Rail Terms and Conditions, Refunds from Rail Europe

Other Policies

Rail Terms and Conditions

To Purchase:

Passes cannot be issued to residents of the countries the pass is valid in. Residents of the Russian Federation, Turkey, Morocco, Algeria or Tunisia are not eligible to purchase Eurail Global passes, Eurail National and Regional passes and the Czech pass. Residents of United Kingdom are not eligible to purchase BritRail Passes or Eurail Passes. The Anywhere Anytime France® is available for Residents of the following countries: United States of America (and its territories), Canada, Mexico, Central America north of Panama, and the Caribbean.

How to Validate and Use Your Pass:

Passes are issued open dated and must be validated within six months from the date of issue and prior to the first day of use. To validate the rail pass, present the rail pass along with your passport to the Railways official at the station of departure. At this time, the first and the last day of validity of the pass as well as the passport number is entered and the traveler must sign the pass. Under no circumstances is the pass holder allowed to validate his or her own pass. In the case of a Flexipass, the traveler must enter the date of travel each day before he/she boards the first train of the day. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in the payment of a fine and the cost of a full fare ticket. Also, if there is any indication that a rail pass has been tampered with, forged and or/used by anyone other than the passholder, or used beyond its validity, the railway Official are authorized to confiscate the pass and require the payment of the full fare plus a fine.It is compulsory to present passports to railway officials on request.
In most cases validity runs from midnight to midnight for the period shown on the pass. All services, rail, rental car, air travel and travel bonuses must he be used within the validity of the accompanying rail pass. One-month period is based from a date in one calendar month to the corresponding date in the following month (minus one day). Depending on the calendar month the pass is validated, the validity period may therefore consist of 28, 30 or 31 days.
Passes are not valid on hotel trains, private or specialty trains unless otherwise stated.
Passes are available in first and second class unless stated otherwise. Travelers holding first class passes are also permitted to travel in standard/ second class however a refund of the fare difference is not applicable. Travelers holding standard/second class passes are permitted to travel in first class only if they pay the difference between the two fares as applicable locally. For BritRail passes: Some trains in Great Britain do not have 1st class accommodations. The price of the 1st class Passes have been adjusted to reflect this.

Refunds are limited to completely unused undated, unvalidated passes, ticket and inclusive packages, hotel and car vouchers and will be granted only where permitted under the terms and conditions set forth below or elsewhere in this site. Passes, tickets and vouchers must be returned for refunds. Companion and Saverpasses, BritRail discounted and Eurail and Eurail Select Pass, Rail 'n Drive passes together are considered one document and must be submitted together. No refunds will be granted on partially used passes or tickets, or on unused parts of inclusive packages; documents must bear no evidence of having been tampered with in any way.

7PM Rule:

When traveling on a direct overnight train (no change of train) departing after 7pm, the next day's date must be entered. In such cases, travel from 7pm and midnight of the following day is included and considered as one day of travel. If the overnight trip requires a train change before midnight, traveler will use 2 travel days.

Seat Reservations:

Having a pass does not guarantee a seat. Seat reservations are optional on some of the trains however they are mandatory for traveling on high speed trains (TGV, Thalys, AVE, Eurostar, Eurostar Italia), international trains (Cisalpino, Lyria, Talgo), night trains (Elipsos, Artesia, City Night Line) and scenic trains (Glacier Express, GoldenPass, Bernina Express, William Tell Express, Chocolate Train). The ICE requires reservations on any Sprinter train. Additionally the X2000 in Scandinavia will require reservations and most trains in Spain (Renfe). Also, some trains require the payment of a surcharge, which includes the compulsory seat reservation (known as Pass holder ticket). On some trains the number of seats available for Pass holders may be limited. It is highly recommended to make reservations in advance. The cost for the pass holder ticket and/or reservation varies depending on the type of train and country. Rail Europe can secure seat and sleeper reservations for your trip before you depart North America, this ensures that you will have a seat on the train you wish to travel on. Simply click here to begin your reservation request.

Overnight Travel:

European night trains offer a variety of accommodations to suit all budgets. Most night trains offer sleepers and couchettes, and some also have reclining seats.

Couchettes and reclining seats are the most economic type of accommodations. Couchettes are not gender specific; they consist of four bunk beds in 1st class and six in 2nd class. A blanket and pillow is provided, but you sleep in your day clothes. Reclining seats are available on selected trains and generally in 2nd class only.

