Buying Renfe Tickets Online - Revised June 14, 2009
Remember that the Renfe website is being changed continuously, so one should not panic if one cannot find everything that is in this procedure. Use common sense and try to continue until you succeed in buying your ticket. Persevere!
The website is a bit surreal. It is like Alice in Wonderland, where nothing seems to be what it really is. Even if you are on the English page, you will find some items in Spanish. Sometimes the website will send you to a completely Spanish page! However if you persevere you may be able to save some money by getting the web discounts.
You may want to print this procedure before you start.
1. Renfe Savings
I just wanted to point out the savings one can get by buying AVE tickets on the internet. Here are some popular destinations from Madrid (tourist class):
Barcelona
Normal price: 129.30€
Web price: 51.70€
Seville
Normal price: 77.60
Web price: 31.00
Malaga
Normal price: 81.80
Web price: 32.70
Cordoba
Normal price: 63.80
Web price: 25.50
You can save plenty of money if you plan ahead and buy your tickets 62 days in advance on the web. The discounts become less available as your travel date nears, because they are bought by other people. There are only a limited number of tickets with discounts.
2. The Renfe website recommends using Microsoft Internet Explorer, Version 6.01 or higher, with Javascript and you should allow cookies and pop-ups. You should also have Acrobat Reader, Version 6 or higher. Many people who have used other browsers have had problems because the Renfe website is designed ONLY for this browser. If you have problems, go to one of your friends who has this browser and use his PC. This is very important!
3. The Renfe website seems to be optimized only for the Windows operating system. Those who use other operating systems on their computers may have problems buying Renfe tickets. If this happens to you, then try using a PC with Windows and see if that works out.
4. If you are using Windows on your computer, maximize all the screens to be able to see all the information on the Renfe website.
5. When you use the Renfe website, be sure to use a PC with a printer because you will have to print out your ticket after the transaction completes. You will get a PDF file with the ticket, which you should print out. You will also get a confirmation email with the Locator Number (Localizador) and your time schedule. Your train ticket will tell you from what station you leave.
6. The website allows you to buy tickets 62 days in advance of your trip for the AVE and AVANT trips. This is very important! You cannot buy tickets more than 62 days in advance!
If you cannot see the schedule 62 days in advance for travel between two cities, that means that Renfe is reworking the schedule. This happens frequently especially before summer and after summer. Try looking every day until you see the schedule 62 days in advance.
7. The AVE is the high velocity train for long distances. The AVANT is the high velocity train for medium distances. They both use the same rails and some of their destinations may be the same. Be sure to compare the prices for each of these to choose the best alternative.
8. Not all the seats are offered at a discount. You can buy tickets 62 days in advance of your trip. That is when you should buy your ticket. You are competing with thousands of other people who want the web discounts. The fewer days between your trip date and the day you buy the tickets, the fewer discounts you will find on the web because the discounted tickets have already been sold.
The people who plan early are the people who will get the discounts.
9. The AVANT is the high speed line for short distances, such as between Madrid and Toledo. There are no web discounts for AVANT. The web discounts only apply to large distances that are run on the AVE.
10. Many web discounts disappear rapidly when they are posted because of demand. Those who want them should try to buy exactly 62 days in advance, before they disappear.
11. Tickets are not individual, they are without name, so there is no problem if you buy tickets for your friends and input only your personal data online.
12. Some Americans have had problems completing their transactions because their credit card companies blocked the purchase, thinking that there could be some fraud involved. The solution was to call their credit card companies to unblock the purchase. Others have still had problems because Renfe could not connect with the bank of the credit card company. The solution would be to use another credit card.
13. Go to http://horarios.renfe.es/hir/ingles.html
This is a trial run to get a one way ticket from Madrid to Malaga on the AVE. AVE means Alta Velocidad Española and its logo resembles a bird. Ave also means bird.
14. On the upper right hand side, click on “Buy Tickets”.
15. A Security Information box pops up. "This page contains both secure and nonsecure items. Do you want to display the nonsecure items?" Check the Yes box.
