You can make test and create the QR code now for a day well in the future, but you should then deactivate both the active travel day and the pass. Please read more about that below. In order to see the QR code for day in the future you must change the date where the QR code is shown. It automatically shows the QR code for the present date.
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.
Hi Anna.
We will commence our journey tomorrow. We will travel around the Netherlands as a test ofvthe Eurail pass. I will add the journeys tomorrow. Journeys once added to the active travel day will appear yellow But how would my husband and I enter the station? In the Netherlands, the Travelcards are used to access the station through the gates. I do not see any QR code associated with it when I temporarily tried to activate it. Also, as we have one pass between us, is it allowed to sequentially scan the QR code once I get it to opo up. Thanks.
The app per default show the QR code for today's date so in order to see the QR code for tomorrow you must change the date.
Hi Anna.
I think I was getting very confused because the separate FAQs did not "tie." together. What was throwing me off was how to deal with a mobile Eurail pass for two people traveling together. I will find out today if my solution "works."
I simply decided to treat us as independent traveller's. I downloaded the Rail Planner on my husband's phone and activated his pass. Cloning the trips was not an issue--I had already reserved all the necessary seats. The whole "group leader" approach was too complicated and created more problems.
When I added the pass on my husband's phone, some of the things that supposed too happen did occur. Fingers crossed--I will link the journeys soon! Thans!