For more comfort and privacy, you can reserve a sleeper compartment in 1st class accommodating one or two travelers or 2nd class for two or three travelers. Though the compartment may include a wash basin it does not have a private toilet. Toilet facilities are located at the end of each car. Some night trains also offer deluxe compartments with a private toilet and shower. Sleeper compartments are gender specific, except when couples or families occupy all berths.

Night accommodations must be reserved and paid for in advance. On some night trains the number of accommodations for Pass holders may be limited. It is highly recommended to make reservations in advance. Prices vary depending on the type of accommodation and country. Rail Europe can secure seat and sleeper reservations for your trip before you depart North America, this ensures that you will have a seat on the train you wish to travel on. Simply click here to begin your reservation request.

Additional Charges:

Seats, sleepers and couchettes, pass holder tickets for travel on trains such as Eurostar, Eurostar Italia, AVE, Talgo, Elipsos, Thalys, Cisalpino, etc. luggage checking, and port taxes, are all subject to additional charges which are not covered by the passes. The prices for all BritRail passes and/or tickets include a processing fee. These, including meals and refreshments, are all to be paid separately. Luggage checking, port taxes, meals and refreshments as well as seat reservations, sleepers and couchettes reserved locally must be paid abroad in local currency.

Governing Rules:

All transportation covered by those passes where use is intended for more than one country is subject to the Uniform Rules concerning the Contract for International Carriage of Passengers and Luggage by Rail (CIV). National and/or single-country passes are subject to rules and regulations of their specific countries. Neither the British nor European railroads nor Rail Europe, Inc. assume any responsibility for damages resulting from a strike.

Refund:

Applications for refunds must be submitted by the client to the office where the pass, ticket or reservation was purchased. Expired tickets/passes are non refundable. No refund can be made unless the pass or ticket can be produced. No refund will be made in Europe for tickets/passes issued by Rail Europe, Inc. No refund can be given on tickets/pass purchased in Europe. Passes, tickets or reservations must not be removed from their ticket cover and must bear no evidence of having been tampered with in any way. Refund amounts are posted to the original form of payment.
Eurail Global passes, Eurail Select Passes, Eurail Regional and National Passes are refundable only if totally unused and unvalidated and received within one year from the issue date. Six months for the BritRail pass. Please note that the Prague Excursion pass is refundable up to seven months from the date of issue. All refunds are subject to minimum 15% cancellation fee. Rail 'N Drive passes are not refundable if either the rail or car portion has been used. Saverpasses, Twin passes and Party Passes are not refundable if partially used. Validated and partially used passes are non refundable.
Trains tickets are refundable based on the "after sales" rules of the type of ticket purchased (click on "compare classes" of the products at the time of booking, also printed on the ticket). Refunds, when applicable, are possible only if the ticket is received in our office within the time frame allowed for a refund. Cancellation fee varies from 0 to 100%. Refunds and Exchanges are subject to a 5% administrative fee per ticket.
BritRail Point-to-Point Tickets are refundable only if totally unused and unvalidated and must be received by the issuing office within 6 months from the date of issue. 15% cancellation fee applies. Roundtrip tickets used one way are not refundable.
Totally unused point-to-point tickets received by the issuing office prior to the first date of validity are refundable. Tickets received after the first day of validity are refundable if canceled and stamped "not-used" by a railway official, at the station of departure. These tickets are refundable up to three months from the first day of validity. All refunds are subject to a 15% cancellation fee and are subject to a 5% administrative fee. Tickets submitted after the first day of validity, which have not been cancelled, are not refundable.
Sleepers and Couchettes: For cancellations in North America, the unused ticket must be received by Rail Europe at least 24 hours before the train departure date. If clients are in Europe, ticket must be stamped cancelled by a railway official at the station of departure at least 24 hours before the train departure date. 15% cancellation fee applies. If space not cancelled and ticket received after the travel date, no refund is allowed.
Non-refundable Products: Paris Visite, Paris Museums, Great British Heritage Pass, London Travel Card, Fly-Rail Baggage, Original London Sightseeing Tour, Rail Protection Plan™, Seat Reservations.
Where no other time frame for refund is specified in this website, refund requests for tickets, passes, tours & packages must be received by rail Europe within six months of the issue date. Once tour/package is confirmed a refund is not allowed. Special refund conditions apply to Swiss packages - please check at the time of booking.
Trip cancellation insurance is highly recommended.

