ZipRail

For iPhone · in testing

Your train was late. You may be owed money.

Tapped in with contactless on the Tube or a train? ZipRail checks your TfL and National Rail journeys from your TfL account and tells you when to claim. It fills in the form. You press Submit.

Coming soon to theApp Store

Hear when it's readyJoin the waitlist

Your password goes only to TfL or the train company. Never to us.

ZipRail is free. It's being tested, and isn't in the App Store yet. Join the waitlist to hear when it launches, or to try the test version.

A sample trip. The train is 32 minutes late: claim from the train company. The Tube is 23 minutes late: claim from TfL. On the Tube, TfL's limit is more than 15 minutes.
ZipRail's journey list with sample journeys. Under Needs you, late and not claimed: Green Park to Kings Cross St Pancras on 15 September 2026, 23 minutes late, with 27 days left. Below it, one filed journey and the other journeys, each showing the fare charged.
ZipRail's own screen, with sample journeys.

Tap in with contactless

One card. Two companies.

You tap in on the Tube and on National Rail trains with the same card. In and around London, TfL charges you for both. But when a National Rail train runs late, you claim from the train company that ran it, not from TfL.

  1. You tap in

    On the Tube, DLR, London Overground, the Elizabeth line or a National Rail train. One card or phone for all of them.

  2. TfL charges you

    TfL keeps the record of every journey, trains included. ZipRail reads it from your TfL account.

  3. One runs late. Who pays?

    • Tube, DLR, London Overground, Elizabeth lineClaim from TfL
    • A National Rail trainClaim from the train company

“You can apply for Delay Repay by providing the train company you travelled with a statement of your journey from Transport for London (TfL).”

National Rail, Pay As You Go with Contactless, read on 13 October 2026

ZipRail sorts it out. It works out which company runs each leg and opens the right form. If you agree, it attaches TfL's page for the journey as proof.

Why delays go unclaimed

Sound familiar?

Delayed passengers miss out for the same few reasons. ZipRail answers each one.

  • “I didn't know I could claim.”

    Fewer than half of train passengers delayed long enough to claim did.1 ZipRail spots the journeys worth claiming.

  • “Which company do I claim from?”

    ZipRail works it out, leg by leg, and opens the right form.

  • “I paid by contactless. There's no ticket.”

    ZipRail reads your trips from your TfL account, and can attach TfL's page as proof.

  • “I'll do it later.”

    Then the deadline passes. ZipRail shows the days left on each TfL claim.

1 Of 4,775 train passengers with a delay long enough to claim for, 45% claimed or were paid for their latest one. The survey leaves out the Tube and DLR. Department for Transport and Transport Focus, Rail delays and compensation 2025.

How it works

Four steps. You press Submit.

  1. Connect TfL

    ZipRail opens TfL's own sign-in page. Your password goes only to TfL. ZipRail reads your contactless journeys, Tube and train, with your consent, on your iPhone.

    ZipRail asking which contactless card on the TfL account to read. A sample MasterCard ending 4242 is selected.

  2. See which ran late

    Late journeys go to the top of your list, under "Needs you". ZipRail checks Tube and DLR journeys by their times, and trains on the routes you choose to watch.

    ZipRail's journey list with sample journeys. Under Needs you, late and not claimed: Green Park to Kings Cross St Pancras on 15 September 2026, 23 minutes late, with 27 days left. Below it, one filed journey and the other journeys, each showing the fare charged.

  3. Claim from TfL

    For a late Tube, DLR, London Overground or Elizabeth line journey. ZipRail fills in TfL's form in your name. You check it and press Submit.

    ZipRail showing the answers it will put on TfL's refund form, for a sample journey: London Underground, Green Park to Kings Cross St Pancras, 15 September 2026 at 08:12, delayed 23 minutes. Nothing is sent until you press TfL's own Submit.

  4. Claim from the train company

    For a late National Rail train. ZipRail fills in the train company's own form in your name. You pick the train and press Submit. A trip on two train companies gets one claim for each.

    ZipRail's claim screen for a train company, for a sample journey: 11 September 2026, Stevenage to London Kings Cross, departing 18:03, pay as you go, with your TfL journey page as evidence. You pick the train and type the fare on the company's form, then press Submit. The company decides the refund, and ZipRail shows no amount.

ZipRail's own screens, with sample journeys. TfL or the train company decides each claim, and pays you directly.

The rules

ZipRail checks. You don't have to.

