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Justification for additional reservation fee?

  • 23 January 2023
  • 5 replies
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Dear all!

It is unfortunate that there are extra costs for purchasing reservations generally - but that by itself is at least somewhat understandable.

 

I honestly struggle though to understand why I am supposed to pay 2€ extra for each reservation I make through the internal portal. Whenever possible I change to the website of the national carrier: But that doesn't always even work, i.e. with Trenitalia or SNCF.

Would someone here know why Interrail wants all of us to pay 2€ extra for every reservation made through their portal?

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Best answer by RobToTheTop 23 January 2023, 11:48

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Userlevel 7
Badge +7

Check this topic for other ways to get your seat reservations (sometimes with a booking surcharge, but mostly not):

For internal Italian trains, book via ÖBB. Just buy an ordinary ticket, but change the passenger details (add discount → Interrail/Eurail → 10 EUR reservation should appear, without any surcharge).

Check this topic for other ways to get your seat reservations (sometimes with a booking surcharge, but mostly not):

For internal Italian trains, book via ÖBB. Just buy an ordinary ticket, but change the passenger details (add discount → Interrail/Eurail → 10 EUR reservation should appear, without any surcharge).

Wow, that truly is an amazing link for future travels - highly appreciated, thanks!

Userlevel 7
Badge +9

There are extremely few reservations that only can be made through the Interrail/Eurail website.

 

Here is some useful information from the experienced travellers in the Community regarding both planning, reservations and activation of pass and travel days. 

 Planning

The rail planner is normally not up to date, as it only is updated once a month, so to be sure of the time table you better check the timetable and availability on the websites of the national railways. The bigger national railways, like DB (Germany) SBB (Switzerland) and ÖBB (Austria) cover several countries. 

 Reservations 

The advice from the experienced travellers in the community is to use other ways to make reservations than the Interrail/Eurail website.  You can look at the guide in the link:

https://community.eurail.com/train-connections-reservations-47/how-to-get-reservations-105

If you, after having looked at the guide, have questions about how to make specific reservation, please give your travel details (departure date, time and route) preferably in a new topic, and you will get advice.

Please note that Interrail/Eurail charges an extra fee of 2 EUR per person and train in addition to the fee for the seat reservation.

 Activation of pass

During the activation process you choose the start day of the validity of the pass. Once the validity has started it can't be changed even if you haven't travelled. The advice is therefore to wait with activating the pass and starting the validity until the first day of your travel as you only can deactivate the pass no later than 23.59 CET on the day before the validity starts. If your travel plans change in the last moment you can't deactivate the pass and change the validity. 

It can be wise to make a test and activate the pass with a start date well in the future and then deactivate the pass immediately, just to see that everything works.

 Activation of travel day

The advice from the experienced travellers in the community is also never to activate a travel day, that is connect a journey to your pass and create the ticket (QR code), until just before boarding the train, otherwise you might loose a travel day if your travel plans change in a late stage  You can't delete a travel day in the past. A travel day can only be deleted until 23.59 CET the day before the travel day.

Userlevel 7
Badge +5

Zurück  zur FRage: das Büro muss ja auch bezahlt werden und genau wie mittlerweile die meiste Bahn-Agnturen, weil die ja keine Kommission von DB mehr kriegen, schlagen die auch etwas drauf. Kann selbst eine junge DE doch wohl selber bedenken? Ja ich weiss, dass die DE immer gerne meckern über jene Sachen.

It is also how it not even that long ago used to be: these RES you do at counter-smart people on arrival, just spend a few more mins in the station. You can still do that, but many youngies are so closely married to their fones hat they cannot even think of all that anymore.

Zurück  zur FRage: das Büro muss ja auch bezahlt werden und genau wie mittlerweile die meiste Bahn-Agnturen, weil die ja keine Kommission von DB mehr kriegen, schlagen die auch etwas drauf. Kann selbst eine junge DE doch wohl selber bedenken? Ja ich weiss, dass die DE immer gerne meckern über jene Sachen.

It is also how it not even that long ago used to be: these RES you do at counter-smart people on arrival, just spend a few more mins in the station. You can still do that, but many youngies are so closely married to their fones hat they cannot even think of all that anymore.

 Sorry - aber das halte ich für Schwachsinn. Es muss kein Büroangestellter auch nur einen Finger krümmen, wenn ein automatisiertes System eine Reservierung (offensichtlich) völlig eigenständig vornimmt. Eine Gebühr pro Reservierung und nicht pro Buchungsvorgang ist ebensowenig erklärbar.

And its not about “youngsters that cannot think”. I am not sure about your experience, but if you used Interrail once you may know that reservations are often not available even two weeks before the departure date. If you are willing to go to a station three weeks before departure, spend an hour for everything and continue with your day - feel free to do that. But do not blame people who want to spend their time for things that matter to them...

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