Advance ticket, train cancelled, decide not to travel - refund policy?

[trainophile]

If one or more of your booked trains on an Advance ticket is cancelled, and waiting for the next one would render your journey pointless so you decide not to travel, or make alternative arrangements, can you get a full refund for the unused ticket?

I'm not currently in that situation so can't give an example, but with the forthcoming new rules it got me wondering what the situation is now, and whether it will be the same post-changes.

 

[gray1404]

Current situation is you can obtain a fee free refund due to the disruption and I expect this to still remain the same based on the new conditions too.

 

[AlterEgo]

If one or more of your booked trains on an Advance ticket is cancelled, and waiting for the next one would render your journey pointless so you decide not to travel, or make alternative arrangements, can you get a full refund for the unused ticket?

I'm not currently in that situation so can't give an example, but with the forthcoming new rules it got me wondering what the situation is now, and whether it will be the same post-changes.

You would be entitled to a full refund from the retailer. The same will apply after the changes.

 

[trainophile]

Thank you, that's useful to know.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 1 Nov 2025 ==

Would you claim from the operator or the retailer?

 

[jfollows]

Thank you, that's useful to know.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 1 Nov 2025 ==

Would you claim from the operator or the retailer?

You would be entitled to a full refund from the retailer.

Refunds are from the retailer.
Delay Repay is from the operator.

 

[trainophile]

Thanks, that's what I suspected but it's good to see it in writing. Presumably the retailer would check that the service you claim was cancelled actually was, and that your ticket wasn't scanned or used to exit the barriers at another time.

 

[317 forever]

I faced a dilemma when my outbound train in October was cancelled, and in my heart I lost interest in my day out as I was due to miss out on 2 hours in my area. I shall explain.

To vary my trains and ride Warrington's Own Buses route reaching Widnes, I had an Advance ticket Stockport - Widnes, but for the variety my return Advance was Warrington Bank Quay - East Didsbury.

I was 99.9% certain that if I gave up, EMR would reimburse me but TfW would not.

In terms of buses, I kept to areas near enough to Warrington town centre once I got there, so did still ride my intended variety of buses.

Had my return journey been with EMR, I wonder whether I could have sought a refund for both Advances on account of the outbound train being heavily delayed?

 

[Watershed]

I faced a dilemma when my outbound train in October was cancelled, and in my heart I lost interest in my day out as I was due to miss out on 2 hours in my area. I shall explain.

To vary my trains and ride Warrington's Own Buses route reaching Widnes, I had an Advance ticket Stockport - Widnes, but for the variety my return Advance was Warrington Bank Quay - East Didsbury.

I was 99.9% certain that if I gave up, EMR would reimburse me but TfW would not.

In terms of buses, I kept to areas near enough to Warrington town centre once I got there, so did still ride my intended variety of buses.

Had my return journey been with EMR, I wonder whether I could have sought a refund for both Advances on account of the outbound train being heavily delayed?

The issue is not whether you used multiple TOCs but rather that your Advances were to and from different stations. As such it might be suggested that they didn't amount to a return journey.

 

[317 forever]

The issue is not whether you used multiple TOCs but rather that your Advances were to and from different stations. As such it might be suggested that they didn't amount to a return journey.

Admittedly my train to Widnes was passing Warrington (Central), but you raise an interesting point.

This suggests that travelling into Warrington Central but back from Warrington Bank Quay, even to/from the same home station, could have prevented such a claim on the Advance for my journey back home from being accepted.

 

[Watershed]

Admittedly my train to Widnes was passing Warrington (Central), but you raise an interesting point.

This suggests that travelling into Warrington Central but back from Warrington Bank Quay, even to/from the same home station, could have prevented such a claim on the Advance for my journey back home from being accepted.

I think that would have been fine. The question is essentially whether it's booked (or capable of being booked) as one return journey search rather than two separate searches added to the basket.

A refund for an abandoned journey is, in any case, claimed from the retailer rather than the operator.

 

[317 forever]

I think that would have been fine. The question is essentially whether it's booked (or capable of being booked) as one return journey search rather than two separate searches added to the basket.

A refund for an abandoned journey is, in any case, claimed from the retailer rather than the operator.

I am pleased for simplicity to have gone ahead with the day out.

As it is, I did buy both tickets together at the same time - on the EMR website- and even received 2 combined emails with them both (the first the itinerary and the second with the e-tickets). I'd understand people in my shoes who did give up the day out hoping the TOC would classify it as a day out. But, I do take on board that this is not guaranteed.