TfL refunds
How to claim for delays, overcharges and Oyster credit
If you're a regular commuter in London, it's likely you've experienced Tube delays or been overcharged by TfL before. This guide explains how to claim a TfL refund if your journey was delayed, you were overcharged when tapping in or out, or you have unused Oyster credit to reclaim.
TfL refunds: One minute summary
If you're looking to claim a refund from Transport for London (TfL), it's likely you fall into one of these categories:
Claim for delayed Tube journeys. If your Tube journey was delayed by at least 15 minutes, you're entitled to a 'service delay refund'.
Reclaim overcharges. This usually happens when you don't complete a journey by 'tapping out', causing TfL to charge you the maximum fare.
Get money back from old Oyster cards. Used an Oyster card but have since switched to contactless? You may be able to reclaim unused credit.
Issue | Typical refund | How long you've got |
|---|---|---|
Delayed journey | Single 'Pay as you go' (PAYG) fare | 28 days |
Overcharged (didn't tap in or out) | Difference between correct fare and maximum fare | 8 weeks |
Unused Oyster balance | Remaining credit (plus card deposit on Oysters taken out before 4 September 2022) | No time limit |
Refunds for delayed Tube and TfL journeys
It's common to try and get your money back for delayed National Rail services (see our Train delays guide for more), but many people don't know you're also entitled to money back if your London Underground, DLR, Overground or Elizabeth line service is delayed.
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London Underground and DLR services. You can claim a refund if your journey's been delayed by at least 15 minutes
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London Overground and Elizabeth line services. You can claim a refund if your journey's been delayed by at least 30 minutes
What refund can I get for a delayed journey?
You'll get back the cost of a single pay-as-you-go (PAYG) fare for the journey you actually made, known as a 'service delay refund'. So if you decided to get off early due to the delay, you’ll only be refunded for the journey between the station where you tapped in and the station where you tapped out.
This applies even if you didn't pay full whack. For instance, if you made the journey on a daily, weekly or monthly travel card, you'd still get the PAYG single fare back. And if your journey started at peak time, you'll be refunded the peak fare.
See the TfL website for full info on fares.
How do I claim a refund for a delayed journey?
TfL says some refunds are issued automatically within 48 hours, though many passengers will still need to apply manually.
Here's how to do it:
To apply online, log in to your account on the TfL website and click on 'Service Delay Refunds'. You'll be asked to provide info about your journey and the details of card or payment method you used, such as an Oyster card, contactless debit or credit card, or Apple Pay or Google Pay. Simply add the relevant card to your TfL account – this can be done before or after the delay. If you don't have an account, you can sign up for free.
You have to claim within 28 days of the delay, though TfL says you should wait at least 48 hours before claiming as you might get an automatic refund. TfL will email to tell you if your claim has been successful or not. Refunds usually take a couple of days and should come through within seven days at the most.
How will I receive my refund?
You have a choice:
Get it paid into your bank account. If you were travelling using a contactless card or paper ticket, this is your only option.
Get it loaded back onto your Oyster card. The refund will be added back as PAYG credit when you next touch in at a station or on a bus.
The Oyster card needs to be registered before you can receive a service delay refund, though you can still do this after the delayed journey.
Can I auto-claim Tube delay refunds?
Yes, but doing so is no longer free. Reeclaim, formerly Train Reeclaim, is a tool for auto-claiming TfL delay refunds for journeys made with contactless bank cards (not Oyster). It checks your Tube, DLR, London Overground and Elizabeth line journeys for delays, then pre-fills claims for you to approve.
How to use Reeclaim to auto-claim refunds
You need to sign up for an account and link your online TfL account and a payment card. Reeclaim offers a 14-day free trial, then you'd have to pay for a Basic plan (£3.99 per month) for one card and delay refunds only, while Pro (£7.99 per month) also covers incomplete journey refunds and up to five cards.
If TfL approves a claim, the refund is usually paid back to your contactless card within five to 10 working days. As it’s a third-party service and not endorsed by TfL, only use it if you’re comfortable linking your TfL account.
As Reeclaim now charges a monthly fee, consider whether you'd claim enough refunds to make it worthwhile – especially when you can submit claims yourself for free.
TfL refunds if you were overcharged
You can also claim back money if you were overcharged for a particular journey. This can happen for a number of reasons and is more common than you may think.
The latest data shows that TfL recorded revenue of over £210m from incomplete journeys in 2025 (although this doesn't account for potential outstanding contactless and Oyster refunds).
