Most reviewers were let down by their experience overall, citing widespread dissatisfaction with the platform. Customers frequently reported extreme frustration when trying to secure refunds for cancelled or delayed train journeys, claiming that valid requests were repeatedly denied or ignored. People also heavily complained about unhelpful customer service teams and automated chat bots that completely failed to resolve basic booking issues.
Some reviewers were not happy with the booking process, noting that payment methods frequently failed or search attributes changed unexpectedly right before purchase. Additionally, travelers experienced unexpected extra charges and hidden non-refundable fees that caused frustration.
PLEASE AVOID TRAINPAL. Hope you see this before you book tickets with this company. Firstly my discount code disappeared at the point of booking tickets despite multiple attempts, so that the price increased out of nowhere. After trying various ways to make this journey cheaper (split ticket, group saver, discount code) still £15 more expensive than rival Trainline without any codes used. Made the mistake of checking the competition after buying so submitted a very straightforward price match request with identical booking details . First of all immediately rejected by what was likely a bot. Resubmitted making even clearer they owed me money, took 72 hours to reject again on completely spurious grounds. Please make my discomfort worth while by it being a cautionary tale ! You will find tickets cheaper elsewhere and if you don’t at least the booking and customer service process will be functional.
Double check everything, EVERY time you access the app!
The TrainPal app generally works well, but be VERY careful when booking, as it has an annoying habit of changing search attributes if you leave the screen and return moments later (IOS).
I have just booked a single instead of a return when I ducked out to check my email before hitting ‘Book’.
A sale email came in from TrainPal and I clicked a link just in case it reduced my fare.
My search showed a reduction of ~£4! so I booked it, only to realise moments later that the link had changed my search attributes to a Single fare???
I tried to immediately communicate the issue to the supposedly intelligent ’Bot’, but it couldn’t understand what I wanted and ignored my requests to deal with real person.
After finally making contact with customer services via email, it appears my only option is to cancel the ticket at a cost of £5 and to rebook resulting in a saving of £1 vs two single fares on a short train journey.
I have asked for stats relating to profit made from such booking errors but not expecting an honest response… I have also unsubscribed from all TrainPal ‘sale’ correspondence to avoid any reoccurrence.
Note: on longer journeys it’s well worth using the app to work out routing and then check individual connection/leg prices. I have seen some anomalies… where it’s sometimes cheaper to book each leg separately.
TrainPal took my money for a rail ticket then immediately cancelled the ticket! Try explaining that to the guard on the train TrainPal. Absolutely useless!
While service is OK, it is impossible to contact TrainPal without referencing a particular booking, so a general issue cannot be raised.
TrainPal emails end up in my Spam folder, because the content fails the threshold for (perfectly standard) spam detection, due mainly to the vast number of links to sites in suspect Top Level Domains. They also address marketing emails "Dear Traveler" (note spelling!): failing to use the customer name is also a common indicator of spam content.
TrainPal doesn’t refund the tickets if part of your trip is cancelled. Totally unfair. Hope the authorities one day become aware and take care of this.
The worst service i have ever received. I purchased a ticket and then changed it and paid extra to make it refundable as my plans were not fixed. I didnt end up using my ticket and requested a refund. I have been chasing them since 3rd August and have been messed around so many times. I got emails saying your refund is issued and then they cancel the refund. The second ticket i purchased was cheaper and when i changed it they emailed me to say they are refunding the price difference but that was also cancelled. When i chatted to them online they said we dont refund price difference if its cheaper. It is dishonest and a pain in the ass ! DONT USE TRAINPAL ! The worst mistake I have ever made and am still chasing my £120 refund!
Absolutely shocking. The tickets they gave us wasnt valid. Couldn't be used on it route planned as they told us to use the metro in Manchester. This cant be done as confirmed by staff there. Had to buy tickets through the bee network to get home and then have the cheek to claim my tickets was scanned. Yeah the original journey on Sunday but none today. Definitely moving to a different place to buy my tickets. Absolutely shocking.
Funny how when you mention a complaints procedure on live chat they wont carry on the conversation as im not professional. Everything is screenshot and i dont mind how far I take it.
Complete joke of a company, didn’t issue our tickets to us so we had to go and repurchase elsewhere but they still took the money from our account. Then have been all over the place with their story, one minute they didn’t receive the payment so couldn’t issue the tickets, then the next they apparently had issued the tickets and they were available on the app? Complete joke
I signed up to use the service due to a good deal advertised. A discounted network railcard and ticket. Did the order for the railcard m, then bought the ticket to activate it. I used the same form of payment but for some reason the railcard purchase didn’t go through. I was only buying through TrainPal due to this deal now I’m stuck with a ticket I can use till I buy a railcard and the savings on the railcard have gone as I’m now signed up. When I went through their support service I was stuck talking to a bot which couldn’t assist me. Spent 30 minutes trying to get a proper answer how it could take payment for the train ticket but not the railcard.
If you want service and helpful support do not use them.
