Martin Lewis, the Money Saving Expert, is calling on millions of rail passengers to check if they’re due a refund. If you travelled with South West Trains between 1 October 2015 and 20 August 2017 and had a Transport for London (TfL) Travelcard, you could have been overcharged.
The deadline to claim is 10 January 2025. The case was led by campaigner Justin Gutmann, who argued that 1.4 million passengers were unfairly charged twice for parts of their journeys.
South West Trains has now agreed to pay up to £25 million in compensation to affected customers. The issue revolves around ‘boundary fares’, which ensure passengers with a TfL Travelcard only pay for the part of the journey outside the Travelcard’s zones.
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However, campaigners claimed South West Trains failed to properly inform passengers about boundary fares. Despite denying liability, the company has agreed to the settlement.
Passengers can claim between £3.85 and £5.11 per journey. If you have no evidence, you can claim up to £30 for six journeys, reports the Mirror.
With some proof (like a TfL Travelcard or train ticket), you can claim up to £100 for 20 journeys. If you have full evidence, there’s no cap on the amount you can claim.
On average, each passenger lost £27.90, so many could receive a significant refund. However, the total compensation may be divided if more claims are submitted than expected.
Who’s eligible?
To be eligible, you must have had a TfL Travelcard between 1 October 2015 and 20 August 2017, and purchased a South West Trains ticket for travel from a TfL zone to a station outside that zone. You must also have lived in the UK on 19 October 2021 and 30 April 2024, and not opted out of the case.
Only outbound journeys from London are covered. How to claim Claims can be submitted online by 10 January 2025.
If you don’t have evidence, you can claim for up to six journeys. If you do, you can claim for more.
Payments are expected in 2025. What’s next?
Justin Gutmann’s team is pursuing similar claims against other rail companies, including South Western Railway and Thameslink, with trials set for 2025.
If you think you’ve been overcharged, check your records and claim before the deadline.