We have tried unsuccessfully to make a VISA card purchase of 2 tickets from Milano Centrale to Firenze SMN for the past two days. When we enter our card information to purchase, we get a message saying there was a communication failure in the banking system. We called our card issuer who said they never received a payment transaction, so it is not getting from trenitalia to the credit card system in the US. We are trying to travel on 2 Oct.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Posted by
Minneapolis
1261 posts
Hi Shay.
- many have booked successfully, but problems like you describe have been reported intermittently in the past. if desired, you could wait a few hours or a day and try again. - as an alternate, there is a travel agency called italiarail.com that people have reported is more user friendly. They may charge slightly more; you could compare fares with trenitalia. Enjoy your trip!
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
Shay, I'm assuming you're trying to purchase tickets online to get the super-cheap fares, in which case, try again. You might also try the trenitalia.it site (it's in Italian but if you look at the .com site first you should be able to figure it out without understanding Italian). Note that these low fares are only good on the train specified. You could buy the base-fare tickets when you get to Milano if the online thing still doesn't work, there are kiosks in addition to the ticket windows. There may be lines but in Milano they mover pretty quickly.
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
Have you registered on the Trenitalia website? There is an option to purchase tickets without registering and we do see travelers having problems completing their purchases and getting an email with the tickets. Also, don't be in a rush. Often time, you will need to wait overnight for the system to reset somehow. You might try a different credit card.
Posted by
Liberty, Missouri
265 posts
I had a problem with the Trenitalia site last spring. At the time they knew and had posted they were having problems. But I tried anyhow and when I hit the GO button to buy my ticket it changed the date of my reservation right in front of my eyes. (Screaming at the computer did not change it back to the correct date.) So I had a ticket with the wrong date. Useless. I had to buy a new one in Italy. At the ticket counter in Rome they just said "Sorry." (Ah the chaos of Italy we have learded to love.) I ended up having to have my credit card company cancel the payment. So that worked out. I just used the site a couple of weeks ago and it worked great and quickly. I was impressed.
You might want to read about the "New Trenitalia UPDATE" information on the RON IN ROME web site. It gives you step by step instructions. After reading that it was real easy to work my way through the purcahse process. The only other thing I can think of to do is to be sure you credit card company knows you are going to be making an overseas purchase now. When you call them you can give them you dates of travel. That will one less thing to remember to do right before you leave. Read Ron In Rome.
Posted by
OP
Little Rock, AR, USA
116 posts
Thanks very much for all your suggestions. I tried some of them and after 4 days of failure finally succeeded. I thought I would pass along my experience in case it is helpful to anyone. 1. I tried the italiarail.com site and the prices were quite a bit more. 2. I was trying to buy the economy tickets, but decided to go with standard because we are catching the train after early arrival in Italy by plane and decided the schedule limitations were unacceptable. 3. The solution turned out to be standard tickets and a different credit card. I was using a Capital One card to avoid the international transaction fee ripoff. When I switched to an AMEX card and the standard fee, the transaction went through perfectly. I had registered with the trenitalia.com website for all activity. Thanks again for the helpful suggestions!
Ciao, Shay