TrainPal ruined our family trip, refused a straightforward refund for a cancelled train, and wasted days of our time
We booked tickets for a family of 6 (2 adults, 4 children) through TrainPal for the 11 July 2026 18:59 Manchester Victoria to Middlesbrough service. The train was cancelled by the operator (TransPennine Express) — we have the official cancellation email from TrainPal confirming this.
I immediately requested a refund via the TrainPal app, exactly as their system prompted. Days later I received an email saying the refund was unsuccessful due to “Manual audit fail” because the ticket had supposedly been “validated/scanned.”
This is completely false. We never boarded any train. The service never ran. We were left stranded at the station with small children and had no choice but to order an UberXL, which cost us £91.98 just to get part of the way.
I spent hours in chat with multiple TrainPal agents (Jennifer, Ethan, and others). The conversations were deeply frustrating and contradictory:
They first claimed the ticket was used.
They admitted the train was cancelled but said as a “third-party platform” they couldn’t help.
They kept asking for proof we didn’t travel while simultaneously saying a scan record existed.
They directed us to TransPennine Express’s Delay Repay portal, but offered no real assistance processing the original refund they themselves initiated.
The whole experience was stressful, time-consuming, and left us significantly out of pocket. TrainPal promotes easy booking and refunds for cancellations, yet when a real cancellation happened they failed at every step — poor communication, inaccurate records, and zero accountability.
Families should not have to fight this hard for a refund on a service that never ran. Avoid TrainPal if you value reliable support and actual refunds when things go wrong. We will be pursuing this further with the operator, our bank, and relevant consumer protection bodies.
Ditto - many of the comments submitted below. Gave up trying to obtain a refuned for a cancelled train. No point in wasting more time with details. The money lost would probably take years to be made up with 'split tickets'.
If I could give this rip off site 0 stars, then I would. I bought an open return from them, tried to use my return ticket and they said my ticket was invalid and had been used. How can this happen when I only had used the outbound ticket? Had to pay a full price ticket on the way back. So I paid for the same ticket twice. Asked them for a refund on the other ticket and was told that they couldn't refund the ticket, as both journeys had been used, which is impossible, as the return ticket hadn't been activated! Scam site!!!!!
TrainPal advertises straightforward refunds for cancelled journeys. Our Cross Country journey was cancelled in that “due to crew shortages” the train did not complete its journey to the station I had paid to travel to. No refund allowed for that part of the journey that was cancelled. TrainPal a waste of space
Train pal and national express have got alot 2 answer 4...they think.. They r so big... They can't b touched... Well they haven't met me... STUART GEORGE THORN... and i will never use these companies... Ever again... Especially being ripped off by them... Im disgusted... How i have been treated by them...they both have lost me... Now as a loyal customer... But it won't effect me... Giving them... The worst reviews ever...
I have had an absolutely terrible experience with TrainPal,couldn’t collect my tickets due to error with the number they gave me,tried getting a refund and still nothing sorted for over a month and still awaiting refund
Their app changed my tickets to a day return. When I cancelled them and rebooked it did the same thing. I was not refunded full amount each time. Discussion with the customer service was dreadful and the issue was never resolved.
These people are scammers and a complete fraud. After I paid for my ticket, I noticed they did not send me the same route that was displayed before I paid. I contacted customer service through live chat, and the agent cancelled my ticket. He mentioned he issued a full refund as it had been less than 10 minutes. However, I only received a partial refund. When I followed up, the agent sent a confirmation email stating the full refund was issued in two payments.Later on, I contacted customer service again and was told the ticket had been 'collected,' which is why only a partial refund was made.First of all, if the ticket was cancelled, how could anyone collect it?Second, why was I issued two payments in the first place instead of one full refund? This is a total scam. I have all the screenshots as proof, and if there were an option to upload them here, I would reveal these scammers.
Booking no: 1134746122388956
NOTE: Dont reply me with this message ''We apologize for the inconvenience. For further assistance, please use the link below to find our support team’s contact details in your language/country and describe your issue''
I have contacted 3 times and they comes with different story. Not HELPFUL at all. Just AVOID this company !!!!
Absolutely terrible customer service.
My train was cancelled by the train operator, not by me. TrainPal even sent me a cancellation email on the day of travel, informing me that my journey had been cancelled. Because it was a last-minute cancellation, I had no choice but to ask my wife to drive me to Heathrow Airport in our own car so I wouldn't miss my flight, causing extra expense and inconvenience.
When I contacted TrainPal for a refund, they repeatedly sent the same generic response saying the refund deadline had passed. They completely ignored the fact that their own cancellation email was sent after the refund deadline, making it impossible for me to request a refund before then.
It is extremely frustrating that customer support does not appear to read emails or review the evidence provided. Instead, they simply copy and paste template replies without addressing the actual issue.
I expected TrainPal to stand behind its customers when a train operator cancels a service, but instead I was refused a refund and offered no assistance or compensation.
Very disappointing experience. I will not be using TrainPal again and cannot recommend them to anyone.
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