Train - Senior discount card (Tarjeta Dorada)

Hi, here's reply I posted on here a few days ago:
It always works out better to buy your long-distance AVE/high-speed train tickets well ahead of time.
Be aware that as well as the high-speed AVE and AVANT services (operated by RENFE — the national rail operator) there are now three low-cost high-speed train operators:
https://avlorenfe.com/vlc/home.do?c=_MnTL
https://www.ouigo.com/es/en
https://iryo.eu/en/home[enter link description here]3
Get here and then buy a Trajeta Dorada. You can purchase a Tarjeta Dorada at any RENFE station — it takes as long as it takes the ticket clerk to input your name and passport number. Avoid the long lines at prinicipal stations such as Madrid-Atocha and Barcelona-Sants and go to any local station ticket office.
It is now possible to renew a Tarjeta Dorada online…so, if you're thinking you might re-visit Spain next year or the year after, you can do it all online and buy your tickets at a discount online well ahead of leaving the States.
Enjoy your visit.

Here's a link to the original discussion: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/spain/tarjeta-dorada-card-question-rail-discount-pass-over-60

Hi again, just a thought, I don't know anyone who has tried it — but RENFE have agencies in the U.S.A.. It may be worthwhile calling one of them to ask if they can provide you with a Tarjeta Dorada.
Here's alink to five official RENFE agents in the States — just type Estados Unidos de América in the search box:
https://www.renfe.com/es/en/viajar/informacion-util/-donde-comprar-/agencias-internacionales

Best of luck.

Thanks so much for all this helpful info Bill! We saved some $ booking via Ouigo.

Bill- The Iryo product isn’t positioned as low-cost, like Avlo or Ouigo. It’s a full service offering, which, per early reports, might be superior to its AVE competition.

I have just finished booking our trains for Spain in February/March 2023. One of us is a senior. We found that the advance fare discounts were a better option than the senior discount. We will buy a Tarjeta Dorada when we get there for use for any last minute train trips.

We have registered for ALSA Plus for seniors bus discounts and have had no issues booking reduced fares. For one of our bus trips senior is €16- and adult is €23-. Whoever is the senior needs to register and then use that login to buy the tickets.

Recently helped sister-in-law visiting from the States for Christmas to get a Tarjeta Dorada. On January 2nd this year she used it to travel from Barcelona to Girona on an AVANT high-speed train and then a regional train to Portbou and then over the border into France and to Collioure for a total of 17€. She was thrilled (Rome2Rio told her same journey via Perpignan would cost 76€, and take an hour or more longer) Had she taken a regional train the whole way (adds a half-hour/hour to the total journey time) it would have cost only 10,10€.