Train Tickets Explained

Step into the world of TrainSplit, where we redefine your train travel experience. Whether you're a seasoned commuter or a leisurely explorer, our extensive ticket options cater to your preferences, ensuring a smooth and budget-friendly journey.

Explore the versatility of the different ticket categories, from the unbeatable affordability of Advance Tickets to the flexibility offered by Off-Peak, Super Off-Peak, and Anytime options. We believe in giving you choices that not only align with your schedule but also your budget, allowing you to optimise your travel experience.

Join us as we navigate through the nuances of ticket types, providing insights into their validity, reservation policies, refund options, and essential travel tips. At TrainSplit, we are committed to making your journey not only efficient but also enjoyable.

Advance tickets

Advance/Fixed Time fares are single train tickets available for booking up to 12 weeks ahead of time, subject to availability. These are the most economical train tickets, making them an excellent choice for budget-conscious travellers.

Validity:

Advance fares are only valid on the date and booked service shown on the ticket.

Reservations: 

Mandatory seat reservations are included with your ticket where possible.

Refunds:

Advance tickets are non-refundable but amendable by rebooking. The amendment process involves rebooking the journey before the departure of your first booked train. Ensure you rebook before your first train leaves the station to retain the ticket's value. Refunds, subject to a £5 admin fee, can be requested after rebooking.

Amending Advance tickets (by re-booking):

You are only allowed to rebook travel for a different date and time but the stations must match your original booking (this means the departure and destination station must remain the same). You must do this before your first booked train leaves the station.

Please allow sufficient time to rebook your train tickets and submit a refund on your train journey. You need to do this before the first booked train leaves the station. Once you have re-booked a new journey and received a new booking reference, you may apply for a refund HERE.
All refunds are subject to a £5 admin fee from the total face value of the tickets, regardless of how many tickets you booked under a single reference.

If you seek more ticket flexibility, consider flexible tickets instead.

Off Peak & Super Off Peak - Semi Flexible tickets

Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak tickets, available as singles and returns, provide flexibility in your travel plans, allowing you to book at your convenience.

Off-Peak fares, priced lower than peak tickets, are ideal for those seeking quieter and less busy train journeys. Travel times and routes are specific, so be sure to check ticket restrictions before booking.

Super Off-Peak fares offer even more economical options, albeit with additional restrictions.

Validity

  • Single: Restricted to Off-Peak or Super Off-Peak trains, specific times, routes, and dates indicated on your ticket.
  • Return: Limited to Off-Peak or Super Off-Peak trains, specified times, routes, and dates on your ticket. Return validity generally extends within a calendar month from the outward date  (depending on the ticket type purchased, such as Off-Peak Return or Super Off-Peak Return).

Reservations:

Not compulsory, as you are not bound to a specific service.

Refunds:

  • Single: Refundable with a £5 admin fee.
  • Return: Refundable if both outward and inward portions are unused, subject to a £5 admin fee.
    • If the outward is unused but the inward is used, no refund is due on the outward portion.
    • If the inward is unused, a refund on the inward portion is calculated based on the remaining amount after deducting the equivalent single fare. In most cases, a single fare plus the £5 admin fee is more expensive than a return fare, resulting in no refund for partially used tickets.

If you need to change your travel date, consider canceling the tickets and rebooking. It is often more cost-effective to rebook the entire journey than a single leg.

 Anytime - Fully Flexible tickets

Anytime tickets offer complete flexibility with no time restrictions on travel. These can be booked as single or return tickets on or before the date of travel.

Validity

  • Single: Valid for travel anytime on the specified date and up until 04:29 after the 2nd day.
  • Return: Outward journey must be completed within 5 days and up until 04:29 after the 5th day of validity. Similar to Off-Peak Returns, there are also Anytime Returns that extend the inward travel validity up to a month from the outward date. It is recommended that you check before buying.

Reservations: 

Not compulsory, as you are not bound to a specific service.


Refunds:

  • Single: Refundable with a £5 admin fee.
  • Return: Refundable if both outward and inward portions are unused, subject to a £5 admin fee.
    • If the outward is unused but the inward is used, no refund is due on the outward portion.
    • If the inward is unused, a refund on the inward portion is calculated based on the remaining amount after deducting the equivalent single fare. In most cases, a single fare plus the £5 admin fee is more expensive than a return fare, resulting in no refund for partially used tickets.

If you need to change your travel date, consider canceling the tickets and rebooking. It is often more cost-effective to rebook the entire journey than a single leg.

 Can I cancel my tickets?

Flexible tickets (Off-Peak, Super Off-Peak, and Anytime, sometimes known as "walk-up" fares) can be refunded if wholly unused, less the admin fee, regardless of whether the journey is rebooked. You have up to 28 days after the ticket's expiry date to claim the refund.

Advance fares are not refundable but can be amended* (changing the date / time, not the journey) by booking a new journey and refunding the originals (terms & conditions apply).

 

Ticket Type

Refundable without a re-booking

Amendable - Change of Date / Time only and not the departure and destination stations

Flexible type (Off Peak, Super Off Peak & Anytime)

Yes

Yes

Fixed Time (Advance)

No

Yes

All amendments are subject to a £5 admin fee from the total face value of the cheaper tickets. 