Why you may be due a refund
Refunds are typically due after failing to tap in or out on a journey. You'll be charged the maximum fare in this instance – usually up to £8.90 at peak times but even more at some stations (see a full list of maximum fares).
TfL will automatically take this charge, even if it wasn't your fault. Here's a list of common reasons you may tap out incorrectly and end up with a maximum fare charge:
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Card clash. This is when you have two or more contactless cards close together, such as in the same wallet or phone case, and the reader picks up the wrong one.
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A failed card read. Sometimes the reader seems to accept your card, but the touch does not register properly in TfL’s system, meaning you can still be charged incorrectly.
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Duplicate contactless charges. If the same bank card is linked to more than one device or digital wallet, TfL can sometimes record the wrong one or charge you twice.
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Touching in and out with different cards or devices. If you start your journey with one card or device and finish it with another – for example, tapping in with your physical bank card and tapping out with a digital wallet version – TfL may treat them as separate payment methods and charge a maximum fare for not tapping out.
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Route or zone miscalculations. Sometimes TfL may work out the wrong fare for your journey, or assume you travelled through more zones than you actually did.
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Old unpaid journeys. If there’s an earlier incomplete or unpaid journey still on your account, TfL can sometimes carry that forward and add an extra charge later.
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Power cuts or broken machines. If there’s a power cut or a faulty barrier or machine, your journey may not be recorded correctly and you could be charged a maximum fare for not tapping out.
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Station evacuations. If you have to leave a station suddenly during an evacuation, TfL may not have a full record of your journey and could overcharge you.
Quick questions
How are refunds calculated?
You'll get the difference between the fare you should have paid for your journey and the maximum fare you were charged.
For example, imagine you travelled from Victoria to Angel at peak time, but couldn’t tap out. TfL would charge the maximum fare of £8.90, but the correct fare was actually £3.10 – so you could claim back £5.80
What if I didn't tap in?
TfL often refunds for honest mistakes if you forget to tap out. But it sees forgetting to touch in as fare evasion.
That doesn't mean you can't claim a refund if you're convinced it was TfL's fault (for example, because of a broken machine) and we haven't heard of TfL retrospectively charging penalty fares, but it's worth being aware before you claim.
What is an 'automatic refund' for an incomplete journey?
TfL says it sometimes gives out automatic refunds, because it can predict where you should have tapped out but couldn't. Automatic refunds are marked in your online journey history.
TfL's system can recognise regular journeys, for example, between your home and work, and from that work out where it thinks you meant to tap out. If you think it calculated the wrong amount, contact TfL.
Check if you're owed a refund
Sign into your account (or create one for free) on the TfL website to check your journey history. Link your payment method(s) (Oyster, contactless card or the card you use for contactless mobile payment, for example, via Apple Pay) to your TfL account if you haven't already.
You should be notified of possible incomplete journeys when you sign in. If you're not, select the relevant card/account under 'My contactless cards' or 'My Oyster cards', then 'Journey & payment history' and then the 'Journey history' tab. Look for journeys with a yellow warning triangle – they're usually incomplete.
You can view journeys made with contactless cards and contactless mobile payments for up to 13 months, though refunds can only be claimed for journeys made within the past eight weeks. For Oyster journeys, journey history is available for around eight to nine weeks after travel, and refunds must be claimed within eight weeks.
How to claim a TfL overcharge refund
Click a journey with a yellow triangle and it should say: "You may have been charged a maximum fare for this journey because we have no record of where you touched in/out." Just fill in the form that appears underneath this with your journey info and explain why you didn’t touch out, then submit your claim.
If you prefer to apply by phone, then the process is similar. Call TfL customer services on 0343 222 1234, which costs the same as calling a normal 020 number.
How will I get my refund?
TfL says you'll be notified within 10 days (although it can be much sooner) to let you know if your claim has been successful. How you get your refund depends on whether you used a contactless bank card or an Oyster:
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If you used contactless. Refunds will either be applied to outstanding travel charges or, if you haven't got any of those, it will be credited to your contactless card.
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If you used an Oyster card. It's possible to get refunded to your Oyster card, but you'll need to pick a station for your card to be credited at when you next tap in. Alternatively, you can provide your bank details and get the refund paid into your account.
Remember – NEVER lie. That's fraud.
Currently, TfL doesn't appear to be verifying every claim (though it says it has systems to flag suspicious claims).
But never be tempted to lie or stretch the truth when making a claim, for example, by saying your trip ended in Zone 2 rather than Zone 6. Deliberately giving false information to avoid paying the correct fare could be treated as fraud or fare evasion, which can lead to prosecution, fines and a criminal record.
