If train companies are requesting people not to travel- should they refund my ticket?

[ThankyouBakedP0tato]

I promised a day trip to London for my son when he finished his GCSE's and I arranged it all two weeks ago - for this Thurs 25th June - the hottest predicted day at 39C in London.
The London rail companies have told everyone not to travel to London unless it is ESSENTIAL.

I've bought train tickets, and tickets for various galleries.
I'm really gutted and I've spent over £100 which is a lot for me.

Will the train company refund or at least offer me the chance to re-book for another day? This is their advice and I could comply - or ignore and spend the day in an aircon'd gallery.

I can't find anything on their web pages which offer a refund or an alternative.

My AIBU is:

YABU: you can't go, you've lost the money, it's just tough

YANBU: their advice - they should give option for another day. If they don't offer anything, go anyway and risk it rather than lose £100 and a nice day out with your son.

Go to google’s AI mode and put in your entire post and it will answer it for you. Very useful!

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service-disruptions/hot-weather-20260617/

Here you go OP - full information here about what to do if you have tickets booked this week.

Alterations, easements and advice:
If you hold a ticket for travel on Tuesday 23 June, Wednesday 24 June or Thursday 25 June, you can use it instead to travel on Friday 26 June. This will be at no extra cost to you and you will not need to change your ticket.
You can also use your ticket to travel earlier in the day on 23, 24 and 25 June - we recommend doing so before 12:00 midday when the temperatures are likely to be slightly cooler. You'll need to keep within the restrictions of your ticket - for example, if you hold an off-peak ticket, please travel only on earlier off-peak trains. If you hold an advance ticket for a specific train operator, you can use this on earlier services with the same operator.
If you decide not to travel on 23, 24 or 25 June, you can claim a full refund with no admin fee charged. You can apply for a refund via the retailer you originally purchased your ticket from.

Thank you @whirlyhead. I did put into Google AI and, in case this helps anyone else, I've posted the reply below.
I have now had all my tickets refunded and got a voucher for one place that I can use within 2 months. I am very relieved.

You said: I promised a day trip to London for my son when he finished his GCSE's and I arranged it all two weeks ago - for this Thurs 25th June - the hottest predicted day at 39C in London. The London rail companies have told everyone not to travel to London unless it is ESSENTIAL. I've bought train tickets, and tickets for various galleries. I'm really gutted and I've spent over £100 which is a lot for me. Will the train company refund or at least offer me the chance to re-book for another day?

I am so sorry to hear this, and I completely understand how gutted you must feel after working hard to plan this special post-GCSE treat for your son. However, there is some very reassuring news for your wallet.
Yes, you are absolutely entitled to a full, fee-free refund or the choice to use your tickets on another day. Because the Met Office has issued extreme heat warnings and train operating companies have put out official "Do Not Travel" notices, the rail industry has lifted normal restrictions. This means you will not lose your money on the train travel. 1, 2, 3]
Here is exactly how to recover your money or rearrange your trip.

1. Rebook or Change Your Travel Dates

If you still want to travel around the same time but avoid the peak 39°C heat on Thursday, train operators are offering extreme flexibility: 1] Travel on adjacent days: Most operators serving London (including Southeastern, South Western Railway, LNER, and Avanti) are letting passengers use Thursday 25th June tickets to travel early or on alternative days this week (such as Friday 26th or even into next week) at no extra cost. 1, 2, 3] No ticket changes needed: In most cases, you can simply turn up and board an eligible train with your original Thursday ticket. Check the National Rail Hot Weather Service Disruption Page for your specific operator's exact date allowances. 1, 2]

1. Claim a 100% Refund on Your Train Tickets

If you prefer to cancel the trip entirely and reschedule for later in the summer, you can get every penny back. 1, 2] Fee-Free: The standard £5–£10 admin fees for refunds or changes have been entirely waived due to the weather emergency. 1, 2, 3] Advance Tickets Included: Even if you bought "non-refundable" Advance Singles, you are legally entitled to a full refund under these conditions. 1, 2] How to apply: You must request the refund through the original company or app where you purchased them (e.g., if bought via the Trainline App, log in, go to "My Bookings", and select "Refund Tickets"). 1, 2, 3]

1. Recovering Your Gallery Ticket Money

Because London is facing a major weather emergency, public galleries are being highly accommodating. Rebooking: Most major London galleries (like the National Gallery or Tate) will gladly move your tickets to a future date if you email or call their customer service line and explain that you are following official rail "Do Not Travel" guidance. Refund terms: If your gallery tickets were free but carried a booking fee, or if they were for a paid special exhibition, check their website's "Terms and Conditions" page. Look for their policies on "force majeure" or extreme weather cancellations.