*Amendments / changing date & time of your journey must be made before the original departure time. If you wait until after the original departure time for any reason, industry rules do not allow us to change advance tickets - regrettably your ticket will have no value and a refund will no longer be applicable.

To receive a refund, all tickets must be completely unused and returned to the point of purchase. We cannot process the refund until we receive proof that the tickets were voided before departure.

An administrative fee of £5 will be charged for any amendment or cancellation request. If an amendment results in cheaper tickets, the refund will be based on the cheaper ticket amount; any difference will not be refunded.

If the tickets have not been printed, simply submit a refund request, making sure to input the replacement reference where applicable, and wait for the money to be returned minus the administrative fee.

How do I amend my booking?


The process of amendment is to re-book the journey online and claim a refund on your original tickets, as we are unable to alter dates/times of booked tickets.

Please note that we cannot change your journey via email, nor can we reissue new tickets or rebook a new journey on your behalf. Unfortunately, you must do this yourself.

All re-bookings must be made before the original travel date/time, and the refund submitted within 28 days of the travel dates, booked for the exact same journey (the origin, destination, and number of passengers must remain the same). If an amendment results in a lower-priced ticket, the difference in fare will not be refunded. The £5 cancellation fee is charged per booking reference. Booking fees, and the share of split ticket savings commission are non-refundable.

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.

My tickets are flexible/refundable, how do I refund them?

Thank you for booking flexible and refundable tickets with us. We would like to inform you that if you choose not to travel, you can obtain a refund for the ticket price, subject to an administrative fee of £5.

To initiate a self-refund for your refundable ticket, you may utilise our online refund form. However, please take note that there will be an administrative fee of £5 charged under the "No Longer Required" category.

How do I re-book and claim a refund on Advance tickets?

  1. Make a new booking online To amend your journey, you must make a new booking for the same departure, destination, number of passengers (only times and dates may be amended before the original journey but not the origin or destination, the stations and number of passengers must remain the same), with the new ticket cost should be equal to or higher than the original ticket value.

  2. Apply for a refund on refunds.trainsplit.com using both your original and replacement reference numbers. The refund form will automatically calculate the value of the cheaper ticket, minus a £5 admin fee.

    If you're only amending part of the journey (outbound / inbound), please follow these steps:

    Email us  with the following details:

    Subject: Trainsplit Refund Request - [Insert Your Booking Reference]

    Content:

    Original Booking Reference:

    New Booking Reference:

    Only valid requests will be processed, i.e. you have re-booked the same journey (the stations must remain the same).

    For printed tickets, if applicable:

    • Upload images of the tickets before and after they have been voided (cut in half).

    Step 1:

    Take a picture / scan* of your printed tickets

    Step1 

    Step 2:
    Cut up each of those ticket(s) and take a picture/ scan*

    Step2

     

    Step 3: Attach to the email

    *Only high resolution images (file size no less than 1 MB) will be accepted, print on tickets must be legible

    If your claim does not conform to the examples your refund may be rejected.

    Please do not dispose of your tickets until the refund has been processed and the money has been returned to your account

Note:

i. All amendments (re-booking and claiming a refund on the originals) must be made prior to the original departure date and time.

ii. If the amendment results in a lower ticket price, the fare difference will not be refunded. Please note that we are unable to provide travel vouchers or credit notes.

iii. You cannot replace one journey with multiple journeys, nor can you replace multiple journeys with one journey. iv. All amendments are subject to a £5 administrative fee, which will be deducted from the total face value of the cheaper booking. Any fare difference will not be refunded.

Do you refund the fees?

Refunds may only be claimed on tickets which are wholly unused and only the face value of the ticket can be refunded (booking fee, and share of savings are non-refundable).

How do I claim a Delay Repay?

Completed journey (delayed getting into destination):

If you travelled on an alternative service due to a delayed or missed a connection and got to your destination late then you'll probably be entitled to compensation from the train company that caused the delay. The amount you'll get varies according to the train company and the length of delay.

To make a claim for a delay, cancellation or missed connection, you need to contact the train company directly. We're not able to issue the compensation - only the train company can do that.

This is called "Delay Repay", but they'll normally explain the procedure on their website, but if in doubt you can ring National Rail Enquiries on 03457 48 49 50.

More info on delay repay can be found HERE. 

Abandoned journey:

If you chose not to take your journey at all or returned to the origin station because of a delayed or cancelled train then we will be able to refund the unused tickets upon receipt of them in the post. This is classed as an 'Abandoned Journey'. We may ask you to clarify as to what happened on the day of travel and provide supporting evidence to verify your claim.

I'm too sick to travel, can I get a refund?

Firstly, check if your tickets are refundable. Flexible tickets are refundable minus the admin fee without requiring medical evidence or re-booking/amending the journey.

If your booking consists of Advance type (non-refundable) tickets, then you are required to provide supporting evidence, such as a letter from your doctor or hospital. The medical evidence must cover the booked travel dates before we can refund your tickets for you.

All refunds are subject to an applicable £5 admin fee from the total face value of the tickets.

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