If you’ve checked your bank statement or PayPal account and noticed a pending payment but haven’t received your ticket, don’t worry — here’s what might have happened and what to do next.
💡 Step 1: Check if your booking went through
If you didn’t receive a confirmation email after booking:
Log in to your Trainline account (in the app or on our website) to check if the booking was successful.
If you don’t have an account or still can’t find your booking, please contact us before trying to book again.
💳 Step 2: Why a pending payment might appear
Credit or debit card payments
When you pay by card, your bank first authorises the payment — this is like a hotel deposit.
They temporarily hold the money and give us permission to take it if the booking succeeds.
If your booking fails or is cancelled, we never complete the payment, and your bank will automatically release the funds.
Depending on your bank, this can take a few hours up to several days.
You might see this authorisation in the “pending” or “future transactions” section of your statement before it disappears.
PayPal payments
When you pay via PayPal, your payment stays pending until your booking is processed.
If your booking fails, we do not collect the payment, and the pending charge is automatically cancelled by PayPal once the cancellation is processed.
⏱ Step 3: Why the charge still appears
Pending charges show because your bank or PayPal has temporarily reserved the funds for us.
Since your booking wasn’t completed, we won’t take the payment — it will disappear automatically once your bank or PayPal releases it.
✅ Step 4: What to do next
No action is usually needed.
Pending charges are automatically removed within a few hours to a few days (depending on your bank).
If you’d like extra confirmation, you can contact your bank or PayPal directly for an update.