Train Tickets in Sevilla?

The discount card is good for 40% discount weekend, and 25% weekend. We always buy at a station - think it is now 6 euro. Need to show passport. Most tickets sellers in train station know enough English to sell tickets. I am sure someone at El Corte will also speak English.

I used a Carta d'Argento this year. It worked fine at ticket windows, not so well at vending machines. Those often didn't recognize the card number; not sure why. I may have just been unlucky. It has been reported that US chip-and-signature cards don't work in the Renfe machines but that cash up to 20-euro notes can be used. There's an English-language selection on the machines, so you might find them usable. I had no trouble drilling down to schedule information on the vending machines.

In major Spanish cities there was often someone speaking some English at the railroad station ticket counter, but you are smart to realize that you may not always encounter that. In any case, always allow time to get through the line. Larger stations may have two (or more) active windows, with separate windows for imminent departures and future departures. I don't remember how they are labeled, but I think you might see "Anticipada" for future departures.

I never tried one of the outside ticket agencies so can't help there. I would guess that El Corte Ingles would be a good place to find an English-speaker.

My Spanish is limited, and the penalty for making a mistake on a train ticket is pretty significant, so my solution has been to back up any oral request with the key information in writing. For example, I might use something like this (these are made-up times):

14-09-2016 (or "MAÑANA"/tomorrow or "HOY"/today)
3 BILLETES: [3 tickets]
2 CLASE [2nd class]
SEVILLA 0723 [include times if you've already selected your desired train]
CÓRDOBA 0905
...
CÓRDOBA 1642 [if you are buying round-trip]
SEVILLA 1839

Don't forget that Europeans put a slash through their 7s and write dates with the day before the month. Always verify the date before you walk away from the counter, and be sure you get round-trip tickets if that's what you want.

The above example should yield the cheapest-available 2nd-class tickets on the indicated trains. It gets more complicated if you want to be sure you are buying refundable tickets, or if there are children in your party. If one person has a Carta d'Argento, I'd hand it over at the same time (seller will want to see it), and that should make it clear that you need one discounted ticket and two normal tickets.

If you don't say/write anything about a round-trip, the seller may ask about that, likely with pretty obvious hand gestures. If you are expecting the question, you'll understand what is going on and will be able to indicate that you just want one-way.

The seller will attempt to explain to you any change of trains. In that situation I often (always?) ended up with two tickets, which made things pretty clear.

I'm making this sound harder than it is.

You can buy your train tickets at any train station in Spain or at El Corte Inglés
Department store travel agency (for an extra fee).
Many of the train ticket agents speak English as far as I recall.

You can buy the 'Tarjeta Dorada' ( Golden card) for €6pp at any train station in Spain & you will need to show proof of age by showing your passport.

Have you considered booking your train tickets online? You can buy your tickets at considerable savings 60 - 90 days in advance.

You may use this website for checking schedules & booking your train tickets: http://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/index.html

You will want to refer to this helpful article or this tripadvisor article BEFORE attempting to book your tickets online via the Renfe website.

If you have trouble using the Renfe site, you may try this website:https://www.captaintrain.com/en

Yes, I did just about all of that in late April. As I remember, the railway station in Sevilla is a ways from downtown. I know I planned to go there by taxi when I traveled, and did not want to make a special trip to buy tickets in advance, or run the risk of waiting in a long line. I went to a small travel agency, I believe it was on Calle Zaragosa. I bought several tickets for different trips over the next several days, and I used the Tarjeta Dorada 60+ card. (You may need to originally get your card at a train station, I had done that when I first arrived at Sant Station in Barcelona.) I sat comfortably in an air conditioned office, with no wait, while the travel agent did all the work. I went in with train schedules that I had printed out, so there was no confusion about what I wanted, or the final price I expected, which exactly matched what she came up with in every case. I believe I was charged just a 5% surcharge, which amounted to almost nothing, since the ticket prices were low. Well worth it. The only thing I cannot remember is if she spoke English, as I can communicate pretty well in Spanish. Go for it!

You can only buy the Tajeta Dorada (for 60+) at a train station in Spain. You can also use your driver's licences as proof of age. Each person needs a card. The card has a number, you'll use that number to get the discount if you use a machine or buy online.

If you are planning on taking AVE trains, you will often get a better price by buying in advance on the Renfe website before you leave. Tickets usually go on sale about 2 months in advance (the site is erratic, sometimes tickets are available 3-4 months ahead, sometimes only a few days) and some are offered at huge discounts. The prices only go up. Many US credit cards won't work, but Paypal does, and even with their fees, it's cheaper. Read this article to learn how to use the website. For shorter and/or slower trains, the discounts vary. To determine the best prices, choose "Tarjeta Dorada" passengers instead of "adult." You don't have to have to card number until you are actually purchasing the tickets online.

I've only bought tickets online and at train stations. I don't speak Spanish and have never had trouble at the train stations . . . except that sometimes there's a long wait.