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When can I activate my pass?

  • 1 May 2023
  • 6 replies
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I purchased my pass om Apr 12, 2023 and want to activate it in order to make Seat Reservations in advanced. My first train ride will be on July 25, 2023. Can I activate it now…?

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Best answer by AnnaB 2 May 2023, 00:45

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Userlevel 7
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You do not need to activate it to book seat reservations. You only need to add the pass on eurail.com

Btw there are often better places to book seats as Eurail adds a 2€ booking fee per person per train (+ sometimes sends paper reservations while they're available online). General advice :

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

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

What is the route you're looking at ?

Thanks. Im trying to reserve a seat from Paris to Mont St Maichel

Userlevel 7
Badge +5

This one is not available online anywhere. It costs 1.50€ each way. Book at a SNCF ticket machine or ticket counter when you arrive in France. Availability shouldn't be a problem, even a few days in advance

You could also call SNCF to ask if they offer another solution (but I don't think there is) : https://www.sncf.com/en/customer-service/contact-us/telephone (press #85 for English, no booking fee, delivery via e-mail).

If you're too worried (but I really don't think it will be a problem, maybe someone else can confirm), buy regular tickets on sncf-connect.com for 29€ one-way and save the pass day for another day of your trip

 

Userlevel 7
Badge +9

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.

Thanks for all your help. Where do I make Seat Reservations away form the Eurail App?

Userlevel 7
Badge +9

Thanks for all your help. Where do I make Seat Reservations away form the Eurail App?

The information is in my reply above. 

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