16. At the bottom left hand side of the screen, be sure to put in “Select your language“: English.
17. As a trial, I selected Single (for one way trip).
18. For Select origin: Madrid*. There are cities with an asterisk after the city name, and this means that city has more than one station. In computer technology, an asterisk means that there is a wild card in the deck. If you choose Madrid*, it means you want any station in Madrid. Later your ticket will tell you which station to go to. Always use the destination with the asterisk because it works better than the particular station.
19. For Select destination: Malaga.
20. Choose the date on the calendar. I chose April 29, 2008.
21. Number of Passengers: 1
22. Press Search.
23. On the next screen (Availability), I find the AVE 02072, departure at 07:35H, arrival at 10:14H, and I check Tourist class at 75.50€. This is the peak fare. For cheaper fares, you have to choose a more inconvenient time. This is the nominal price and not the final price because you can find the final price only on the next page. There is a column called “Tarifas Promo”, which means the promotional fares available. These seats are limited. The star symbols means the Estrella fare with a 40% discount. The W symbols means the Web fare with a 60% discount. Check the tourist class circle. If the Tarifas Promo column has no symbols, that means that all the promotional fare seats have been sold out for that date. You may then want to look for a different date.
24. Classes of Service:
Club Class- Meal (choice of entree) at your seat, drinks, newspapers, audio/video, parking discounts, access to AVE lounges, access to conference room on train.
First Class - Meal at your seat, newspapers, audio/video, parking discounts, access to AVE lounges.
Tourist Class - Cheapest class with no meal.
Most people should choose Tourist Class. The seats are very wide and comfortable. If you need food, you can go to the cafeteria car and buy something there. It is useless to choose First Class or Club Class if you want to save money.
25. At the bottom of the page, one finds “Write the characters you see in the next image.” - Write them in the box.
26. Check the lower right hand side box Continue.
27. You reach the Form of Payment page.
28. Go to the Fare box and choose Web. The price is now 30.20 euros. This is the meaning of the different fares:
a. Carnet Joven - Youth Card - 25% discount.
b. Web - 60% discount (bought 15 or more days before trip).
c. Niño - Child - 40% discount.
d. Tarjeta Dorada - Gold Card for over 60 years old - 25% to 40% discount, depending on the day. On Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, there is a 40% discount. On other days the discount is 25%. This can be bought at the ticket office for 5 euros. People who are not Spanish citizens or residents should take their passports with them to buy the Tarjeta Dorada.
e. Estrella - 40% discount (bought between 7 - 15 days before trip).
f. General - No discount.
29. There is a new feature to choose your seat. Check the box that says "Selectionar Plaza Graficamente".
30. Fill in all of the fields that have an asterisk, as they are mandatory.
Purchaser’s details:
Name - Your first name.
First Surname - Your last name.
Second Surname - Leave blank (In Spain this is your mother’s maiden name).
31. For Type of Document: Check the Foreigner ID No. and you can put your passport number there.
32. For country, if your are from the U.S., look for the box that says Estados Unidos.
33. For Telephone No. 1, put in any 9 digit number. Phone numbers in Spain have 9 digits.
34. Unmark the box that says: Mark this box if you want to receive advertising material or register for information about Renfe’s offers and promotions. Most people do not need more junk mail!
35. Check the “I have read and accept the General Conditions for Passengers box.
36. Fill in the Credit/Debit Card information. The field that says Card Holder means the type of credit card, such as Visa.
37. Press the Purchase button.
38. You will then get a message that Renfe is connecting with your bank. If there is any problem from then on, it is the fault of your bank and you should contact them.
39. You will then go to the Ticket page. This will have your purchase code no., a summary of your trip purchase and schedule, and a Print Tickets button, which you should hit.
40. You will see the tickets in a PDF format, which you need to print. Your ticket will give you the train station name (such as Atocha or Chamartin for Madrid departures), the date and time when the train leaves, the date and time of arrival at the destination, the train number (such as AVE 02093), the class of service, the car number (coche), and the seat number (plaza). With this you can go to the gate directly when you go to the railroad station and use the ticket to board. The ticket should have the barcode on it. Go to the station half an hour before your train leaves because you have to go through a security checkpoint, similar to the one in airports. Then you need to look for the platform you leave from. The AVE trains are very punctual.
