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Seat reservation on Eurocity train from Zurich HB to Milano Centrale - complicated process for non-European credit card

  • 29 November 2023
  • 5 replies
  • 347 views
ssaibal

I was trying to book a reservation using our Eurail Global Flexi First Class passes. And here is what I tried in sequence:

  1. On the SBB app, it shows the route and the train I want, but the booking fails when I select “Reservation only”.
  2. Called SBB call center and the agent said that the app/website doesn’t support purchasing “reservation only”. She can help me with that.
  3. After the laborious process of giving our names, DOB, credit card details, with seat selection that she was able to, the payment failed twice - both for Visa and Amex cards. The agent said that she has seen this issue with “non-European credit cards”.
  4. So I went back to the excellent “Seat 61” website and the advice there was to use OBB or Interrail.
  5. Tried Interrail, but here it asks for the “place and country of birth”. I just don’t understand the relevance of such info and the price was Euro 13 per passenger plus a service fee. And no way to select specific seats (like window seats facing each other).
  6. Tried the OBB app and they too don’t have the seat selection even though I could do seat selection for the Vienna-->Zurich segment earlier. Maybe some trains they don’t have that functionality. And they don’t charge any service charge on top of the 13 euros reservation fee. And the system auto-assigned the two seats (Eurocity 319, Wagen 9, seats 31 & 32), but the only place I can see a seat map are on the ETR 600/610 brochure which the Seat61 website shows, but the info is not sufficient as the brochure doesn’t show which area is the “quiet section”, where our seats are. Any idea how I can get hold of the correct seat map?

Train travel using Eurail Global pass seems to be overly complicated. Buying tickets directly on Renfe or Trainline was far simpler than this. Having said that, I am impressed by OBB compared to any other system there.

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Best answer by Al_G 29 November 2023, 18:33

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R
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Userlevel 7
Badge +9

The ÖBB app or website is advised indeed for Italian day trains and the EC trains from/to Switzerland. You can't choose a seat, not even give a preference for the type of seat, probably because Trenitalia manage the reservations and they don't allow that. At the DB ticket office, for example, they can't indicate anything either. When you book a regular ticket on the Trenitalia website, you can only select from a seat map if you pay €2 extra.

So I wouldn't bother trying to change it.

According to vagonweb.cz, EC 319 is a Giruno train set (RABe 501). Seat maps aren't included unfortunately. Seat61 doesn't have a Giruno seat map either. However, seats 31 and 32 would normally be opposite each other, and, since it's an open coach, should be window seats.

Please ask questions in the community and not via a private message. That's the quickest way to get a response. I don't work for Eurail/Interrail.
A
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Userlevel 7
Badge +3

In many cases only the train operator’s website can do seat selection and sadly a number of operators will not allow eurail passholders to reserve on their websites; RENFE, Trenitalia, SNCF being the biggest offenders.

 

While OBB are very useful for actually selling reservations for other countries they only give seat selection for their own trains, that train is SBB.

 

Even the usually reliable enthusiast consist website doesn’t have a seat map for those trains yet.

https://www.vagonweb.cz/razeni/vlak.php?zeme=SBB&kategorie=EC&cislo=319&nazev=&rok=2023

ssaibal

Thank you very much for the link. I see from the photos there what you mean by open plan. You are an amazing source of information, Sir. 

T
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +5

I've found the seat map through Trenitalia : carriage 9, seats 31 and 32 are 2 window seats facing each other (bay of 2).

The system will always try to assign you the best seats. Enjoy the scenic journey through the Alps along the Old Gotthard route ! :)

ssaibal

Thank you very much 🙏 It’s amazing that you made the effort on my behalf to find out. 

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