ZipRail checks your journeys against TfL's rules, and trains on the routes you watch against the train company's own. It tells you which are worth claiming. With alerts on, it tells you the morning after a delay on your lines and routes. Here are the rules it follows, in their own words.

TfL

When a journey runs late past TfL's limit, you can claim back the value of a single fare. You have 28 days.

  • Tube

    Delayed more than

    15min

  • DLR

    Delayed more than

    15min

  • London Overground

    Delayed more than

    30min

  • Elizabeth line

    Delayed more than

    30min

“You can apply for a service delay refund if your journey was delayed by:

  • More than 15 minutes on London Underground and DLR services
  • Or more than 30 minutes on London Overground and Elizabeth line services”

“If your claim is successful, you'll be refunded the value of a single fare for the delayed journey.”

TfL, Apply for service delay refund, read on 7 October 2026

The same page says TfL gives no delay refunds for buses or trams, or for delays outside its control, such as strikes, bad weather or engineering works. For now, ZipRail spots likely delays on Tube and DLR journeys.

National Rail

When a train runs late, you can claim Delay Repay from the train company. Each one sets its own limit.

  • Delay Repay

    Delayed for

    any reason

  • Each train company

    Sets its own

    limit

“If you are delayed for any reason when you travel on a participating National Rail service you can claim Delay Repay.”

“Compensation will depend on:

  • which train company you travelled with – different companies have different schemes, but they all offer compensation
  • the type of ticket you have …
  • the length of the delay in arriving at your destination – each train company has its own compensation threshold, which will be detailed in their Passenger’s Charter on their website.”
National Rail, Compensation and Refunds, read on 8 October 2026

ZipRail covers the trains you pay for with contactless, read from your TfL account. It spots late trains on the routes you choose to watch.

Privacy

We never see your password.

Sign-in happens on TfL's and the train company's own pages, inside ZipRail. Your password goes only to TfL or the train company. Never to us.

  • A saved password stays on your iPhone, behind Face ID or your passcode. Never in iCloud.
  • When ZipRail fills in your saved password, TfL's page can reach only TfL.
  • ZipRail keeps your journeys on your iPhone.
  • No account with ZipRail.
  • No ads, no tracking.
  • Our server keeps nothing about you, unless you turn on alerts.

Read the privacy notice

Before you ask

Fair questions.

Who makes the claim?
You do. It's your own claim, on TfL's or the train company's own form, in your name. You press Submit.
Where does my password go?
Only to TfL, or to the train company. Never to us. Sign-in happens on their own page, inside the app. If you choose to save it, it stays on your iPhone, behind Face ID or your passcode.
Does ZipRail touch my money?
No. TfL or the train company pays you directly.
What's the catch?
ZipRail is free. No ads, no tracking, and we never sell data.

Questions

Good to know.

Which journeys does ZipRail cover?

Contactless pay as you go that shows in your TfL account: TfL, and National Rail trains in London and parts of the South East. On TfL, ZipRail spots likely delays on the Tube and DLR, and fills in TfL's form for those, London Overground and the Elizabeth line. On National Rail, it spots late trains on the routes you choose to watch, and fills in the train company's own Delay Repay form.

I paid TfL. Why claim from the train company?

In and around London, TfL charges your card for contactless journeys, National Rail trains included. But Delay Repay for a late train comes from the train company that ran it. National Rail's own page says to apply to that company, with TfL's statement of your journey. ZipRail opens the right form and, if you agree, attaches TfL's page.

What if my trip uses both?

Each leg is claimed from its own company. The train leg goes to the train company, and the TfL leg to TfL.

How much will I get back?

TfL refunds the value of a single fare for a delayed journey. On National Rail, it depends on the train company, your ticket and the delay. TfL or the train company decides each claim, and pays you directly.

How long do I have to claim?

TfL asks you to claim within 28 days of the delay. On National Rail, check the train company's own rules.

What about buses and trams?

TfL's refund page says it gives no delay refunds for buses or trams.

Does ZipRail send claims?

No. ZipRail fills in the form, TfL's or the train company's. You check it and press Submit.

What does the train company see?

Your claim, in your name. If you agree, ZipRail also attaches TfL's page for that journey, as proof you travelled.

When can I get it?

ZipRail is being tested now. It isn't in the App Store yet. Join the waitlist to hear when it launches, or to try the test version.

Is ZipRail part of TfL or National Rail?

No. ZipRail is not affiliated with TfL, National Rail or any train company.

ZipRail is free.

Coming soon to theApp Store

Hear when it's readyJoin the waitlist

Questions? Email support@ziprail.co.uk.