Terms and Conditions of Anywhere Anytime France®:

Residents of United States of America (and its territories), Canada, Mexico, Central America north of Panama, and the Caribbean are eligible to purchase and use the Anywhere Anytime France® product.
All trips must be used within 30 days from the first train departure date on the account.
Persons using a U.S. Military I.D. are eligible to use this product. -Cancellations can only be performed via the traveler’s online account to regain trip credit.
Non-ticketed / non-printed trips may be cancelled no later than 1 hour prior to train departure time.
E-tickets must be printed / issued a minimum of 1 hour before the train departure time.
Trip credits are valid on all trains but cannot be used when the journey originates with a non-reservable train segment. (ex. trains having 5 digit numbers).
Trip credits are valid for seat reservations only. Trip credits cannot be redeemed for couchette or sleeper accommodations.
Traveler must register on their online account within 6 months from date of purchase.
Traveler has 6 months from the date of account registration to use their Anywhere Anytime France® and trip credits.
We recommend booking your trips as soon as you can. Please note that space is never guaranteed and is subject to availability.
Refunds:
- The Anywhere Anytime France® is refundable less 15% cancellation fee if totally unused and none of the trip credits purchased have been booked. Refunds, when allowed, are possible up to one year of date of purchase.
- Once trips have been booked and not cancelled, the Anywhere Anytime France® and trip credits are non refundable.
- Once a trip has been printed and an e-ticket issued, the Anywhere Anytime France® and trip credits are non refundable and cannot be replaced if lost, stolen or partially used.
- Application for refunds can only be submitted by the traveler who made the original purchase.
- Rail Protection Plan™ is not available on the Anywhere Anytime France® product.

Seating:

Most trains offer only nonsmoking accommodations, but some trains offer smoking and non-smoking.

Payment:

American Express, Diners Club, Discover, Visa or MasterCard are accepted.

Lost Tickets and Passes:

Rail Europe, Inc. is not responsible for passes, tickets or vouchers which are lost, stolen, mutilated or destroyed. Refunds cannot be authorized in such cases. To protect yourself against such losses please refer to our Rail Protection Plan™.

Advance Booking:

Please apply for your passes and other tickets at least 7 business days prior to your departure from North America. Rail Europe, Inc. will always try to help if less notice is given, but Rail Europe, Inc. is not responsible for delays in delivery service or otherwise. If a product is ordered at short notice, Rail Europe, Inc. will charge an additional fee for overnight delivery service. When ordering, please include your date of departure from North America.

Responsibility/ Liability:

Rail Europe, Inc. acts only as a booking agent. Rail Europe, Inc. has no control over, and is not responsible for, any of the tours, passes, attractions, hotels and other travel accommodations listed in this site. All bookings are accepted and all tickets, passes, and vouchers are issued on the express condition that, Rail Europe, Inc. is not responsible or liable for any loss (consequential or otherwise); damage (including but not limited to loss of, or damage to travelers' clothes, baggage, or other property whatsoever); death, injury, delay, inconvenience or irregularity caused by, or arising out of, or in connection with, any defect in any vehicle or other, air, land or sea conveyance used, rented or traveled in; or through the negligence, willful misconduct, strikes or other acts, defaults of omissions of any carrier, car rental company, hotel, restaurant or any other provider of goods or services.
Every booking is accepted subject to the conditions, tariffs and regulations imposed by the air, rail, shipping, bus, car rental, car insurance, hotel or other companies, firms or persons concerned.
Rail Europe, Inc. reserves the right to alter, cancel or substitute any component of a package.
All items of a personal nature not specifically mentioned such as phone calls, tips, taxis, etc. are the responsibility of each traveler.

General Terms and Conditions:

All orders are subject to a handling fee of $18 unless otherwise noted. All prices are subject to change.

NOTE: The following terms and conditions apply to all Rail passes, Combination passes that include rail and car. Carefully reading these terms and conditions is recommended for all Combination passes.

Travelers are responsible for ensuring that they have all necessary visas and appropriate travel documents prior to their departure from North America.
Certain trains may transit through a country not covered by the pass. In that case an additional ticket must be purchased.
Train schedules and fares are subject to change and availability. Fares and departure times will be confirmed upon purchase confirmation. Sleeper prices vary and will be confirmed at time of purchase.

Note: All prices in this guide are correct at time of printing. Rail Europe, Inc. reserves the right to change prices without notice whether such changes are related or not to alterations in rates of exchange.