1.
Share the trip
Upload or forward the ticket, card, or journey details from the Transport for London trip that went wrong.
Been delayed on
TfL?
Transport for London may owe you a service delay refund. Let us do the work to claim it.
Heads up first...
Transport for London does not frame this as standard Delay Repay. You may be able to claim a service delay refund if your Tube or DLR journey was delayed by 15 minutes or more, or if your London Overground or Elizabeth line journey was delayed by 30 minutes or more.
Small catch...
The refund claim can still
dragggg
Transport for London's claim route depends on how you paid. That means checking whether the journey was Oyster, contactless, paper ticket, Travelcard, or National Rail smartcard, then getting the evidence in before the 28-day deadline. Here's the manual route:
- Check the right TfL threshold first: 15 minutes or more for Tube and DLR, or 30 minutes or more for London Overground and Elizabeth line. If a cancelled Transport for London service made you arrive late, the same arrival-delay test still matters.
- Submit the claim within 28 days of the delayed journey, because Transport for London will not leave that window open forever.
- Go to Transport for London's official service delay refund page, then sign in to your TfL contactless and Oyster account where that applies.
- For contactless, use Journey and payment history, then Service delay refund. For adult Oyster, choose Service delay refunds in your TfL contactless and Oyster account.
- If you used a paper ticket or National Rail smartcard, send Transport for London your contact details, journey details, delay length, and front-and-back images of the ticket or smartcard.
- Wait 48 hours where TfL advises it, because some Oyster or contactless refunds may be applied automatically after major disruption.
- If you did not travel at all and need an unused-ticket refund, that is normally a retailer refund instead of a TfL service delay refund claim.
Check first
The Transport for London bits that trip claims up
Evidence
Keep the ticket or card evidence linked to the delayed journey. Transport for London may need Oyster or contactless journey history, or for paper tickets and National Rail smartcards, contact details, journey details, delay length, and front-and-back images of the ticket or smartcard.
Trainline or another retailer
Bought through Trainline, a workplace tool, or another retailer? If you travelled late on a Transport for London service, the compensation claim goes to TfL. If you did not travel and need an unused-ticket refund, go back to the original seller.
Season tickets
Transport for London does not use the usual National Rail season-ticket divisor for service delay refunds. If your Travelcard is on Oyster, claim through your TfL online account; TfL publishes the refund amount as the single pay-as-you-go fare for the delayed journey.
Automatic refunds
Transport for London does not offer a standard opt-in automatic Delay Repay product. Some Oyster or contactless refunds may appear automatically after major disruption, so wait 48 hours where TfL advises it, then claim manually if no refund shows.
Rejections and appeals
Common Transport for London rejection reasons include a delay under the threshold, causes outside TfL control, planned engineering works, bus or tram delays, free travel, missing the 28-day deadline, or not having enough journey or ticket evidence. TfL says rejected claims can be appealed by calling Customer Services.
Payment choices
Transport for London says successful service delay refunds are paid as pay-as-you-go credit or by transfer into your bank account. Do not expect PayPal, vouchers, cheque, or charity donation unless TfL adds those options later.
Official sources: Transport for London service delay refund, Transport for London Conditions of Carriage, Transport for London refunds guidance, and National Rail compensation and refunds.
Hand it over
We chase TfL
minus the admin
Once Transport for London pays out, we send the refund on to you after our 10% fee.
No account digging. No turning one Transport for London delay into a second round of form filling.
Share the journey, we take it from there
Sign up, send the delayed Transport for London journey details, and we'll deal with the service delay refund claim.
2.
We test the rules
We match the trip to Transport for London's refund rules and the right threshold for the mode you used.
3.
Refund arrives
We chase the claim, because the admin should not take longer than the journey did.
Plain version...
That Transport for London refund should be yours
Delayed on the Elizabeth line to Heathrow, Reading, Shenfield or Abbey Wood, or on one of the London Overground's Lioness, Mildmay, Windrush, Weaver, Suffragette or Liberty routes? Transport for London's service delay refund rules are different from standard rail Delay Repay, especially for Oyster and contactless journeys.
TfL refund amount
Transport for London does not use Delay Repay percentage bands. If your service delay refund is eligible, TfL refunds the single fare or single pay-as-you-go fare for the delayed journey.
TfL service delay refund rates:
Tube or DLR
- Eligible delay
- 15+ mins
- Refund
- Single fare for the delayed journey
London Overground or Elizabeth line
- Eligible delay
- 30+ mins
- Refund
- Single fare or single pay-as-you-go fare
Paper single or return ticket
- Eligible delay
- TfL threshold must be met
- Refund
- Cash value for the delayed journey
Outside TfL control or planned works
- Eligible delay
- Not eligible
- Refund
- No service delay refund
| Service or ticket | Eligible delay | Refund |
|---|---|---|
| Tube or DLR | 15+ mins | Single fare for the delayed journey |
| London Overground or Elizabeth line | 30+ mins | Single fare or single pay-as-you-go fare |
| Paper single or return ticket | TfL threshold must be met | Cash value for the delayed journey |
| Outside TfL control or planned works | Not eligible | No service delay refund |
TfL rules:
- Transport for London uses a service delay refund scheme, not the usual National Rail Delay Repay percentage bands.
- Tube and DLR claims can qualify from 15 minutes or more late; London Overground and Elizabeth line claims can qualify from 30 minutes or more late.
- If a cancelled Transport for London service made you arrive late, treat it as a delayed journey claim, but the TfL threshold still has to be met.
- Claims must be submitted within 28 days of the delayed journey.
- Transport for London does not normally pay where the delay was outside its control, including strikes, security alerts, bad weather, engineering works, or customer incidents.
- If you did not travel and need an unused-ticket refund, that normally goes back through the retailer instead of the service delay refund route.
Ready to stop chasing it?
Sign up below and let us handle the Transport for London service delay refund from the journey that already took enough of your day.
Transport for London questions
Transport for London Delay Repay
Can I claim Transport for London Delay Repay if my Elizabeth line train was delayed?
Transport for London calls this a service delay refund rather than standard Delay Repay. For the Elizabeth line, TfL says you may be able to claim when your journey was delayed by 30 minutes or more for a reason within TfL control.
Is the Transport for London delay threshold 15 minutes or 30 minutes?
It depends which Transport for London service you used. Tube and DLR journeys use a 15-minute threshold, while London Overground and Elizabeth line journeys use a 30-minute threshold.
How long do I have to claim a Transport for London service delay refund?
Transport for London says service delay refund claims must be made within 28 days of the delayed journey. Paper ticket claims also need to be raised inside that 28-day window.
What evidence do I need for a Transport for London service delay refund?
For Oyster or contactless, TfL generally works from your online account and journey history. For a paper ticket or National Rail smartcard, TfL asks for contact details, journey date and time, origin, destination, route, delay length, and front-and-back images of the ticket or smartcard.
Does Transport for London pay automatic Delay Repay?
Transport for London does not publish a standard opt-in automatic Delay Repay scheme. It says some Oyster and contactless refunds may be issued automatically after major disruption, so wait 48 hours where TfL advises this, then claim manually if nothing appears.
Can Railed claim a Transport for London service delay refund for me?
Yes. Railed can prepare and submit an eligible Transport for London service delay refund claim for you. If TfL pays compensation, we send it on to you after our 10% service fee. If the claim is rejected, there is no fee.