TfL says it prosecutes thousands of fare evaders each year.
Oyster card refunds
TfL figures from March 2026 show more than 94 million Oyster cards hadn't been used for at least a year. Together, there's more than a whopping £554 million sitting on them in unused deposits and pay-as-you-go (PAYG) credit.
Could you have money stuck on an old Oyster card?
If you no longer need an Oyster card, you may be able to reclaim any unused pay-as-you-go (PAYG) credit on it. Depending on when your card was issued, you may also be able to get back the original card charge.
Your refund depends on when you bought your Oyster
Cards issued before 23 February 2020. You can reclaim the refundable £5 deposit and PAYG credit.
Cards issued between 23 February 2020 and 3 September 2022. The £5 card fee was automatically added back to the card as PAYG credit after one year. You can reclaim this, plus any other unused PAYG credit on the card.
Cards issued from 4 September 2022 onwards. The original £7 fee is non-refundable but you can still claim any remaining PAYG credit.
Bear in mind that once you request a refund, your Oyster card will be stopped and can no longer be used.
How to reclaim your Oyster balance and deposit
Firstly, you'll need to check your balance to know if there's anything to reclaim – you can do this by registering your card online, or checking at a Tube station ticket machine. Then follow the steps below:
Online. Sign in to your Oyster account (or create one for free if you don't already have one). Select the Oyster card you would like to be refunded (if it isn't registered, you'll need to link your card to your account first) and hit the 'Apply for a product refund' button. Follow the instructions to get a refund to your bank account.
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By email. Get in touch with TfL by filling in this online form – include your contact details and your Oyster card number. TfL aims to reply within 10 working days.
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By phone. To apply over the phone, call TfL customer services on 0343 222 1234 (which costs the same as a normal 020 number) with your Oyster card number. It's open 8am to 8pm, seven days a week.
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At stations. If you have £10 or less PAYG credit, you can get a refund from Tube station ticket machines. Just touch your Oyster on the yellow card reader, select 'Oyster refund' and follow the instructions. The ticket machine will give you a refund in cash.
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By post. Write to TfL Customer Services, 9th Floor, 5 Endeavour Square, London E20 1JN. Again, include your contact details and Oyster card number.
What if your Oyster card is lost, stolen or not working?
If you lose your Oyster card, it's stolen or it stops working, notify TfL and it will transfer your credit to a new Oyster card and cancel the old card – as long as the old card is registered.
If you didn't register your old card, you cannot get a refund or replacement.
You can report an Oyster card as lost, stolen or not working by signing into your TfL account, selecting the card, clicking or tapping on 'Report card lost, stolen or failed' and following the instructions. If you want to do it over the phone, call TfL customer services on 0343 222 1234 between 8am and 8pm.
For full info on what to do about lost, stolen or faulty Oyster cards, see the 'Refunds and replacements' section of the TfL website.
Can you claim a credit refund on Visitor Oyster cards?
Visitor Oyster cards are aimed at tourists and work in a very similar way to normal Oyster cards. You can top them up with credit and you're charged the same fares on the TfL network. The key difference is that they can only be bought before you arrive in London and come pre-loaded with a chosen amount of credit.
There's a slightly different process when claiming back credit. TfL says you can only apply for a Visitor Oyster card refund in two ways.
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Over the phone. By calling 0343 222 1234.
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By post. Send your Visitor Oyster card and contact details to TfL Customer Services, 9th Floor, 5 Endeavour Square, London E20 1JN
Visitor Oyster credit doesn't expire so it may be worth keeping your card if you plan to return to London. The Visitor Oyster will be cancelled and can't be used again once a refund is processed.
What to do if your TfL refund claim is rejected
If your journey delay, overcharge or Oyster card refund claim is rejected by TfL, there are a few things you can do to try and get them to look at your case again.
Complain to TfL directly
If you're unhappy with a decision you can try complaining directly to TfL using its online form. While it isn't a specific refund complaints form, TfL aims to respond to your query within 10 working days.
Use Resolver if you want help with your complaint
Resolver* helps you draft and manage your complaint. It's free to use and offered by a firm called Resolving UK which we work with to help people get justice.
If your complaint isn't resolved, Resolver will automatically escalate it to watchdog London TravelWatch, which can ask TfL to resolve your case. It doesn't have the power to force TfL to do anything it doesn't want to do though.
Court is the final option
If all else fails, you could technically take your claim to court. Think carefully about whether you want to go to that much trouble though, and whether it's worth it – generally it's far better to use this as a last-resort threat. See our Small claims court guide for more.
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