Free Cancellation

Travel plans are rarely set in stone. Unexpected illnesses, on-ground realities at work, or changing family preferences can leave you in a situation where you need to either postpone your travel altogether, change the destination that you’re planning to visit, or the mode of transport you’re planning to take to get there. If you’ve booked train tickets for an upcoming journey, cancelling your ticket may cause you to incur a cancellation fee, which can certainly pinch your pocket.

To help travellers cope with last-minute train ticket cancellations, redRail offers a Free Cancellation service that allows customers to cancel their train tickets without incurring cancellation charges. That means you get a full refund on your train ticket purchase with no penalty whatsoever.

Read on to learn more about the Free Cancellation feature of redRail, how it works, how you can opt for it, and how to cancel your train ticket easily and at no cost with redRail.

Free Cancellation is an add-on service available on selected train tickets booked through redRail. It allows passengers to cancel eligible train tickets without paying standard IRCTC train ticket cancellation charges, provided the cancellation is made within the eligible time window. 

Availing of this feature requires you to pay a nominal fee at the time of booking your ticket, but it gives you peace of mind, knowing you have the flexibility to change your travel dates without incurring any penalty. The Free Cancellation feature is a great alternative if any of the following apply:

• You’re booking train tickets well in advance of the travel date
• Your travel plans haven’t firmed up - you might be waiting for your leave to get approved or for an event ticket to get confirmed.
• You’re booking tickets for someone else or for a group of travellers.
• You’re working with a tight travel budget and absolutely can’t afford to bear the financial impact of train ticket cancellation penalties.

The Free Cancellation feature on redRail is straightforward. While booking your train ticket on redRail, you can filter search results to show trains for which this feature is available. If you book one of the trains shown in this list, the Free Cancellation feature will automatically be applied to your booking. 

However, if you do not select the option before searching, you will need to ensure it is selected when booking your ticket. Once your ticket is booked, the Free Cancellation feature applies, and you can cancel it before the IRCTC chart is prepared without incurring any cancellation charges.

Opting for Free Cancellation on redRail is simple. You can do it when booking your train ticket on the redRail website or app. Here is a step-by-step guide:

1. Go to redRail on the redBus website or open the redRail app.
2. Choose the boarding station, destination station and travel dates. Then click on the ‘Search’ button to view available trains.
3. Click on the ‘Free Cancellation’ button to ensure that this service applies to your booking.
4. Select the train you wish to travel by and your desired travel class.
5. Enter your IRCTC username, passenger details, and contact details, and other travel preferences. Then, click on ‘Continue’ to proceed with payment.
6. Complete payment for your train ticket via a range of convenient online payment options.
7. Input your IRCTC password to confirm the booking, and save your PNR for future reference.
8. Save your PNR number for future reference.

Cancelling train tickets on redRail is also easy. You can cancel the entire booking or select specific passengers from the same PNR, depending on your requirement and ticket eligibility. Here is the step-by-step process for train ticket cancellation:

1. Log in to the redBus website or redRail app using your login credentials.

2. At the bottom of the screen, you will see a tab ‘My Bookings’. Tap on this button. You will see the entire list of train tickets that you have booked on redRail.

3. Select the ticket you want to cancel, then tap ‘Review and Cancel’ to proceed with cancelling your train ticket.

4. Choose whether you want to cancel the entire ticket or only the travel for selected passengers.

5. Review the cancellation details and confirm the cancellation.

6. Check the cancelled ticket details under the “Cancelled” section.

7. Once cancelled, the details of the cancelled ticket will be shown in the ‘Cancelled’ tab.

Make sure you cancel the ticket before the IRCTC chart is prepared to use the Free Cancellation benefit. Once the cancellation is complete, you will receive a refund to your account within 5 to 7 business days, and you can track your refund status on the redRail app or redBus website.

The Free Cancellation service by redRail offers tremendous value to train travellers in India. Key benefits include:

• Greater flexibility to adjust travel dates without paying IRCTC cancellation charges. This is especially useful when planning travel for events, medical appointments or business trips.
• Ability to book travel in advance and take advantage of lower fares, which is particularly useful when booking travel in groups.
• redRail allows travellers to cancel their tickets easily on the app or website. You do not need to visit a railway station or coordinate with any third party to cancel your ticket; instead, you can do so easily from the comfort of your home.

The Free Cancellation service offered by redRail differs from standard IRCTC cancellation. As per IRCTC train ticket cancellation guidelines, travellers pay a cancellation fee according to the fee structure mentioned below, varying with how early before departure the ticket is cancelled:

• Up to 48 hours before departure: A minimum fee of ₹120 + GST for Sleeper Class, ₹180 + GST for AC Chair Car, ₹200 + GST for AC II-Tier / First Class and ₹240 + GST for Executive Class.

• Between 12 and 48 hours from departure: 25% of the fare or the minimum fee mentioned above, whichever is higher.

• Between 4 and 12 hours from departure: 50% of the fare or the minimum fee mentioned above, whichever is higher.

• Less than 4 hours before departure: No refund.

If a waitlisted ticket is cancelled under standard IRCTC cancellation up to 4 hours before departure, ₹20 is deducted towards GST, while the balance amount is refunded.

However, with Free Cancellation on redRail, passengers can avail of zero cancellation charges as long as they cancel within the applicable time limit. The only thing travellers need to ensure is that they select the Free Cancellation service on redRail when booking their train ticket.