Unable to buy train tickets on Renfe website - help!

The RENFE website is famously a nightmare, especially for users of browsers other than IE. If this is your case, you might try using that browser with security settings on "Low". Personally, I always end up frustrated with the website and either call the customer service number or just go directly to the El Corte Ingles travel agency.

It is posted every other day on this site that the Renfe website does not accept non-Spanish credit cards. Thus, web fares are not available to NAmericans.

Thanks for your help. I did some more digging on other sites and read that people are sometimes more successful with Amex cards--I'll try it tonight and write back if it works.

Just wanted to give an update--my AmEx card failed spectacularly on the site, so I called their help line today, and they referred me to another phone number. No one answered after many rings, so I gave up and bought plane tickets for half the price of the rail tickets. I love the idea of train travel, but not if it comes with such a headache. :)

Melissa, you can now consider that you've had an authentic Spanish experience -- first massive frustration with the bureaucratic incompetence of RENFE, then the resignation and the search for an alternative. Enjoy your trip, and don't let this event put you off.

Melissa -- had the same problems and i use IE. I finally got to adding up the cost of the tickets for my 3 longest trips, and found a 3 day euro-rail pass to be $30.00 cheaper. going to Rick's site was a lot less frustrating!