Train travel for seniors should we book online in advance

I have not seen senior discounts on either the Trenitalia or the Italo trains. Younwill get the best discount by buying far enough in advance to get the Super Economy fares which are heavily discounted---but non-refundable.

I don't see any senior specials on their website. I would book their super economy fares as soon as you can to get the best prices. You don't mention when you're going but you might still be able to get cheap tickets if you book now.

Donna

We too are seniors and have done a great deal of research on booking and discounted fares. You can't book a senior fare online. Can only do in person since proof is required. A card needs to be purchased to qualify. Believe the card is 30 euros. Honestly, have found that the discounts on advance purchases are either equal to or greater than the senior fares. Enjoy your trip, safe travels!

There are no senior fares. There is no Senior Card you can purchase. There are deep discounts for Super-Economy on Trenitalia, and there is a Cartafreccia Senior which you can apply for but requires an Italian address.

If you book in advance and get the Super-Economy fares, they are as good or better than the Cartafreccia Senior fares. Cartafreccia Senior is aimed at residents who might make last-minute purchases. We still get a good discount if we are "Young" or "Senior."

So go to Trenitalia.com and try to get Super-Economy fares. If they are sold out you cannot select them, so try Economy. If you buy on the day of travel you will pay the Base price, the highest price.

You can buy a special for a one day round trip, "A/R Giornata", for a big discount. For instance, a one way base fare ticket Florence-Venice is 49 EUR, but buying in advance (at least 2 days), you get a round trip for 34.50 EUR. They sell a limited number of these, so buy sooner rater than later.
There is a CartaFreccia Senior card, but details are in Italian, Usually, SuperEconomy tickets will get you a better discount. Must be bought in advance and are completely nonrefundable.
Finally, if you travel on a Saturday, they have 2 for 1 specials. Two people traveling together for the price of one base fare ticket. This may be a better price than a SuperEconomy ticket. As always, must be bought in advance.
So "buy now and save" is the mantra. Long distance train tickets are like airline tickets. Last minute guarantees you will pay the highest price.

I have looked into senior discounts, they are not available for non-residents and the discount is not nearly as good as the super-economy fares.

Trenitalia does still offer the Carta d'Argento discount card for seniors, and it is available to non-residents, but the advance-purchase discounts (available to all ages) are still the better discounts.

I used the Carta d'Argento last year and saved a bit of money, but not enough to make a significant difference. It costs 30 euros and yields only a 15% discount most of the time. And there's the hassle factor if you have a problem, as I often did, getting the ticket-vending machines to recognize my card number. I stood in some ticket lines I would have liked to avoid.

Those 75 and older can get a free Carta d'Argento. Now, that's a good deal!