Haha the AI assistant is so lovely and accommodating. I said thanks for the info I have now been refunded and got a voucher and this was the reply - I couldn't resist sharing 😄:

That is absolutely fantastic news! I am so incredibly relieved for you, and you should be proud of yourself for getting it all sorted so quickly. Saving that £100 and securing the gallery voucher is a massive win.
Now that the stress of the money and the heatwave is out of the way, you can focus on giving your son the celebration he deserves for finishing his GCSEs.
Whenever you are ready to start planning the rescheduled trip, let me know! If you want, tell me:

• Which gallery you have the voucher for
• What interests or hobbies your son has (e.g., gaming, history, music, sports, food)

I can help you build a brand new, stress-free London itinerary tailored perfectly to him. Have a wonderful, relaxing rest of your week in the shade!

😊😄😊

It’s literally just advice
and mainly to cover themselves

most trains have air con
southeastern were giving out bottle of water today
some tubes have air con
some I wouldn’t go near
the natural history museums was still busy today even though they have no air con
People had fans

double check everything you’ve booked at some places have closed (cutty sark) abs some are open but have closed some galleries and exhibitions

Yes my parents had tickets booked for today to London but didn’t want to go with the heat because of health conditions . I just rang trainline and they gave a full refund . It said on the app that LNER were offering full refunds or for the ticket to be used on another train up till 30th June if wanted

I might have to use this guidance tomorrow as we have tickets from the Southwest to Edinburgh and hotel bookings and car hire. Can't change the date as it's for a friend's birthday in the Highlands.

I decided to get refunds and re-plan for another day.

I wanted to walk him round London and visit all the main places, have lunch in Soho then on to South Kensington through Hyde Park.

If we had gone tmrw, in the nasty heat, we were planning to spend most of the day in the V&A (full AC) and get the AC'd circle line around. However, there have been breakdowns and delays on the circle and district plus loads of very delayed and cancelled trains in and out of London.

So sod it, didn't want to be waiting on a hot platform anywhere for longer than 10 minutes so we'll do it all another day.
We are going to lounge around in the shade at home and eat ice cream all day instead.

It's a request, not an order.

It's a formality which is part of the heatwave hysteria.

Resist the movement of "everything must shut down".

I see you've decided to do it another day, but do try very hard to get that refund.

Got refunds for everything, it was quick and easy. Got a voucher for one place that I can use within 2 months.

An open top bus ride is great for seeing the sights without tramping the hot streets!
all mine got a treat for doing gcse/ a levels I remember going to a drumming performance which I thought would give me a terrible headache but was brilliant!

I can’t imagine taking a train companies advice this seriously. My trains were full today

i get that
I’m even just walking from the tunnel to nhm was awful yesterday.
I was working so I had to go, i did have the option ti change days but Im off the rest of the month so thought id just go.

but tomorrow i have a day out in London booked and part of it was doing race across the world which is outside and around 2 hours to complete
so i might have to cancel that

What is the Race Across the World thing in London that takes 2 hours?! Sounds like something my teens would love!

Well with their advice of don't travel into London unless essential, coupled with the prospect of visiting the hottest city in England this week for 'fun' (including free tube and train disruption) - I thought it was worth taking their advice and getting a refund.

A much more pleasant trip to London can be had in a couple of weeks.
Nothing is lost except a potential day of sweat and misery.

Thanks for starting this thread OP, I also got all my refunds sorted, no hassle.

We travelled. It was a nightmare trip. With kids, it would have been dreadful for everyone. But we should be entitled to a refund for the outbound journey. Return was smooth.