request a refund for cancelled trains or exceptional circumstances (medical reasons or bereavement). These refunds require proof, so please don't choose this option if you can't provide evidence.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The refunds made by following the steps above would go to the original mode of payment (credit or debit card), and cannot be transferred to another credit card, debit card, or to a bank account.

Claims for non-flexible tickets

If you chose a non-refundable ticket, you won't be able to cancel it via your Rail Europe account. We are bound by the fare conditions that are set by the rail operator, so we can only change or cancel your order if the fare conditions permit it.

Under some exceptional circumstances, for example, the hospitalisation of a passenger on the date of travel, or death of a close relative, we may be able to obtain a refund on your behalf by submitting a claim. You can email us or click here to contact us.