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Privacy Policy
Rail Europe, Inc. (“Rail Europe,” “we,” “us” and “our”) respects your privacy and we want you to understand the ways in which we collect and use information about you when you, whether you visit to browse, purchase as a guest, or register for an account with us via RailEurope.com (the “Site”). Please review our Privacy Policy carefully. You are agreeing to its terms by visiting or using this Site. Notice of all changes that materially affect ways in which your personally identifiable information may be used or shared will be posted in updates to our Privacy Policy. If you continue to use the Site after notice of changes have been sent to you or published on our site, you hereby provide your consent to the changed practices.
Please note, this Privacy Policy does not apply to information that our affiliates may collect, or for our websites outside of the jurisdiction noted in our Terms and Conditions. Please visit any such other site, as applicable, in order to review those policies and manage your communication preferences.
Collection, Use, and Accessing of Information
Information Collection
Whether you make a purchase, register for an account, or are just a visitor, we are very careful with what we do with your information. Collection of information is usually grouped into two categories: personally identifiable, which is information identifiable to a specific user, and non-personally identifiable, which is general demographic information (gender, age, zip code), as well as Site-wide usage information (route and destination popularity, pages visited, promotion participation levels) that does not identify any one individual.
We collect non-personally identifiable information when it is affirmatively provided or through online activity such as “cookies” and other tracking technologies, which are discussed in greater detail below. We may use non-personally identifiable information for any purpose or disclose it to anyone. Where the two categories of information are combined, the resulting information is treated as personally identifiable information in accordance with the terms of this Privacy Policy.
In many cases, you can view the Site without telling us who you are or revealing any personally identifiable information. However, if you wish to purchase a rail pass or other ticket, you will have to provide information required of any traveler. This includes your name, a valid shipping address in the United States, and your email address, as well as the names of anyone traveling with you. If you select an age-specific ticket, such as “youth” or “senior,” you also must provide your age group and that of anyone traveling with you, as applicable. Further, you must provide us with your valid payment information, including credit card numbers and expirations dates (all such foregoing information, collectively, “Data”).
Since Rail Europe is only the distributor of products and services provided by third parties (“Suppliers”), we also are collecting your Data on behalf of those Suppliers. For example, these Suppliers will need each traveler’s name and age group for identification purposes and to verify that each pass or other ticket is being used in accordance with that Supplier’s terms and conditions. Our collection of and disclosure to our Suppliers of your Data is a required part of your transaction, and you agree by engaging in such transactions on the Site to such collection and disclosure.
If you make purchases with us often, you may want to set up an account with us by registering on the Site. This will make it easier for you to complete your purchases quickly. As a registered Site user, you also may elect to receive newsletters and similar emails from us with travel news and information. Registered users of the Site should be mindful of password-entry requirements and not disclose account numbers or passwords to others. Please read the Terms and Conditions for further information about your rights and responsibilities in maintaining an account with us.
Apart from guest purchases and registration, we also will collect personally identifiable information when you choose to participate in sweepstakes or other promotions, fill out surveys, complete polls, or send questions or comments to us via email. Please read below for more information on how we use information collected through these means.
We do not knowingly collect information from children under the age of 13, and require that those making purchases on the Site be 18 years of age or older and the age of legal majority in the jurisdiction where they reside. Should a child whom we know to be under 13 send personal information to us, we will use that information only to respond directly to that child to inform him or her that we must have parental consent before receiving his or her personal information. Each travel product or service also may be subject to age restrictions, and we reserve the right to impose further restrictions on those or similar purchases.
Data Use for Transactional and Promotional Purposes by Rail Europe
We and our service providers who assist us in connection with Site operations may retain and use Data and other personally identifiable information, as well as non-personally identifiable information, in providing the Site to you, which uses may include, without limitation, the following:
- to facilitate your purchases of rail, car and travel passes and other ticketed travel products and services that we distribute;
- to complete your travel-product purchase transactions by disclosing your Data to our Suppliers
- to administer such purchases and provide reminders and follow-up information regarding your purchases and travel plans;
- to send you emails newsletters, at a registered Site user’s election, about Rail Europe and the many exciting destinations to which we offer travel;
- to allow participation in our various promotional programs, including sweepstakes and contests, that we may offer from time to time;
- to inform you of other types of services we or our Suppliers offer;
- to respond to your inquiries or requests, including your customer service needs;
- to improve our Site, including after research and analysis, for future marketing and/or promotional use about us or the products, services and features we may offer;
- to survey visitors about various topics, including their views on travel, destination preferences, and what further travel information we might provide; and,
- for any other purpose disclosed to you at the time you are asked to submit your personally identifiable information.
Information Uses Involving Third Parties
As noted above, Rail Europe is a distributor of our Suppliers’ products and services, and, as a required part of travel, these Suppliers must have access to the names and age groups of each traveler for whom a pass or other ticket is purchased for that Supplier’s product or service. We do not provide this information to our Suppliers for their direct marketing purposes, and to the best of our knowledge and belief, our Suppliers do not use the personal information we provide to them for reasons other than completing your travel-related transaction.
