Trenitalia Bimbi Gratis fares are a scam

All promotions, like Bimbi Gratis, or 2x1 on Saturdays are based on the Base rate (full rate), so if on that determined date there are other discounted fares available, it's probable.that.it.will be cheaper than with the bimbi gratis. It's not a scam, the conditions of the promotion are clearly stated and you have to decide if it's convenient or not.

no scam, not a new fare but one that has been around quite a while, the terms and conditions are very clear. Sorry it don't work out for you.

Is there a word more misused on this forum than the word “scam”? If it doesn’t live up to expectations, it is a scam. If the fine print has not been read and things go pear shaped, it is a scam. If the taxi driver gets held up in traffic and the fare is higher than expected, that has to be a scam.

Get over it, people. Not everyone in Europe is out to scam the poor, likeable, innocent American traveller. Stuff happens, even in one’s own home town. Be stalwart, carry on regardless, and travel will be more enjoyable.

Scam: my least favorite 4-letter word as it's so often misused on these forums.

I see you're a first-time poster? Aside from your annoyance with train tickets (I love Italian trains) how was the rest of your trip? Pretty sure - or hope, anyway - that your confusion over tickets was just a wee bump in an otherwise lovely trip?

That's not a scam. It's just not what you expected or what you wanted. Their website quite clearly states what the offer is:

"The Children Free (Bimbi Gratis) offer is reserved for family groups of 2 to 5 people and allows under-15s to travel free of charge. The group must be composed of at least one adult and one young person under the age of 15. The other members of the group pay the Base price for the train and service used. "

Perhaps your concern is that the RS book on Italy didn't prepare you for the rules?

Perhaps these types of threads should simply be rename or better removed.

For anyone interested in Trenitalia child tickets, this is what Rick says on the "Travel Tips" page for Italian trains; bolded copy is mine as well as one additional note:

https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/italy-rail-passes

Discounts for kids don't beat the "Super Economy" advance-purchase rate described above, but if those sell out you have some options (which vary by type of train). When kids under 15 travel with adults on faster trains, deals like "Bimbi Gratis" and "Offerta Familia" calculate a discount off the full base fare. Choices are well presented on Trenitalia's site, but double-check age limits before purchasing. (Even without these deals, kids ages 3 and under travel free on Italian trains (my note: without a seat; 50% with a seat), ages 4–11 ride for half price on regional trains — and the half-price deal extends up to and including age 14 on long-distance Italian trains.)

According to the Trenitalia site, discounts on regional trains above are "Valid on all regional trains except in the regions of Campania, Abruzzo and Sardinia and in the autonomous provinces of Trento and Bolzano'". Click the "i" next to the box for "children" on the Trenitalia ticketing site for complete information regarding discounts in those regions/provinces.

https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html

Haha - it’s totally NOT a scam, and the trenitalia site doesn’t say they have to travel with a parent...only a paying adult. How do I know? Because the last several years we’ve taken groups of 17 or 18 kids with us to Europe and they ALL ride free as long as 1 paying adult is with them. 1 adult for up to 4 free kids in 1st class is a steal of a deal!

Okay, scam might be too harsh, but the Rick Steve's book does not lay out conditions, and it's hard to find information on Trenitalia website. It led to a lot of frustration for me when trying to arrange trains. I think the should go into more detail when giving child prices for those of us still traveling w kids. It's a shame because I'm a huge fan of his videos.

and it's hard to find information on Trenitalia website

Sure, hundreds Died of overwork trying to click the gray " i "s that open the info pop-ups.

With the Bimbi Gratis an adult and a child travelling together get 2 flexible BASE tickets paying only one, I'd like to be scammed this way every day. 2 SuperEconomy tickets Would be cheaper, but try to get the SuperEconomy tickets changed or refunded because the kid is sick or because you changed your plans. Change the title of this thread, behave like an adult.

Yep, "scam" is not just too harsh, it's the wrong accusation altogether.
LOL, if Mr. Steves had to lay out every little detail for every little thing, his guidebooks would be the size of Oxford dictionaries! Complete transport info usually involves multiple resources, such as that little "i" on the Trenitalia site.

But it's too bad you found this forum after you'd purchased tickets? If you were confused and had posted a few questions here before you did so, some nice, knowledgable folks might have helped you make a more economical decision, if there was one to be had.

Consider the forum a valuable accessory to the books, especially as certain types of info, such as attraction ticketing, has been known to change right after a book has gone to press. You can also do a deeper dive into details if what's in the book isn't quite clear enough. Next time? :O)