Solved

"Ticket" required?

Huub

Dear train travellers,

The website interrail.eu literally says in Dutch: "board most European trains by simply showing your Interrail pass". But in the Rail Planner app it says in English: "Before you board the train, you'll need to create a ticket in the app". I have an Interrail Global Pass Mobile. Suppose I only want to travel without a mandatory reservation, do I still have to create a "ticket" every time I want to board a train? That would mean that I'm constantly working on tickets if I want to make multiple trips, for example if I want to suddenly interrupt a trip and take a different route. That seems difficult to me if I only have a few minutes to transfer. I do not understand. Is it really not possible to use the pass by simply showing the pass without any ticket? Thanks in advance for your response. (This text has been translated from Dutch by Google Translate. The Dutch version is below. Answer may also be in Dutch)

 

Op de website interrail.eu staat in het Nederlands letterlijk: "stap in de meeste Europese treinen door eenvoudig je Interrail pas te tonen". Maar in de Rail Planner app staat in het Engels: "Before you board the train, you’ll need to create a ticket in the app". Ik heb een Interrail Global Pas. Stel dat ik uitsluitend zónder verplichte reservering wil reizen, moet ik dan toch iedere keer dat ik in een trein wil stappen een "ticket" aanmaken? Dat zou betekenen dat ik voortdurend bezig ben met tickets als ik meerdere ritten wil maken, bijvoorbeeld als ik een rit plotseling wil onderbreken en een andere route wil nemen. Dat lijkt mij lastig als ik maar een paar minuten tijd heb om over te stappen. Ik begrijp het niet. Is het echt niet mogelijk gebruik te maken van de pas door simpelweg het tonen van de pas zonder enige ticket? Alvast bedankt voor je reactie. (Deze tekst is vanuit het Nederlands door Google Translatie vertaald. De Nederlandse versie staat hieronder. Antwoord mag ook in het Nederlands)

icon

Best answer by AnnaB 6 April 2024, 19:02

View original

11 replies

ralderton
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +4

As soon as you add one train for a day, the app generates a QR code which is your ticket, and shows that the pass is valid for the rest of the day.
 

You can add or remove any journeys you like, and they’ll be listed below the QR code, to show to the inspector.

A
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +9

All trains you travel with must be added as journeys in the Railplanner app.  If you are unsure about which train you eventually will take, you can add several trains for the same route and then just activate the train that you actually will travel with.

To travel with the mobil pass you must have your ticket, which is the QR code for the day, and the train you travel with must be listed below the QR code.

Please note that I don't work for Interrail/Eurail and that I don't reply to personal messages.
Huub

Thank you ralderton & AnnaB.

Now I understand that I have to create a new QR code for every day, even though I have a Global Pass that is valid for two months thereafter. And I now understand that the QR code is considered as a "ticket". (In the Dutch explanation, however, "ticket" means a created trip/journey). But what a shame that I have to add every trip as a ”journey” to the app. That makes traveling less flexible. (Last year I traveled through Germany for two months with the "D-Ticket", where it was not necessary to add any travels in an app. Only showing the QR code was sufficient. I often got in a few hours in one day traveled several trains on different routes. Sometimes I only had a few minutes to transfer. If I had always had to first search for a journey and then put it in an app, I would have missed connections). Thanks again for your responses! Greeting, Huub.

ralderton
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +4

It’s not really less flexible. If you’re not sure which train you will be taking, you can add several to the planner, and’s just select the one you take.

In reality, you can do this after your train has departed, if necessary. You can still add and remove trains even in the past. It’s more of a record of which trains you took, so that Eurail know how to reimburse the train companies.
 

Example, with the train I took to Cologne (1825), and my backup train (2025) - ready to select in case I needed it.

 

Huub

I understand! Thanks, ralderton. 

H

Thanks for the clarification. I really hope this works as well for "sold out” trains, as I saved quite a few euros by making the reservations for a journey with my family via OBB site and not the interrail app. But now some trains seem "not bookable” anymore on the interrail app, as they are fully booked… I hope the inspectors go easy on us... 

Personally, I find this "must book every train you want to be able to go on” limitation in the app a real dissatisfier. Tip for people who still need to buy an Interrail card: buy the paper-version!

 

Harry

R
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +9

I really hope this works as well for "sold out” trains, as I saved quite a few euros by making the reservations for a journey with my family via OBB site and not the interrail app. But now some trains seem "not bookable” anymore on the interrail app, as they are fully booked… I hope the inspectors go easy on us... 

Personally, I find this "must book every train you want to be able to go on” limitation in the app a real dissatisfier. Tip for people who still need to buy an Interrail card: buy the paper-version!

The rail planner app can't book anything and doesn't know anything about availability.

If you mean that the app says N/A for the price, then that means the app doesn't know the prices and there can be various reason for that, such as no internet connection available or the database the app retrieve prices from doesn't have a price for your train. It doesn't say anything about the possibility to book.

If you mean that the Interrail website (which the app can forward to) says that no prices are available, then that can mean many things, and only one of them is that the train is fully booked.

Whether you can still get on a train depends on the train. In some cases it's no problem, in other cases you won't even be able to get onto the platform.

Whether you have a paper or a mobile pass doesn't make a difference. Booking reservations works the same way, and can be done anywhere you like, see e.g.:

https://www.seat61.com/interrail-and-eurail-reservations.htm

If you let us know which trains exactly you couldn't book, then people will be able to say whether that's a problem or not. Or where you can get a reservation (and for less money) because the Interrail website can't do it for some reason.

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.
H

Hi,  thanks for the fast reply. The 2€ per person per reservationv surcharge of Interrail adds up a bit of money for a family travelling to/in Italy.

My train, e.g. May 4, Napoli Central-Catsnia Central, how to add to my Pass? I have reserved a seat at the train operator.

Thanks!

T
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +5

Which operator? How much did you pay?

Trenitalia doesn't sell passholder reservations so you might have paid a full ticket.

Really follow the guide posted above, it's a good resource. You'll avoid those fees. :)

Seat reservations are totally separate from the pass. Onboard show both the pass (Rail Planner app) and the reservation (PDF).

R
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +9

Hi,  thanks for the fast reply. The 2€ per person per reservationv surcharge of Interrail adds up a bit of money for a family travelling to/in Italy.

That's one of the reasons why experienced travellers always advise to avoid booking via Interrail/Eurail.

My train, e.g. May 4, Napoli Central-Catsnia Central, how to add to my Pass? I have reserved a seat at the train operator.

Do you have a seat reservation (€3 per seat) for one of the direct intercity trains, so departure 9:50 or 13:45? The Trenitalia timetable data doesn't contain those direct trains yet for your travel date, not even on the Trenitalia website. Only the portion to Palermo is in the timetable, not the portion to Siracusa. If you do have a reservation to Catania, then there's clearly an omission in the timetable data. Then just wait for the next planner updates and maybe it will be corrected. If not, then add the direct train manually.

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.
H

At OBB site,  you can select reservation only for a lot of train tickets, and I booked seats for the train leg Salerno-Saint Giovanni, but also Milan-Rome, or Basel-Milan.

Thanks for the reassurance Pass and Reservation are totally independent.  This give some peace of mind..

Reply


Terms and Conditions & Privacy PolicyCookie settings