Buying train tickets on-line

Trainline is an excellent site, I use it to buy all my tickets.

I think they add a small surcharge for tickets bought from North America.

a review of trainline.com: https://www.seat61.com/websites/who-are-trainline.htm

If the adress begins with https is it secure. Some browsers also show a padlock or similar icon when you are one a secure site.

But, I agree with tdw that you should use each rail companys site and not a third party.

You are always better off to use the national rail company of a country for tickets. I would use trainline only if there were no other source.

For the Bahn, I use this website, reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en. That's the URL I have bookmarked for the Bahn. Clicking search on the above linked website for the Bahn will take you here anyway. Might as well start here.

Note: I have noticed in the past with the Czech Republic, that you can get a better fare for a train between the Czechia and Germany from their website than from the Bahn.

I checked Munich to Prague on the direct ALX (Länderbahn). The Prague Spezial fare from the Bahn was $47.54 (42€). Trainline wanted 5% more, $49.99 plus a $1.50 booking charge for $51.49 (8.3% more). The Czech Rail fare, from CD.cz, was $27.93 !

FWIW after the Man's rave I tried buying train tix from Trainline while in Paris and it would not accept any form of payment. They couldn't help or explain.

And it's okay to pay more if you need or want help, try Raileurope or one of the travel agencies the Man recommends.

RailEurope wants $48.50 for the Munich to Prague ticket plus $7.95 booking fee, $56.45 total..

In the case of the Munich to Prague ticket, it is a Prague-Spezial ticket. This ticket, if purchased online from the Bahn, Trainline, or RailEuropeis non-refundable. However, Prague-Spezial tickets can be purchased in Germany any time right up to travel time from a ticket counter or automat for the same price, so you don't have to purchase them in advance and take a chance of not being able to use them.

The same is true for Regional- and Länder-Tickets, like the Bayern-Ticket. These are no cheaper if purchased online in advance; you can always purchase them for the same price at the station just prior to boarding, and then, as opposed to online purchase, you are not taking a risk.

Spar-Preis tickets, on the other hand, cannot be purchased the day of travel, and they get more expensive the closer to travel time you get (lower priced tickets sell out first). There is an advantage (and a risk) to purchasing Spar-Preis tickets online before you leave.

I would never purchase a Spar-Preis ticket for a connection right after I arrived from the US; too big a risk. In 2017, I flew into FRA, then took local trains to the Rhein Gorge (St Goar). Two days later, after exploring the gorge area, and when I know I would be able to make a committed train, I used a Spar-Preis ticket to go to the Ost Allgäu (near Füssen).

I think a common, expensive mistake that American's make is thinking that they have to have all of their rail tickets purchased in advance, before they leave this country. I'll let you in on a secret. Germans, when they want to travel from their home to a nearby city, don't come to the US to buy their tickets online. They buy them at the station when they travel. You can too.

Traveling by train in Europe is not like traveling by plane in the US, where you need to buy your tickets months in advance. Traveling by train in Europe is more like taking the bus downtown. Relax!

I would like to thank all for your replies.
I just purchased my first ticket.
Thanks
RalfG

RalfG, Good for you! These small victories count.