41. Sometimes when you go to the payment page (Forma de Pago), you may be switched unexpectedly to Spanish. This is the meaning of each term:
You only need to fill ion any fields marked with *.
Correo Electronico (*) = E-mail address
Nombre (*) = First Name
Appellido 1 (*) = Last Name
Tipo de Documento (*) = Type of Document (Choose Pasaporte)
Numero Documento (*) = Number of Document (Put in your passport number)
Direccion = Address
Codigo Postal = Postcode/Zip
Poblacion (*) = Town
Provincia (*) = District/County/State
Pais (*) = Country
Telefono 1 (*) = Telephone number
Check this box: He leído y acepto las Condiciones Generales Viajeros (I have read and accept the General Terms of Passengers)
Tarjeta de Credito/Debito = Credit card/Debit card
Numero de Tarjeta (*) = Card number
Titular de la Tarjeta (*)= Name of Card Holder
Fecha de Caducidad (*)= Card expiry Date
Comprar = Buy
42. You do not need anything else to board your train if you have printed out your electronic ticket. Just go to the station and find out what platform your train leaves from.
43. If your computer goes down or the Renfe webpage goes down while you are doing your transaction and you are not sure if the transaction was completed, check with your bank to see if your credit card was charged for the ticket. Then you can make a decision whether to attempt the transaction again.
44. If you completed your transaction and your computer went down or you had a problem with your printer, you can go to the box "My Accounts", and click on My journeys. Then you will have to enter this information:
a. Locator (number given to you after you finished the transaction).
b. Origin
c. Destination
d. Journey Day
e. E-mail
Then hit search. You will get back the final page and you should try to print this. If this does not work, call Phone number: (+ 34) 902.15.75.07 (Hours:7:00-23:00) for help. The attendant will ask you for your Locator No. and then help you print the PDF file. You can also go to any Auto Check In machine at any Renfe station and print out your ticket using your Locator No.
45. The Tarifas page is only in Spanish. Here is the explanation in English:
A. Tarifa Web - You get a 60% discount if you buy your ticket on the web 15 days or more before the date you travel.
B. Tarifa Estrella - You get a 40% discount if you buy your ticket on the web at least 7 days before you travel.
C. Tarifa Ida y Vuelta - You get a 20% discount if you buy round trip tickets. The date of return should be 60 days or less after the date of your first trip.
38. If you want to go round trip, you should do two trips instead of asking for the round trip because the round trip procedure will not give you the web discount. It will give you the round trip discount, which is smaller than the web discount.
46. Advice to travelers: The web page is not user friendly and one has to do trial and error to find the discounts one is entitled to. Also if the train is more than half an hour late in arrival at the destination, one is entitled to a full refund of the fare paid. Be sure to ask for the refund because it may not be given freely.
47. When you put in your credit card information and enter the data, you may get the G001 error. This means that Renfe could not make a connection with your credit card's bank at that time. You can try again another time. If you have tried several times and have not been successful, there is bad news for you. Most of the people who have had this error are people who live outside of Spain.
There is another cause for this error. It may mean that the Renfe website software is incompatible with the software of your credit card's bank. The Renfe software is designed to work with the software of banks in Spain. Banks in Spain seem to have a higher degree of security than banks in other countries, especially the USA. A Spanish bank customer must have a contract to access his account on the web. The Spanish bank customer is given a customer number, a numerical code, and a plastic card the size of a credit card. This card has a matrix from A to J on the vertical column and Nos. 1 to 10 on the horizontal column. The matrix is filled with random numbers from 1 to 99. When the software of Renfe queries the software of a Spanish bank, the Spanish bank software asks the user for his customer number, his numerical code, and asks for the random number in a certain spot of the matrix, such as G5. If the user cannot provide this number, the request is rejected by the bank. This bank software prevents fraud.
