Trenitalia Ticketless Web Fares

Hi John. IMHO, you would be just as well off waiting to buy in Italy. "Reservations must be made in Italy" means you cannot reserve your specific seat until you are in-country anyway. When you have a reserved seat, you do not need to validate. The self-service machines are pretty easy, but it's easy to consult with a ticket agent, too. Trentitalia offers some discounts you may take advantage of either spur-of-the-moment or with a bit of planning. For example, I noticed online (had my handy Netbook along) that there was a "Meno 30" discount, and if I bought 15 days in advance, I'd save 30% on my tickets. We bought tickets for later in our trip on Day 2 and saved 68 euros on 1st class tickets, making them less costly than 2nd class for the same train. (There was a "Meno 15" for 7 day advance purchase.) They have also have some specials for 19, 29 and 49 euros called "Promo Autunno" this fall. When you are there, on the ground, you can explore the possibilities with the ticket agent. Be sure to mention you want the discount, though. I asked for tickets Rome to Milan, and when I mentioned "Meno 30," the agent was surprised a tourist knew about it, but she explored until she found the fare for us. Meant we had to go to Milan Rogoredo instead of Centrale, but all it cost was a 10 minute Metro ride to the Duomo stop. Worth it for saving 68 euro! Keep an eye on their website befre you travel and while there to watch for deals. Happy travels! We had such a great time we are going back Spring of 2012!

The Trenitalia website has for several years now not accepted US credit cards, which means you can't buy tickets in advance. There is no workaround to this problem, except 1) using a travel agent and 2) going through the RailEurope website. It seems that about 95% of people posting here decide against the 2 workaround options because of the significant additional cost involved in using travel agents to buy your ticket or going through RailEurope, which only sells some fares and marks them up.

The cost for the trip will be the same if you purchase city to city or straight through. There is no advantage of purchasing a regional ticket before getting to Italy. You would only be able to purchase them a week ahead of time online anyway. ALL regional tickets must be validated before you board or you will face a very heavy fine. Only tickets for specific trains, dates, carriages and seats don't need to be validated. You can only use those for the specific train reserved. A regional ticket is good for all trains going to that destination and there are no seat reservations. Most US credit cards are not accepted by the trenitalia site. It's a problem with their site that has been going on for years. Most people get to the last page of the order form and are rejected. Based on the trip you wish to take you're better off just buying once you get to Italy. The self service machines are like an ATM and very easy to use. Donna

Thanks for the information. Was hoping web would work. It was very handy in Spain. Will get my trips planned and make copies for the station.

Making copies of your planned trains is a good idea. Thanks to someone on this Helpline, I created a spreadsheet of my ideal train itineraries. While I speak a little Italian, having it printed out to show a ticket agent was helpful in avoiding misunderstandings on dates, times, fares.

I leave for Italy this Friday and I have purchased numerous sets of train tickets on the Trenitalia web site with my American credit card - VISA - and took advantage of the discounts - Meno 30, etc. and was able to reserve my seats, etc. for 6 - 7 of us. The site has you register your card with a security service, but it is legit. I simply told my credit card company that I was buying train tickets from an overseas website and it worked. So I have ticketless tickets/seats. All you need is the PNR number from the reservation.
So try it if you want to make sure you get the discounts and the seats.

Congratulations to Chris for his astounding success. There ARE a few people who have been able to purchase tickets...for no rhyme or reason. The vast majority will still be unable to purchase even when they jump through all of the necessary hoops like notifying their credit card company and registering their credit card with a security service.

I appreciate everyones advice. I will keep my fingers crossed the web will work. I have read that Capitol One CC work. So I will notify them closer to my departure. From what I have read the Self Service Machines are pretty easy or use the ticket office.
Web sure looks like it would be convenient but travel is adventure and this is just one part of it to work with.

I just used the Trentalia website to purchase some 50% discounted tickets from Venice to Monterrosso. I had absolutely no problem using my US Bank Visa. I was sent to a secure Visa sight that US Bank requires before making online purchases. It is a new safety feature that many banks are requiring for online purchase. It is a completely legitimate process. I was required to do the same thing to purchase work conference tickets. Additionally, I used the 'work around' to get ticketless; reservations and seat assignments included. Ticketless tickets are for single segments only. The price is the same, otherwise you have to use the ticket machines in Italy when you arrive. I first looked up point to point, and then used that information to book single segments from Venice to Milan and then Milan to Monterrosso. I now have 2 beautiful PDFs that I can print, and just show up. My wife and I are on the same ticket, with joining seats.