If you have already raised a request for a refund or Chartered Compensation, you do not need to contact us. Thank you for your continued patience and please bear with us while we process your case.
Refunds - Your ticket is unused and you want to claim a refund from your point of purchase
Advance tickets
We can only refund ticket purchased through Grand Central. Please refer to your Ticket Retailer for a refund for an unused ticket.
Advance tickets are non-refundable, unless the service they were valid for is cancelled, disrupted or amended and, as a result, you choose not to travel, you can receive a full refund from your point of purchase.
Purchases via Grand Central, you will need to provide your booking reference number (beginning B-GRANDCNTRL) and a photograph of your tickets cut or torn in half to demonstrate they are invalid.
Amending your journey - If you purchased your tickets from Grand Central directly, please purchase the new journey you want to take either through the Grand Central Website or App before emailing both booking references to [email protected]. You can also call our Telesales team on 0345 603 4852 (option 4, then option 2). The ticket type and operator must remain the same to be eligible for an amendment and is subject to a £10.00 admin fee per ticket, per person.
Anytime, Off-Peak or Super Off-Peak tickets
If you have purchased an Off-peak or Anytime ticket from grandcentralrail.com, you can refund your tickets via My Account (not available for e-tickets); by contacting our Refunds team via email at [email protected], attaching your booking reference number (begining B-GRANDCNTRL) and a scanned copy of your tickets. Please note an administration fee of £10.00 per person, per ticket maybe applicable for refunding the ticket if your journey is not disrupted or cancelled.
Please make sure that your address is included in your e-mail when applying for a refund or compensation.
If you bought your tickets from the Grand Central website, please follow the instructions above to process a refund. Alternatively send your original tickets to:
- Grand Central Refunds
- PO Box 6625
- Arbroath
- DD11 3RQ
You can also send a photograph of your tickets cut or torn in half to [email protected].
Ticket refunds are subject to a 28 day time limit from date of travel if you did not travel due to disruption.
We recommend postal requests and tickets are sent via recorded delivery, we do not accept liability for lost or damaged tickets.
If you have not received it after 10 working days, please contact the booking support team on option 3, then 2 using the above number.
Please note the standard admin fee of £10.00 will be charged per ticket, per person.
Charter Compensation - Delays of 60 minutes or more on your Grand Central Service
Delay compensation
We've listened to customer feedback and launched our new Charter Compensation system, making the process even simpler and faster to get your compensation. You can track your claim, follow it's progress, manage your payment preferences and check the status of all your current and past claims - giving you more control than ever before.
You're entitled to claim Charter Compensation, if you're delayed by 60 minutes or more on any of our services. This is in line with our Passenger Charter and National Rail Conditions of Travel . The total amount of compensation will depend on the total length of your delay and also the type and cost of the ticket for your journey.
For your claim to be considered, it must be received by us within 28 days of you completing your journey. To process your claim, we need information about your tickets and fellow passengers if you are claiming for more than one ticket for audit purposes.
| Grand Central delay compensation policy | |
|---|---|
| Delays of 1 to 2 hours | 50% of the cost of a single ticket or 50% of the relevant portion of a return ticket. |
| Delays of 2 to 3 hours | 75% of the cost of a single ticket or 75% of the relevant portion of a return ticket. |
| Delays over 3 hours | 100% of the cost of a single ticket or 100% of the relevant portion of a return ticket. |
Am I eligible for compensation?
If your Grand Central train is delayed by 60 minutes or more, you will be eligible for compensation.
How will I be paid?
- Compensation for delayed journeys is offered in the form of PayPal or BACs payments or you may be eligible for a free single journey. Please detail which method of compensation you wish to receive using the text box in the form below.
- The levels of compensation described above sets out our general policy regarding compensation but do not in any way limit or exclude your legal rights as a consumer under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 or otherwise we offer compensation via:
| Complimentary Grand Central single journey - if your journey started or completed at London Kings Cross | We will send you a discount code for a replacement journey. The code can be used to book an Advance Single ticket on any Grand Central service, where Advance Single tickets are available. - Codes are issued in the class of travel of your original ticket. - You must start or finish your journey at London Kings Cross. - They are valid for six months from the date of issue. If you do not use the codes within the agreed six months, they will expire and will not be replaced. - Codes can only be redeemed on a single Grand Central journey for one person at once. You can not book multiple journeys or for multiple people on the same booking. - Once issued these are not exchangeable for any other form of compensation. -We reserve the right to provide complimentary journeys as Charter Compensation at our discretion. |
| PayPal | Compensation will be paid directly to your PayPal account, which can then be transferred to your Bank or Building Society account. Please ensure that the email address provided on the form is correct email for your PayPal account email address. |
| BACs Payment | We will refund you via BACs direct to your Bank or Building Society account. To do this we will need your six digit customer sort code, your eight digit customer account number and the account holder's name (this is not the Bank or Building Society's name). |
To process your claim, we need information about your tickets. The easiest & quickest way is via our online compensation form. Please complete the form within 28 days of the date of the delay. A readable, scanned copy or photograph of your ticket is required to make a claim - JPEG or PDF format.
