V/Line vs Tourist Refund Scheme
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
V/Line
Plan your train journeys with real-time updates and platform information. Save favorite routes for quick access to upcoming services, including details on train type, accessibility, and bike storage.
- Save favorite journeys
- View next five train services
- Platform information
- Train type and accessibility details
- Bike storage capacity
- Live service updates
- Timetables and journey planner access
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• Save your favourite journeys to see your next five train services at a glance. • View platform information for services departing and arriving into Southern Cross Station. • See what train will be running your service, the number of accessible spaces on-board, and how many bikes can be stowed in the bike storage areas. • Easily access live service updates, timetables and the plan your journey tool on V/Line’s website.
Tourist Refund Scheme
Prepare your Tourist Refund Scheme claims before arriving at the airport. Enter your purchase details, save your progress, and generate a QR code for faster processing at the departure counter.
- Enter TRS claim information
- Save claim progress
- Edit claims over multiple sessions
- Generate QR code claim code
- Faster processing at TRS counter
- Dedicated queue access
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This is the Department of Home Affairs Tourist Refund Scheme (TRS) mobile application (the app). The app will allow you to enter the information that is required to lodge a TRS claim. The app will save the information to your mobile device, allowing you to edit the claim over multiple sessions. When you have finished entering your information it will be stored in a QR code on your device. This QR code is your TRS claim code. You must present your TRS claim code to an officer at the TRS counter on your departure from Australia. If you successfully enter your claim details using this app, processing your claim at the TRS counter when you depart should be faster and you will be able to use a dedicated queue to lodge your TRS claim.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: V/Line at 5.0 against Tourist Refund Scheme's 4.0. Tourist Refund Scheme's advantage is ratings volume (56 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
V/Line holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tourist Refund Scheme has 56 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 8% of V/Line's written reviews are positive against 13% of Tourist Refund Scheme's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
V/Line ships an update every 6 months, Tourist Refund Scheme every 5 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | V/Line | Tourist Refund Scheme |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | 4.0 (56 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 7.5% of reviews | 13.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 56 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 5 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 16 MB | 19 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | V/Line Corporation | Department of Home Affairs |
Customer experience
V/Line
Tourist Refund Scheme
Bugs and requests
V/Line
Reported bugs
53 issues- Widget unavailable
- Timetable not displayed
- Next 5 not working
- App not working properly
- Next 5 not working for iphone 15
Show 48 moreShow fewer
- Message: Please check your internet connection
- App still not working
- No services from X to Y could be retrieved
- Next Five function hasn’t worked for about three years
- Albury/Wodonga line not an option
- No departures or arrivals visible
- App crashes
- Live line status not visible on ipad mini
- Next 5 feature broken for weeks
- App has a bug
- Next 5 function doesn’t show trips on added stations
- App stopped working for 2 weeks
- Next 5 Function Broken
- Next 5 train function doesn’t work
- Random misc error messages
- Nominated service runs with wrong carriage count
- Large lag time in sending alerts
- Next 5 function is unavailable
- Next 5 option doesn't show any timetable
- App saying no internet connection
- App isn’t working on iPhone for Next 5 since IOS17
- User interface is clunky and does not even work
- No real-time updates
- Journey planner doesn’t show journey
- No way to look at earlier or later services
- App doesn’t show real time arrival times
- Delay info not in the app
- App is great for on-the-go traveler but has issues
- Booking a ticket issues
- No seat information visible
- Quiet carriage is always full
- Countdown feature only gives next available train
- Journey planner fails to load multiple times
- Widget function no longer works
- Next 5 arrivals/departures section not working
- Next 5 not working on iPhones
- Next 5 feature broken on personal phone for years
- App not working in iPhone 12
- Next 5 and departures/arrivals doesn’t work
- Next 5 train schedule does not work
- Widget feature no longer works after latest update
- Next 5 option
- App saying no internet connection
- App not working properly anymore
- Widget doesn’t work anymore
- App not working properly
- Widget doesn’t work
- Next 5 function broken
Requested features
21 requests- Ability to toggle more than next five
- Modify day/date for travel
- Dynamic timetables
- Live tracking
- White and dark mode
Show 16 moreShow fewer
- Merge V/Line into PTV
- Filter out timetabled coach services
- Filter for direct point A to B services
- Show specific line with all times
- Live tracking feature
- Pop up notifications for delays/cancellations
- Option to create account and save details
- See previous trains
- More comprehensive trip planning information
- Ability to move earlier and later in the day
- Display stops along the way in journey planner
- Real-time arrival times
- Default carriage to standard, not quiet
- Clearly indicate quiet carriage
- 24-hour time format option
- User friendly interface for journey planner
Tourist Refund Scheme
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
V/Line
No in-app purchases
Tourist Refund Scheme
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is V/Line free?
Is Tourist Refund Scheme free?
Which has better reviews, V/Line or Tourist Refund Scheme?
Do V/Line or Tourist Refund Scheme have ads?
Which is updated more often, V/Line or Tourist Refund Scheme?
Other comparisons
