Trainsplit's Terms and Conditions

Trainsplit is a retailer of UK rail tickets, it does not set the terms and conditions of the various ticket types. It is the individual train operating companies (TOCs) that do that. Trainsplit passes these on to you, the customer. However Trainsplit does have a number of requirements of you which you must agree to before buying a ticket.

1. National Rail Conditions of Travel

The National Rail Conditions of Travel set out the minimum level of service you are entitled to expect plus your rights and responsibilities when travelling on the National Rail network. You can view these in total by clicking here.

The Uniform Rules for the Contract of International Carriage of Passengers by Rail (“CIV”) apply to train travel on Eurostar services and apply in place of the National Rail Conditions of Carriage for journeys to and from London International. These can be viewed here along with the terms and conditions for Eurostar tickets.

2. Confirmation Of Your Booking

As soon as your booking is confirmed, a confirmation email with your reference number will automatically be emailed to the email address you entered at the time of booking. Your reference and journey details will also be shown on the screen.

2.1 If you have not received your confirmation email, it is your responsibility to contact us and we will then resend it to you.

2.2 If you have not received your confirmation email and you do not contact us within 28 days of making the booking, the right to a refund will be forfeited.

2.3 Please check your journey details immediately upon booking. If any errors are found, please apply for a refund through our online refund form within 1 hour of booking or before the departure of the first booked train, whichever comes first. Please note that no refunds are available once tickets have been collected or scanned, or after the train has left the station.

3. Ticket On Departure

If you select a departure point where ticket on departure machines are available, Trainsplit encourages you purchase your tickets on this basis. Picking up your tickets just before you travel is very convenient. However, there are several conditions you must abide by.

3.1 You must have a payment card to collect the tickets

3.1. You must use a payment card to pick up your tickets that you used to buy them. If your card has been replaced by the bank, the new card will work.

3.1.2 You are given a "ticket collection reference" when you buy your tickets and you need to type that into the ticket delivery machines at your departure station but you also have to insert the card used to buy the tickets into the machine. The machine will not deliver the tickets without the card so it is your responsibility to have the card used for booking in your possession when you pick up your ticket. We recommend that you print the confirmation email containing your reference for ease of collection.

3.1.3 REMEMBER you may collect your tickets from the moment you book from any TOD station so if your card will expire before the departure date you must collect them before the card expires.

3.2 Arrive at least 20 minutes before travel You must make sure you arrive in enough time to collect your tickets, we recommend at least 20 minutes before departure. You cannot travel with just a ticket collection reference, you must have your tickets to travel.

3.3 Early morning travel If you are travelling early in the morning, you must check the opening times and accessibility of the ticket collection machines. Sometimes these are only available in ticket offices which open later than the station itself.

3.4. Issues with the ticket machines

In the event the ticket collection machines are not working, you should go to the ticket office. In the event there is no one at the ticket office, please phone the contact number on the ticket machine and you will be advised what to do.

3.4.1 Some ticket collection machines are located in unmanned stations but they will have a contact number on them if the machine breaks down. If it is not possible to get your tickets, there is a good chance you will be charged again on the train. Trainsplit will refund the original tickets as long as you can demonstrate you have arrived in time, gone to the ticket office if available and provide evidence of your replacement tickets. If you have a camera in your mobile, it will be very useful if you can take a picture of a closed ticket office, i.e there was no one there to assist you.

3.5. Be patient with the machines

3.5.1 Please ensure you have received all your "coupons" (tickets) before moving away from the machine. You will be able to check the number of coupons you should have, either on a message from the machine, or one of your coupons will indicate how many there should be in total. The collection receipt itself doesn’t count as a coupon.

3.5.2 If your tickets or a portion of your tickets fails to print there may be an issue with the machine, please flag down a station staff in the first instance. It is their obligation to go and open up the machine to see if the tickets are stuck inside. Unfortunately if your tickets fail to print we will be unable to offer a refund, the responsibility lies with the train company that manages the station. Trainsplit are a retailer and therefore do not own any of the issuing machines.

