After several unsuccessful tries, wanted to pass along what I did wrong when trying to buy Trenitalia tickets. The charges wouldn't go through, but not because of the website. It was because I had used the same credit card earlier in the day, and it looked like fraud to have charges a few hours apart from a shoe store in the U.S. and from Italy. A few bounces around the credit card 800 number took care of it. If your Trenitalia online purchase doesn't go through, check with your credit card company 'cause they may be blocking foreign transactions for your protection.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23650 posts
Conventional wisdom frequently posted on this web site to notify your card issuer prior to making any purchase via the internet in Europe. You just proved the wisdom.
Posted by
Broad Run, Va, usa
2 posts
Thanks for this; it's one thing to notify credit cards about travel dates and another to have to warn them about an online purchase. It's an important distinction. Ignore the snotty comment about conventional wisdom.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17567 posts
It is the online purchase from a foreign country, outside of travel dates, that triggers the fraud alert. One should call the bank to advise of the foreign purchase before buying from Trenitalia, Renfe, or any European train rail site, as well as before booking hotels that are going to charge an advance deposit. And museum, opera, or other tickets.
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
Yes, that makes perfect sense. However, with my Capital One I found the EVERY time I called the C1 people to alert them of an upcoming foreign transaction it was ALWAYS declined...even after I called. After dealing with this several times I decided to just try incurring a foreign charge with no warning to C1. Guess what - it worked every time. C1 is good for avoiding foreign transaction fees - but their customer service is at times spotty!