Many American credit cards simply will not work because the bank that issues them may not have software that is compatible with the Renfe software. Many Americans have pulled their hair out in frustration trying to buy Renfe tickets on the web, without much luck. This writer has not had any luck using his American Visa credit card because when he puts in his credit card information on the Renfe website, the Renfe website brings him to his credit card's bank and when he enters the information his bank asks for, nothing happens and the transaction is not completed.
If you have problems which you cannot resolve, call Renfe, who can transfer you to an English speaker.
Phone number: (+ 34) 902-109-420 (Hours:7:00-23:00).
One reader of this forum had trouble completing the transaction and called Renfe. The Renfe operator helped her complete her transaction, using an American Express card. The reader was able to get a discount and the Renfe operator sent her a confirmation email with the tickets. The operator told her this could be done only with American Express cards. However now Visa cards are working.
The tickets are transferable, so if none of your credit cards work, you can ask a friend to try his credit card and if it works, you can print out the tickets and pay your friend.
48. Cities that are now reached by the AVE or AVANT:
Antequera - Station: Santa Ana
Barcelona - Station: Sants
Calatayud
Ciudad Real - Station: Central
Cordoba - Station: Central
Guadalajara - Station: Yebes (A traveler from Madrid who wants to go to Guadalajara should not use the AVE because it drops you off at Yebes, which is a small town 14 km away from Guadalajara, with very scant buses or taxis available to take you to downtown. Use the Cercanias train instead, which drops you off downtown.)
Huesca
Lleida
Madrid - Station: Atocha for trips to Malaga, Seville, Zaragoza, Barcelona, Toledo.
Station: Chamartin for trips to Segovia, Valladolid.
Malaga
Puente Genil - Station: Herrera
Puertollano
Segovia
Seville - Station: Santa Justa
Tarragona - Station: Camp de Tarragona
Toledo
Valladolid - Station : Campo Grande
Zaragoza - Station: Delicias
49. Here is a Renfe website that starts in English for those who cannot find the English toggle when they go to the Renfe web:
http://horarios.renfe.es/hir/ingles.html
50. There is a Changes/Refunds button on one of the panels, if one needs to use it. You will need to have a ticket number to use it.
51. For those people who want to travel on Renfe to Portugal or France, look for the button on the top of a panel which says International Trains. They have train hotels with dining rooms and sleeping cabins available.
52. Wikipedia has a good AVE map that can help travelers visualize where the high speed trains go:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Hi...
53. Luggage has to be carried by the passenger and placed on the overhead rack above the seat. A passenger with heavy luggage may have a problem lifting the luggage to the overhead rack. Most passengers using Renfe have small pieces of luggage, for that very reason. Bringing two pieces of luggage can create a problem because the overhead storage is limited for each person. At the end of each car, there is some limited space for heavy luggage. There is one special car where you can store luggage that cannot fit overhead. Ask the conductor when you see him.
54. The Renfe website says that bicycles can be brought on board only on Cercanias trains.
55. Arrive at your train station half an hour before your trip. Many train stations are huge and you may spend some time looking for the place you need to go to.
56. When you arrive at the Renfe station, verify what platform (Via) your train leaves from. There may be many platforms. If you do not see any signs, ask a Renfe clerk. When your train is called or you see that the monitor says it is leaving, go to the gate/platform indicated. When you pass the checkpoint, your ticket will be wanded and you will be allowed to go to your train. Be sure you get on the correct car. Stow your luggage and you will be ready to go.
57. The train doors close two minutes before the train is scheduled to depart.
58. You are allowed to bring your own snacks and drinks on the train. The Spanish do that all the time.
59. If you buy tickets and have an error and get only the Localizador code without the tickets, go to the top panel called Changes/Refunds. On the new page in the bottom left corner you will see the link 'My Journeys', and follow it. You will need to fill in some fields: 'Locator' (Localizador code you got by e-mail), journey date (date of first departure in case of return ticket), etc. And then you will be able to print out your ticket finally:
60. A child less than 4 years of age can ride free if the child sits on the lap of a parent. Of course if the child is big, this will not be practical or comfortable. The parent should then buy a child ticket using the niño fare.