4. E-Tickets

4.1 You must be able to produce a copy of your e-tickets on demand. This can either be done electronically or by using a printed copy. You can do both, if you so wish. When showing them electronically, you’ll need to ensure that your device is working and has sufficient battery for the entire journey. If you can’t produce your E-Tickets, you will be treated as not having a ticket for the journey and you may have to buy a new one or pay a Penalty Fare.

4.2 We recommend that you bring a printed copy of your E-Tickets. However, if you are satisfied that your electronic devices are reliable enough and have sufficient battery, it is acceptable to just display the E-Ticket on that.

4.3 E-Tickets are refundable and amendable in the same way as traditional paper tickets. Some tickets may have restrictions on refunds, which will be detailed in the ticket conditions in this confirmation.

4.4 If you cancel or refund your E-Ticket, or if your payment is subsequently reversed, your E-Ticket will no longer be valid for travel. In this event we will email you on the address you gave us. You must not attempt to use any tickets once they have been cancelled. The train company will refuse to accept them and you will have to pay for a new ticket. You may also be liable for a Penalty Fare or even for prosecution. We strongly suggest that you delete any copies of cancelled E-Tickets immediately to avoid later confusion.

5. Seat Reservations

Where possible Trainsplit will assign seat reservations for your journey, please note only advance tickets come with compulsory reservations and these are subject to availability. If you purchase a flexible ticket seat reservations cannot be guaranteed. Trainsplit will also assign seating preferences where possible but again these cannot guaranteed as they are subject to availability. Trainsplit cannot he held responsible for customers that do not receive seat reservations or their preferred seating arrangements.

6. Re-Checking train times

Please make sure you check your train times before you travel at National Rail Enquiries on 03457 48 49 50 or via the website www.nationalrail.co.uk to make sure there haven't been any changes to your journey as a result of engineering works for example.

7. Admin Fees For Refunds

The maximum administrative fee is capped at £10 per booking reference. For ticket values exceeding £20, the admin fee remains £10. In cases where the ticket value is less than £20, the administrative fee is set at half of the ticket value. Additionally, a minimum administrative fee of £1.25 has been introduced.

Ticket Value Administrative Fee
Over £20 £10
£2.50 - £20 Half of Ticket Value
£1.30 - £2.45  £1.25
£1.25 or under Non-refundable

8. Amendments & Cancellations

8.1 The terms and conditions applicable to your ticket type determine the circumstances under which it can be cancelled/refunded all tickets are amendable. The ticket type's fare terms are set by the train operating companies not Trainsplit. Please check the terms and conditions of your ticket before you proceed to purchase to make sure they meet your needs.

8.2 The fare terms and conditions can be viewed when you select the times and price that suits and by clicking on the information icon next to the fare price.

8.3 As a general rule, the fares found by selecting "cheapest" on the fares and timetable will be amendable but not cancellable/refundable. The more expensive flexible fares are usually amendable and refundable.

8.4 You may be able to amend your journey at your departure station. You will usually be charged £10 per ticket (as well as the difference in price) at the station for changing your journey. To amend through Trainsplit please re-book the same journey yourself before the original travel date (the new travel date may be after this period however).

8.5 To cancel or amend your journey please complete the online refund application form HERE

8.6 Note that for Advance tickets, only the times and dates may be amended before the original journey, but not the origin or destination. The amendment process is by re-booking your journey and claiming a refund on the originals. We cannot change your ticket for you. All amendments or rebooking for ADVANCE (non-refundable) type tickets must be completed before the original departure date and time. After this point, the ticket holds no value, and a refund will no longer be possible. While the departure date, time, and ticket type (advance or flexible) can differ, the origin, destination, and train company or route must remain the same. Remember that you must apply for the refund before the original ticket's departure time.

8.7 If your booking has been used as a replacement to refund a previous journey, then the replacement journey will become non-refundable but amendable.

8.8 Refunds must be submitted within 28 days of the travel date for a single or within 28 days of the last date of validity for the return portion of a return ticket. If you have the tickets in your possession, you may submit a refund request here, where you will be able to upload images of your voided tickets onto the refund form. If you prefer to post the tickets back to us, we strongly recommend that you send them by recorded delivery and keep hold of the tracking reference or posting receipt for your records. We are not responsible for tickets not received by us. Please do not dispose of your tickets until a refund has been processed and the money has been returned to your account.

