Virgin Trains offers delayed passengers automatic cash refund by default

Securing refunds on delayed train journeys just got easier.

Virgin Train passengers who are delayed on their journey will be automatically offered compensation cheques rather than vouchers.

Travellers using Virgin's east and west coast routes who apply for compensation following delays of 30 minutes or more will be offered a cheque first (or cash where possible), with the option of taking rail vouchers if they prefer.

The rail giant said it is working on ways to offer even more direct compensation payments.

Up until recently, compensation was paid in vouchers but, since July, all rail passengers have been able to request money back instead. Virgin is the first rail firm to offer cheque compensation by default.

It marks the expansion of a system launched last October, which allows west coast commuters who paid for their 'Advance tickets' online to be automatically repaid into their account in the event of a delay.

Around 5% of trains run by Virgin Trains were either cancelled, at least 30 minutes late or missed a scheduled stop in the 12 months to 5 March 2016, according to Network Rail figures. This compares to an average of 3% across England and Wales.

How it works

Compensation from Virgin Trains is based on its Delay Repay system, which is similar to what train operators use. It gives you compensation if your journey is delayed by 30 minutes or more.

As mentioned before, if you're an Advance ticketholder then you don't have to do anything. If your train is delayed, the money should appear in your account within three working days, though it's usually one.

For those whose tickets aren’t eligible for automatic compensation, you can still take the long way round and apply normally. Just fill in a claim form which can be found on the Virgin Trains website.

And the others?

It varies slightly from operator to operator, but they offer:

• Up to a 50% refund on a single ticket for delays of between 30 minutes and an hour
• Up to a 100% refund on a single day ticket between one and two hours
• Up to a 100% refund on the cost of a return ticket for delays of more than two hours

Many train operators already offer cheques as compensation - check their company website for details.

Not all great news

Rival train companies have been urged to follow suit, but there is a snag in proceedings: the proposed law to enforce cheques instead of rail vouchers has been delayed by up to 18 months.

Instead of being implemented today (6th April), it's now been delayed until October 2016 - and if the parliament votes in favour this summer, we could be waiting until October 2017.

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