If you enter our Site from the site of one of our marketing or referral partners, our system may recognize the path you have taken. Once you have left a partner’s site and/or begin the purchase transaction on our Site, those partners do not have access to the personal information you provide. Such information is treated as Data in accordance with this Privacy Policy. We also may track the path you have taken, combined with what purchases you may make, to gauge the success of our online marketing and promotional campaigns.
You may have an opportunity to provide information directly to these partners, whether through the Site or on a partner’s web site, or to third parties who merely maintain links on the Site. These third parties may maintain separate privacy policies governing the collection, use and disclosure of your personal information, which you should review for more information. Once you leave our Site, use of any information you provide will be governed by the privacy policy of that site’s operator. We, our parent companies, affiliates and subsidiaries are not responsible for the collection, use and disclosure practices with respect to personally identifiable and other information of third parties.
As noted, from time to time, we may survey you for your opinion, offer participation in sweepstakes, and conduct reviews to enhance our Site. We also send you newsletters to which you have subscribed. For each of these, we may rely on service providers to help us collect and analyze research, administer the sweepstakes, and provide technical support in sending the newsletters and other, similar emails. We do not disclose any Data included in this information for such providers’ direct marketing purposes, nor so they may pass it on to others for the same reasons.
Information Use for Site Operations, Corporate and Legal Compliance
We may use or disclose your personally identifiable information as is permitted by this Privacy Policy, or according to the Terms and Conditions. That includes:
- performing standard business operations, such transaction, payment processing, billing, collections, and accounting
- protecting our and our content providers’ business interests, including ensuring Site operation and adherence to the Terms and Conditions and Usage Rules;
- investigating or helping to prevent unlawful activity or activity that may threaten our visitors, users, employees, or property; and,
- in cooperating with law-enforcement investigations, or as required by law or by, subpoena, warrant, or other order of the court or governmental agency;
To help us perform these functions, we may retain third parties to whom we disclose personal information. These third parties include our customer-service providers, who handle your inquiries and store your Data; credit-card, debit-card and similar transaction processors; technical-service providers or similar entities that maintain the Site operations; attorneys; accountants; auditors; and authorized government entities or other lawfully authorized parties. We may also disclose your personal and other information to our parent companies, affiliates or subsidiaries; content providers; and to third parties in conjunction with the reorganization or sale of our stock or assets, or if we are involved in bankruptcy proceedings. We will do so only after taking steps to ensure that your privacy rights continue to be protected. Any third party to which we transfer or sell our assets will have the right to continue to use the personal and other information that you provide to us.
Access to Your Personal Information
If you have registered on our Site, you may view and update your account information at any time, as well as manage your account and communication preferences. Please visit “My Account” or click here. If you have not registered with the Site, and/or need to update your Data for a pending trip, please contact us using the Contact Us page. If you have completed travel, and are not a registered user, you most likely need not update your Data unless and until you enter into a new purchase transaction with us. For questions about this or other questions about your information, please email myaccount@raileurope.com.
Online Technology and Security
Cookie Use, Tracking Technologies and Digital-Media Player Software
A cookie is a small text file that is transferred to an individual’s hard drive for record-keeping purposes. Most browsers allow you to control cookies, including whether or not to accept them and how to remove them. You can set most browsers to notify you if you receive a cookie, or you may choose to block cookies with your browser. However, please be aware that some features of our Site may not function properly or may be slower if you refuse cookies.
Our cookies are typically session-oriented, or we use them to store info you’ve placed in a shopping cart when you visit our site during a select period of time. We also may use cookies to see what pages have been accessed and how frequently. Our tracking technologies also may record information such as Internet domain and host names; Internet protocol (IP) addresses; clickstream patterns; and dates and times that our Site is accessed.
You may occasionally get cookies from third parties with links on our Site or by third parties that serve advertisements or provide other services to our users. We do not control these cookies. We do not link the information we store in cookies to any personal information you submit.
Security for Personal Information
Wherever your Data may be held by us or on our behalf, we intend to take reasonable and appropriate steps to protect it from unauthorized access or disclosure. Your Data is encrypted as it is transmitted over the Internet from your desktop computer or portable device to our servers. If you have registered with us, your information is stored behind a “firewall” (a combination of computer hardware and software that helps keep unauthorized visitors from accessing information within our computer network), and your financial information, such as your credit card number, is encrypted as well. Unfortunately, no database or data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. As a result, while we strive to protect your personal information and privacy, we cannot guarantee or warrant the security of any information you disclose or transmit to us online and cannot be responsible for the theft, destruction or inadvertent disclosure of your personal information.
When you register for a Site account, you agree that you will not allow others to use your account or Data, and, except as expressly stated in this Privacy Policy, you are solely and entirely responsible for maintaining the confidentiality and security of both. Furthermore, you are solely and entirely responsible for any and all activities that occur under your account and you agree to immediately notify us of any unauthorized use of your account or any other breach of security. Please refer to the Terms and Conditions for more information on your responsibilities in maintaining and protecting your Data.
Contacting Us
If you have any comments or questions regarding our Privacy Policy, please contact us at legal@raileurope.com, or at our contact information below. While we cannot guarantee privacy perfection, we will address any issue to the best of our abilities as soon as possible.