8.9 All amendments and cancellations/refunds are subject to an administrative fee on the face value of the tickets only. If an amendment results in a lower price ticket, the difference in fare will not be refunded. The administrative fee is charged per booking reference. Any booking fees and a share of split ticket savings commission are non-refundable, unless the journey had to be abandoned due to disruption in line with NRCoT condition 30.

8.10 If you have a flexible return ticket, a full refund less an administrative fee is available if wholly unused and if submitted within 28 days of the expiry date of the ticket. If the inward portion is used, no refund may be given on the outward portion. If the outward portion is used, a refund on the return portion is calculated based on the amount that remains after the deduction of the equivalent single fare. PLEASE NOTE Single fare plus an administrative fee is often more expensive than a return fare so, in most instances, no refund will be given on part-used tickets.

8.11 Please note for return journeys, if you are re-booking just the outward or the return journey, it may be cheaper to amend the entire journey, please check available fares.

8.12 It is not possible to refund just the outbound section of a 2-part return ticket (Super Off-Peak Return, Off-Peak Return, or Anytime Return).

8.13 It is also not possible to replace one journey with multiple journeys, nor is it possible to replace multiple journeys with one journey. 

8.14 The Change of Journey refund process is for refunding tickets and replacing them with new tickets, purchased after the original booking's purchase date. It is not possible to replace an Advance booking using a journey that was booked before.

8.15 If your ticket(s) are used/you have travelled to your destination via an alternative route due to train cancellation/delay, you are not entitled for a refund but you are eligible for a compensation claim from the Train Company who operated your journey. Trainsplit is a retailer therefore delayed and cancelled trains lie outside of our responsibilities.

8.15.1 If you are unsure which train company you travelled with please refer to your itinerary in the confirmation email or letter. You may be able to submit an online claim form through the Train Company website.

9. Passengers with disabilities

Services may have limited capacity for wheelchairs and wheelchair spaces may not be available in first class on some services provided by some operators. If you have a disability please contact Passenger Assist on 0800 0223720 or use the Passenger Assistance app (see here).

10. Disruptions and Cancellations: What to Do When Things Go Wrong

10.1 Advance tickets

10.1.2 If you’re using at least one Advance ticket for your journey, you must be at your origin station in good time to catch your first train - if you miss your first train, your Advance tickets will no longer have any value and you’ll need to purchase new ones.

10.1.3 In normal circumstances, you must travel as per the booked itinerary. However, if cancelled or delayed trains cause you to miss a connection, NRCoT Condition 9.4 entitles you to catch the next available train(s) to your destination. If practicable, you are advised to ask a member of staff to endorse your ticket for travel on alternative services, but please note the following restrictions may apply, unless waived by the relevant train companies:

10.2 Flexible (Off Peak/ Super Off Peak/ Anytime) tickets:

10.2.1 If you’re using flexible ticket(s) for your journey, you are not tied to a specific train.

10.2.2 In normal circumstances, you must travel in accordance with the company, route and time restrictions detailed above, as well as ensuring that your train(s) call at all stations where you change from one ticket to the next. However, if cancelled or delayed trains cause you to miss a connection, you are advised to ask a member of staff; in exceptional circumstances staff may endorse your ticket for travel on alternative routes.

11. If the train you’re booked to catch doesn’t appear to exist, it will be because it’s been retimed or cancelled at some point after you booked it, but before the day of travel. We strongly suggest that you recheck your journey on the day of travel to ensure that nothing has changed. However, if this happens your tickets will be valid on the next train (see 9.1.3 above). If you are questioned, show a copy of this itinerary and explain that the train was scheduled to run when you booked, but has since been changed by the train company.

12. If you cannot complete your journey due to disruption, NRCoT Condition 28.2 requires any train company who is in a position to help, to do so. This will normally be by way of finding an alternative route or provisioning a taxi or hotel room at their expense.

12.1 Remember that if you are delayed or you have any out of pocket expenses, you will usually be able to claim some sort of compensation from the first train company that delayed you. Keep a copy of your tickets and itinerary for this purpose and email the company at the address on their website, explaining that you are combining tickets to form one journey under NRCoT Condition 14, and listing the trains taken, with the actual times. If you have any issues, please contact our customer support team.