Cancellation / refund of Interrail 1st Class Plus Pass for incomplete travel

Thanks, I will try the Interrail Customer Support route first.

Well, customer support were very nice, but ultimately ‘force majeure’ due to the extreme weather as detailed in the EU Regulations means they have a valid excuse to refuse any compensation.

However, I was offered the choice of extending my remaining days into another month (but I start a new job soon, and so this trip was my last opportunity this winter); or to get a unused days credit amount taken off the purchase of a new, more expensive Interrail pass - which I’m unlikely to do as I’d just paid €500 for the 7d/1m 1st Class Plus Pass - and still had to pay Eurostar €40 every time I was forced to change my booking (in the end I just cancelled every other train and decide to book another when I knew I would be travelling).

It would probably take a court case to decide wether snow in winter is ‘extreme weather’, but I’m not going to waste any time and effort going down that route, and will just take advantage of SJ’s email telling me I can claim upto SEK4000 for alternative travel arrangements (I\m hoping that because they’ve officially offered it, the will not rescind that offer when my claim goes in).

If I do travel via this method again, at least I’ll have learned a few lessons to make the trip more pleasurable:

1. don’t try to squeeze too much travel into too short a period
2. give yourself a longer travel window (I only had 9 days before my new job started, so couldn’t risk delaying things any further)
3. spend more time in each location - I was aiming to spend time only in Hamburg, Stockholm and Narvik/Luleå, but as delays came in I started having to cross off each in turn...and ultimately I only managed 4 hours in Stockholm and an overnight stay in Brussels
4. expect delays & cancellations, so leave bigger gaps between connections
5. expect freezing cold station concourses if you travel in winter - even the food hall staff were wearing winter clothing

Force majeure can only be used for compensation for delay (article 19), and in case you're stranded and need accommodation for more than 3 nights in a row (article 20(2)(b)).

For other things, such as a refund under EU regulation 2021/782, article 18(1) option a, or using the next train/bus with extra costs, force majeure cannot be used. That is not compensation. Also overnight accommodation up to 3 nights has to be provided if needed.

So what exactly did customer service refuse when they mentioned force majeure?

Please note that a Eurostar reservation can be changed for €20 in 1st class. You can do that on the Eurostar website with "Manage your booking”.

However, if you've missed your booked Eurostar because of a delay, then don't book a new reservation yourself. Just go up to their counter, say you've been delayed and they'll rebook you without any costs.

The exact wording from their reply was:

After reviewing your case, we must kindly advise that your pass is not eligible for (partial) reimbursement. This is because disruptions caused by circumstances such as extreme weather conditions or natural disasters, do not warrant the refunding of unused travel days.

However, we'd like to provide some support here by offering one of the following:

• An extension of your pass by one month, so that it's valid until the 6th of March, and an extra travel day.
• An exceptional exchange. This entails purchasing a new pass from us of equal/higher value, after which you'll receive a refund for the value of 4 unused travel days. (276.57 EUR) The new pass can be used within 11 month of the purchase date.

...and yes, the Eurostar change fee was €20, not €40 as previously stated (just checked with my remaining Eurostar booking for tomorrow - which I’d happily cancel, but there doesn’t seem to be a simple way to release the ticket/reservation).

​@Eurail Community Moderator The reply from customer service in the above post incorrectly uses force majeure to refuse a partial refund. As I already explained further above, force majeure cannot be used to refuse a refund under EU regulation 2021/782, article 18(1) option a. Please make customer service aware of how the EU regulation works.

Eurostar reservations can only be cancelled more than 7 days in advance.

I’ll send another message to customer support with some of your notes on the regulation around compensation vs refunds.

Thanks for your help.

Well, customer support are sticking to their refusal, but now based on the terms & conditions of the pass, rather than EU regulations.

I am sorry for your situation; however, regarding the unused travel days, I am afraid these are non-refundable. Please do check our Conditions of Use 20.1: https://www.interrail.eu/en/terms-conditions/interrail-pass-conditions-of-use, where we mention that in regard to liability, Eurail is not liable in the event of a force majeure event impacting the operations of the Participating Company or us. 
 
Our offer for an extension or exchange is still open. However, the offer is valid until 6 March 2026. Furthermore, we see that today was used as a travel day, and tomorrow is also activated as a travel day. Therefore, the offer is only for the unused portion of your Pass. (2/7) 
 
Alternatively, we may also offer a 50% refund on the unused portion of your Pass. So, a refund of 1/7 of your Pass value.

As far as I can see, article 20.1 does not apply here. This is not about loss or consequential damages but rather about the inability to do your journeys without considerable delays, or to do them at all.

Moreover, the EU Regulation always applies and no conditions of use can limit the Regulation's application.

​@Eurail Community Moderator this latest comment from customer service underlines once more that they need to be made better aware about how the EU regulation works.