How to Purchase Train Tickets in Spain on Renfe

Now if you are reading this you have probably heard of rumors of how bad Renfe’s service is from the poor web design to declining your purchase. I was honestly nervous of buying train tickets in Spain and was constantly worrying if I would be able to get to my next destination. The truth is I had zero problems buying tickets on Renfe.

You must be wondering how is that possible? There are so many people who have had trouble with Renfe and there are so many bad reviews? I was completely shocked myself but here is what I learned.

**Note: I do not work for Renfe or any transportation in Spain or anywhere. This is just advice based on my experience with the system. I do not own the photos. They are screenshots from the Renfe site to serve as an example.

Lock in good prices ahead of time

Tickets on Renfe are usually more expensive than budget airlines but tickets (in theory) become available around 60 days in advance. Usually for shorter day trips are not really a problem and can be booked last minute for a good price. 

Notify your Bank in Advance and use Credit Cards

It is highly recommended that any time you travel outside the country that you notify your bank of your travel plans. This is the biggest mistake that people make because your bank believes that this is a fraudulent activity and will shut down the purchase. The second issue is that the software cannot send the approval to your banking institution. Now when I asked the staff at all of my hotels why there was so much trouble surrounding ticket purchases they all said the same thing: American Express does not work. My advice is to stick to Visa and Mastercard and have a backup credit card just in case.

Full Disclosure: I used my Costco Citi Visa card for all my transactions abroad and it has no foreign transaction fees.

Website Crashes and Oddities 

I never once experienced any website crashes or oddities. I purchased my tickets on a computer and my phone with ease. I do admit as someone who is a web developer the website is awful and not user friendly but the functionality is there. Whether you continue in Spanish or English, the translations are not amazing. Luckily I do speak a moderate amount of Spanish so this was not a problem for me but below are some basic translations to help you just in case. 

1. Origen – Origin (where are you starting off your journey)
2. Destino – Destination
3. Fecha del viaje – Dates of your travel
4. Salida – Starting Date
5. Regreso – End Date
6. Comprar – Purchase
7. Todas – All stations
8. Precio – Price
9. Datos Personales – Personal Details
10. Nombre – First Name
11. Apellido – Last Name
12. Documento – From the dropdown select Pasaporte
13. Telefono – Phone number (helps you have an international phone plan or an international sim)
14. Seleccionar asiento – Select your seat 
15. Tarjeta de Credito – Credit Card Information

Last Resort Options

If none of these tips above help you buy tickets through Renfe, then I have a couple of last resort options to get your trip going. If you still want to purchase your tickets in advance, then there are 3rd party services like Omio and Eurail that are completely in English and hassle free. I almost bought my tickets through the Omio app. Second option would be going to the train station in person and purchasing your tickets. If you choose to buy your tickets at the train station, please keep in mind that some trains have a high level of occupancy, it might be more expensive and there may be a service fee.

Full Disclosure: I bought my tickets online and on my phone but I did it when I was in Spain. I did not buy my tickets in advance; I took a chance and waited until I got there. I bought my tickets along my journey and never more than a day or two in advance; I could have been lucky but I got good deals on all my tickets.

This is part of a series on my adventures in Spain. For more information on itineraries and advice please click here.