Renfre site issues

Buying the tickets for the AVE trains in advance is well worth it if you can get the 60%off Web fares. It is common to have trouble with the Renfe website. However, I was able to make a number of purchases on the Renfe site with no trouble after I made one purchase through Rumbo.es. Apparently that helps with Renfe recognitionnof your credit card. But I know others have been able to make a first purchase on Renfe ( sometimes after many tries). There are detailed instructions on the Madrid board on Tripadvisor. It is apparently essential to register your card with Verified by Visa ( or the Mastercard equivalent). Renfe contacts VbV and if you haven't registered, that is when you will get the error message. This registration is in addition to calling your banknto advise you will be making a foreign purchase. On the other hand, I found it useless to register as a user on the Renfe site itself. Never could log in. Some time back I compared Renfe prices with RailEurope and found they were comparable, including the deep discount fares. I haven't checked lately but it might be worth looking into if you still have issues with Renfe.

Another thought. Rumbo.es was very easy to use, although the train section is only in Spanish. You get the same printable ticket that you get from Renfe. The small handling fee is charged separately. However, if you are paying foreign transaction fees on your credit card, RailEurope might be a better option IF they offer the discounts, as they charge your card in dollars. And if you are not getting the Web or Estrella discounts, you can just wait and buy your tickets in Spain. Apart from the trains to Toledo and Granada, I have not heard of the trains on major tourist routes selling out. You can buy your tickets a few days in advance of travel if you are concerned. But those Web fares are nice if you can get them, so keep trying! Also, if you are over 60there are senior discounts, only available with a card you purchase in Spain.

I am sorry these RENFE queries are so common I rarely read the responses. Has anyone given or intimated this - http://www.seat61.com/Europe-train-tickets.htm#How%20to%20use%20the%20Spanish%20Railways%20website or this - http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Travel-g187514-c80518/Madrid:Spain:Buying.Renfe.Tickets.Online..html

Thanks, Neil! I mentioned the Tripadvisor page with the instructions, but did not provide a link. That should help.

If you are willing to spend the extra money, there is always RailEurope. On the other hand, I'm not sure how important it is to purchase before you get there, particularly for tickets w/o reservations. Even a day or so ahead of time over there is probably as good as in advance from here. In 16 weeks of travel, almost exclusively by train, in Germany and Austria, I have only encountered three SRO trains, and two were regional trains so advance purchased tickets wouldn't have helped. The only time I've ever advance purchased from here was when I got a big discount for doing so. On the other hand, Germany's rail network is much more extensive than Spain's, so maybe Spanish trains are more crowded. Someone with experience traveling in Spain might be more help.

I had the same issues earlier this week when trying to purchase tickets on Renfe for late January/early February. I had called my bank, registered my card on Verified by Visa, followed the Trip Advisor instructions and still received the error message. Next, I tried using Rumbo which did work, but each ticket came with an 18 Euro fee. Not happy with that I checked out Rail Europe where I did purchase the tickets because the discounted prices were still available. After figuring out how much the tickets would have cost if purchased on Renfe I spent only $7 more to use Rail Europe, plus since I paid in US dollars my credit card didn't received any conversion fees. I feel like I broke even on this one. Good luck with your purchase!

Katie---rumbo.es discounts the ticket price by 5 euros, so that pattially offsets the handling fee. Also, you must reject the insurance offered on the page after you enter your name, etc., or it will automatically be added and charged as part of the fee. The handling fee I paid (after rejecting the insurance) was around 9!euros. Still not inconsequential, but OK as it allowed me to get the Web fare on the tickets. But I am glad to hear that RailEurope prices are still comparable to Renfe. So it's a good option for avoiding Renfe frustration.