61. If you have problems which you cannot resolve, call Renfe, who can transfer you to an English speaker.
Phone number: (+ 34) 902-109-420 (Hours:7:00-23:00).
62. The Madrid-Toledo run is heavily traveled because of tourists and also because it is a commuter run. Those who want to do a day trip to Toledo should not take a chance. Buy your round trip tickets early.
63. Luggage requirements - You are allowed to bring two pieces of luggage (anything that can be hand carried) with a total weight of 20 kilos. The bigger bag should not have dimensions bigger than 70 x 50 x 25 cm. At the end of every car there is a small compartment to place big luggage or luggage one cannot put on the overhead rack because it weighs too much. Luggage rules are seldom applied.
64. What happens if you miss your train? You are out of money because Renfe will not refund your money. Renfe was not able to sell your ticket to someone else, so if they refund your money, they will be on the losing end. So try to be on time for your train.
65. Advice to transatlantic travelers who want to take the AVE on the same day of arrival to Barcelona, Cordoba, Seville, or Malaga: Leave enough time to get to your train, otherwise you lose your money because there are no refunds. There are many flight arrival delays because of bad weather. Here are some estimates of how much time should be allotted:
Flight delay at arrival: 1 hour (this is very common)
Time to get through immigration, baggage, and customs: 1.5 hours
Taxi to Atocha Station: 0.5 hour
Time to go through security, find train platform, ticket check: 0.5 hour
Total time: 3.5 hours
If one wants to avoid all this uncertainty, stay overnight in Madrid.
66. Assistance to people with reduced mobility: You will see a box on the payment page with this title. There is an article in Spanish which says that if you need assistance, call 902-240-505 twelve hours before your trip. For immediate assistance at the station, go at least half an hour before your trip and go to the Help desk there to ask for assistance getting to your train.
67. For changes to tickets:
a. On the same day, you will be charged 15% of the ticket cost.
b. For another day, you will be charged 20% of the ticket cost.
68. For refunds, you will be charged 30% of the ticket cost.
69. For persons who want to take the trenhotel to other countries: When you enter the Renfe website to buy tickets, you will notice that at the bottom of the screen, there is a place that says Trenes Internacionales. I entered that and found out that it depends where you are buying your ticket from. Anyway it gives you information on how to buy your tickets, depending on what country you are buying from.
70. Do not bother with the Club AVE. This is only for Spanish citizens and permanent residents.
71. You should know that around April and May, the website is particularly troublesome, because it will not give schedules for the future. This is the time that Renfe is trying to load their summer schedules onto their web. So be patient and persistent.
72. Plane or AVE between Madrid and Barcelona: In 2008 journalists tried to go between downtown Madrid to downtown Barcelona on a plane and on the newly installed AVE to Barcelona. They found out that it took the same amount of time.
The shorter plane ride was offset by the long amount of time one has to be at the airport before the flight.
73. After your first trip on the AVE, you will find that the comfort of the trip more than offsets whatever problem you had in booking the train on the website. The seats are very comfortable and there is hardly any vibration. You can stand up and walk around, such as to the cafeteria car. There is a movie that is shown, like on airlines, and they have their own magazine. The AVE is Europe's most advanced high speed train. Before you know it, you are at your destination!
74. The train is a public place, so be discreet and do not be noisy. There are people who are working on their PCs and they will appreciate other passengers to be quiet, so that they can concentrate. Do not shout on your cell phones.
75. On the first page, there is a new button on top called Tarifa Ultima Hora (Last Hour Prices) . If you press this button, you will find the seats that are on sale in the next 24 hours. This is not very useful because usually it is the Preferente or Club seats that have not been sold yet. These are the higher priced seats. And only a limited number of destinations from a limited number of origins are listed.
76. Have a happy trip!
Note: This article has a copy right owned by Trip Advisor. This article should not be copied by other websites without permission from Trip Advisor.




