compensation passenger rights
I Bought My Ticket via Omio or Trainline — Who Do I Claim From?
TL;DR
You claim from the company that actually ran the train — not from Omio, Trainline, or Rail Europe. These sites are resellers. Under EU Regulation 2021/782, the train operator is legally responsible for your delay, regardless of where you bought your ticket. Your booking confirmation will show you which company operated the service.
The short answer
Claim from the train operator, not the booking platform.
Omio, Trainline, Rail Europe, and similar sites are ticket resellers. They connect you to train operators and process your payment, but they do not run the trains. When your train is delayed, the legal obligation to compensate you falls on the company that actually operated the service — DB, Eurostar, SNCF, Renfe, SJ, or whoever is shown on your ticket.
This confuses a lot of passengers. It should not. The rule is simple: look at your ticket, find the operator's name, and claim from them.
Why the booking platform does not matter for compensation
Under EU Regulation 2021/782, the right to compensation belongs to the passenger, and the obligation sits with the railway undertaking — the company operating the train. Article 19 of the regulation states this clearly. It does not matter how you bought your ticket, what currency you paid in, or whether you used a comparison site.
Omio and Trainline have no legal obligation to compensate you for a delayed train. They did not delay your train. The operator did.
Some booking platforms do offer a claims assistance service — Trainline has one in the UK, for example — but these are optional services, not legal obligations. You always have the right to claim directly from the operator, and you do not need to use a third-party platform to do so.
How to find out which company operated your train
Check your booking confirmation. It will name the operating company — usually in the section that lists your train details.
If your ticket was for a cross-border journey with multiple legs, each leg may have a different operator. The compensation claim for each leg goes to the operator of that specific leg.
For international trains like the Eurostar (London to Paris or Brussels), the operator is Eurostar International. For Paris to Frankfurt via TGV and ICE, you may have two operators — SNCF for the French leg and DB for the German leg.
If you are unsure, search the train number online. Sites like Trainline, Raileurope, or the operator's own timetable will confirm who runs a given service.
Step by step: claiming from each major operator when you booked via a third party
Deutsche Bahn (DB)
Visit bahn.de and switch the site to English using the language selector in the top right corner. Go to 'Service and Help', then 'Passenger Rights', then 'Delay Compensation'. You will need your booking reference and the date of travel. DB also accepts claims through the DB Navigator app.
Eurostar
Go to the Eurostar website and search for 'Delay Repay' or 'Compensation'. You will fill in a short online form with your booking reference, journey date, and how long you were delayed. Eurostar uses a 60-minute threshold under EU rules.
SNCF (French trains)
Visit oui.sncf or sncf-connect.com. The site is available in English. Look for 'Customer Service' then 'Claim Compensation'. SNCF covers TGV INOUI and Intercites services under EU 2021/782.
Renfe (Spanish trains)
Visit renfe.com and select the English version. Go to 'Customer Service' and look for 'Passenger Rights' or 'Compensation'. Renfe covers long-distance AVE and Alvia services.
SJ (Swedish trains)
Visit sj.se or sj.se/en for the English version. Go to 'Help & Contact' and then 'Compensation for delays'. SJ covers most long-distance services in Sweden under EU rules.
What if the operator says 'you did not buy from us'?
This does happen, and it is not a valid reason to refuse your claim.
The operator cannot make your right to compensation conditional on having bought directly from them. Under EU Regulation 2021/782, any passenger on a covered service is entitled to claim — regardless of where the ticket was purchased.
If an operator refuses on this basis, cite Article 19 of EU Regulation 2021/782 in your response and ask them to reconsider. If they still refuse, escalate to the national rail regulator in the country where the operator is based.
Hold onto your booking confirmation as proof that you were on the train. A third-party booking confirmation is perfectly valid evidence.
Can Omio or Trainline help you claim?
Sometimes, yes — as a courtesy.
Trainline's UK app has a 'Claim Delay Repay' feature that helps you submit a claim for UK train operators. It does the legwork of identifying the operator and directing your claim correctly. This can be useful if you are not sure where to go.
Omio does not currently offer a claims submission service, but their customer support can help you identify which operator ran your train.
Neither platform is legally required to help you claim, and neither is responsible for the outcome. Using them for claims assistance is optional. You can always go directly to the operator.
When to use a claims service like TrainOwed
If you bought through a third party and you are not sure which operator to contact, or if you have already tried and been ignored, TrainOwed can help.
We identify the correct operator, submit the claim in the right format, handle any correspondence, and appeal if the claim is rejected. Because we work on a no-win, no-fee basis, you pay nothing unless we succeed.
This is particularly useful for international journeys with multiple operators, or for claims on non-English operators where the online forms are in German, French, or Spanish.
Key takeaway: the booking platform is irrelevant. Your legal right to compensation runs against the company whose name is on your ticket. Find that company, submit your claim, and if they push back — you have the law on your side.
"Passengers have the right to receive compensation from railway undertakings where they face a delay at the final destination." — EU Regulation 2021/782, Article 19
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I claim from Omio or from the train company?▾
From the train company. Omio is a reseller. The legal obligation to compensate you sits with the railway operator — DB, Eurostar, SNCF, Renfe, or whoever ran the delayed train. Check your booking confirmation for the operator's name.
The operator says my booking is not in their system — what do I do?▾
This is not a valid reason to refuse your claim. Show your third-party booking confirmation as proof you were on the train. Cite Article 19 of EU Regulation 2021/782. The operator cannot require you to have bought directly from them.
Does it matter that I paid in GBP or USD via a booking site?▾
No. Your compensation is calculated as a percentage of what you actually paid for your ticket, in whatever currency. Convert to the operator's local currency if needed. The booking platform and payment currency have no effect on your right to claim.
Can Trainline claim on my behalf?▾
Trainline's UK app has a Delay Repay feature for UK operators, which helps you submit a claim. For European operators, they do not offer a claims submission service. You can claim directly from the operator or use a service like TrainOwed.
I have a split-ticket booked via a third party — who do I claim from?▾
Each ticket is separate. You claim from the operator of the specific train that was delayed. If you missed a connection because of a delay and both legs were on separate tickets, your right to claim depends on whether the tickets were sold as a combined journey — if they were, the first operator may be liable for the full delay. If they were truly separate bookings, you claim from each operator individually.
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