Most claims will be resolved within 10 working days, however all should be responded to within 20 working days, and our new system will show your claim's status keeping you informed throughout. If you have any issues, please call us on 0345 603 4852 (option 4, then option 1) quoting your claim reference and we will be happy to help.
If we are unable to respond to your correspondence or process your refund within 10 working days, you will not be entitled to additional compensation.
Alternatively, you can download our Compensation claim form (PDF) and post it, but this will take considerably longer to resolve than requesting it online. We recommend sending postal claims by recorded delivery as we do not accept liability for lost or damaged tickets/claims forms.
Please do not send your claim to the Sheffield address on the form. It must be posted to our Wakefield address below -
Post:
Customer Relations Manager
Grand Central Rail
Ground Floor, Wakefield Kirkgate Station,
Monk Street, Wakefield
WF1 4ELDid you buy your ticket from Grand Central? We can only view booking details for tickets which were purchased through the Grand Central website, app or our telesales team. If you have booked via a third party, you must attach a copy of your ticket or booking confirmation in the 'Image of your ticket' field in the claims form - remember attachments must be JPEG or PDF format.
View the National Rail Conditions of Travel
Refund changes from 1st April 2026
Refund conditions for some ticket types are changing from 1st April 2026.
What are the changes?
- Anytime tickets
- Off-Peak tickets
- Day Travelcards
- Rover tickets
- Ranger tickets
From 1st April 2026, if you have one of the above tickets and decide not to use it, you will have until 23:59 the day before it becomes valid to request a refund from the retailer who sold it to you. After that you will only be able to claim a refund if your train service has been delayed or cancelled.We will be ending the practice of accepting refund claims up to 28 days after the date of travel.
Why are the changes being made?
National Rail are working to tackle fare evasion which costs the industry millions annually. The changes will stop fraudulent claims for refunds on tickets that have been used for travel. They bring our terms and conditions into line with the railways of most other countries, where most day tickets are not refundable once they become valid for travel. For more information, please see National Rail's Factsheet on the changes.
Full details of the new refund rule are in the new National Rail Conditions of Travel, which come into effect on 1st April 2026.
Are all types of tickets affected by these changes?
No. Advance tickets and Season tickets both have their own refund rules and are not affected. There are also some other types of tickets which have their own terms and conditions so you should always check before you buy.
I bought my ticket before 1st April but I am travelling after that day - will the refund changes apply for my journey?
No. The refund conditions are based on the date of purchase, not the date of travel. If you bought your ticket prior to 1s April, it will be processed in accordance with the rules that were in place when your ticket was purchased.
Do the changes apply wherever I buy my ticket from?
Yes. The changes apply to tickets purchased from all retailers.
Will my ticket be non-refundable if I buy it on the same day as I intend to travel?
Yes. If your ticket is already valid it will not be eligible for a refund unless you choose not to use it because your train is cancelled or disrupted.
What if I accidentally buy the wrong ticket?
Please tell the retailer who sold you it as soon as you realise your mistake, they might be able to resolve the problem then and there.
If you discover your mistake after you have started your journey, you may need to buy another ticket to be able to complete your journey. If you then contact the retailer’s customer services and provide evidence of your mistake they will consider issuing a refund.
Can I make changes to my ticket on the day it is valid for travel?
Yes. You can change your reservation, class and route, providing the conditions of your ticket allow it.You cannot amend the date of Anytime tickets, Off-Peak tickets, Day Travelcards and most Ranger tickets and Rover tickets after 23:59 on the day before travel.
What happens if my train is only running for part of my journey and part of it is cancelled - am I still able to apply for a refund?
Yes. You are still able to apply for a refund for your whole journey (National Rail Conditions of Travel 30 applies).
I have an Open Return but have only used part of it. Can I apply for a refund on the unused part?
No, once the outward part of an Open Return becomes valid for travel, both portions of the ticket (for the Outward journey and the Return journey) are no longer refundable.
Will the change affect my ability to claim Delay Repay?
No. Delay Repay applies when you have used your ticket to travel but been delayed. Find out more on our Compensation and Refunds page.
Will the changes affect Season ticket holders in any way?
I have a Season ticket, if I leave it at home and must buy a ticket for travel, will I still be able to get a refund for my journey?
Yes. You will still be able to apply for a refund in this circumstance.
I’ve lost my Season ticket, and am waiting for a duplicate to arrive, so I have had to buy a ticket to travel. Will I be able to get a refund for this when my duplicate Season ticket arrives?
Yes. You will still be able to apply for a refund in this circumstance.