Rail Europe Reviews

I bought 2 Rail Europe passes and never received any confirmation, no passes number no nothing. After 3 days trying to communicate with them, I am unable to reach anybody, no phone number, no live chat nothing, just a robot chat that never answer the question and refer to a page with hundreds of answers that can take hours to read. And the end of these wasted hours there is nothing that can answer my questions. Like any scam organization you are unable to reach anybody.

We booked train tickets and tried to cancel them a few hours ahead of the trip. Impossible to proceed online, we did not need a password when we booked the reservation, the booking number and email address did not suffice. Attempts to reset a password did not work because of no response from Rail Europe. No phone number to reach out. I will never use Rail Europe again and will never recommend it.

We are very frustrated and disappointed with this company, and we will never use them again! First of all, when you check times and prices on their website, they fluctuate during the day, and they can go up to 300% and significantly drop the next day. BE AWARE when buying your tickets, and they suggest purchasing a "cancel for any reason" policy. Even if you read through their Terms and Conditions, do NOT fall for it! They will take your money, but when you ask for a refund, it suddenly becomes non-refundable, which contradicts their "cancel for any reason" statement. It means "they will not reason with you" and you will never get your money back, nor be able to change your booking when needed! There is no phone number or person to call; there is only a simple form. This site is luring people to pay extra for something they don't provide! I wish I had read all the reviews with the same experience.

I purchased 1st class train tickets from Vienna to Munich from Rail Europe for me & my 75 yr old mom. After boarding, we discovered there were NO seats. We were expected to stand for 4 HOURS. Rail Europe has refused even a partial refund. Since they are the middle man, it’s not their problem or concern! Avoid this company and go directly to the train company for tickets.

Would give a negative 5 if I could. Our train was cancelled while on the platform almost a year ago and the company just keeps saying the train service isn't responding to the refund request. We had to pay out of pocket for alternate transportation and now are out the money.

Terrible customer services. I purchased tickets in advance for my family. I did not receive a confirmation email or the tickets. There was also a delay in the charge on my credit card. This lead to a lot of confusion and I purchased a second set of tickets for the same day/time. When I saw both charges go through I asked them for a refund which they refused. It also took them a month to decide that they would not give me a refund. They only send me a link for one of the tickets that I purchased, still have not sent the link for the second set. This seems deliberate and confusing. If I could avoid using them in the future I will.

I bought tickets on July 23, on August 18 Rail Europe notifies me of a change in itinerary, which I have to cancel because wasn't the best for me, with the cancellation policies I have the option to cancel without any penalty and on August 22 I proceed to cancel and they send me a confirmation number with the cancellation and the amount of the refund. Two months later I am still waiting for the refund of the money and through my credit card company I file a claim and yet Rail Europe refuses to give me the refund without valid reasons.

We bought Renfe tickets at a rate that clearly specifies changes are allowed and we were not allowed to do so at the station, just because they were bought through RailEurope… Clearly this is how they are making the extra buck, limiting the customer’s options.

I booked June 30th's Thalys 9439 train from Paris to Brussels on May 3rd. On May 19th, I received an email from Thalys that this train was cancelled that day and the tickets can be exchanged at no cost. However I didn't receive anything from RailEurope.com. I tried to reach out to Rail Europe but there was no telephone number available to call, and the help function on RailEurope.com did not provide any specific response to my situation.

We used to buy tickets from them years ago. Then just last year we found out traveling in europe and italy, the prices on Raileurope are higher than buying direct with sncf or trenitalia. So either way we bought one way due to a booking issue. Before boarding the train at the platform the barcode wouldn't show up. There was a ? where the barcode was. Thankfully the platform didn’t have a gate where you have to scan. Although when boarded the conductor asked for the ticket and the barcode wasn’t showing on the app. He blamed raileurope and then reluctantly let us continue.

I purchased a ticket to Verona and paid extra for the flexible option so that I can cancel if my travel plans changed. My plans did change and when I tried to cancel RailEurope's website said they could not find my ticket, even though I was charged $110 for it!!! SCAM! I need someone in their customer service to contact me ASAP so that I can receive my refund!!!

If you buy tickets from them and everything goes fine - then it's all well, they are happy, you are happy. If something bad happens then they are not responsible for anything. My train got cancelled and I needed help, I paid extra 500 EUR to get home in the result. RailEurope advised to contact rail company that operated cancelled train, but railway company sends me back to them, because they are the travel agency that sold me tickets. I only try to follow advice I receive, however once I am back they are trying to send me back again, they don't care that I already go in circle. I don't know if they are actually reading my messages, I have impression that not really.

Order your tickets from other website or directly from the train operator if you have the option. I ordered Madrid to Barcelona return tickets from Rail Europe. Because of flight change, I ended up flying to Barcelona so canceled the Madrid to Barcelona ticket. First of all, I never got confirmation that my ticket was canceled although the Madrid to Barcelona tickets have disappeared from the app while Barcelona to Madrid ticket still showed up. When I checked in at the Barcelona train station, the train operator told me that my Barcelona to Madrid ticket has been canceled by the travel agent! My family and I were left at the platform with no ticket!

After posting my opinion of RailEurope in view of their poor response to my complaint re being issued single tickets instead of returns I am pleased to say they revisited my complaint. They have now refunded me the cost of the return tickets.

I purchased five tickets for travel in France. One person in my party of five could not travel due to medical reasons. I contacted RailEurope to get a refund for this person, this was done on May 21st and our travel date was not until 6th of June. I received an automated email telling me that someone would contact me within 72 hours. NO ONE contacted me to address my request. My next trip to Europe will NOT involve RailEurope ticket sales. Look elsewhere to purchase tickets.

We had to cancel our trip because we could no longer travel to Russia. We asked Rail Europe Customer Service to give us a refund and they said, "Sorry, not possible." I wrote back asking them to take it to senior management to reconsider and they came back with, because we were not from Ukraine, we cannot cancel. This is just pure greed from a Company that sells tickets on behalf of independent railroads and you can be sure that while they take the money from the consumer, they will not be passing the funds to the rail lines because we had to cancel through no fault of our own. Please, try to do anything you can to book your rail tour with anyone other than this greedy unsympathetic company. It's a shame that employees have to work for a company as awful as this one.

BEWARE. This company is a scam. Reposting my review because the company keeps trying to flag my review as false... DO NOT USE THIS SCAM SERVICE. Contracted covid while abroad and had to cancel my train ticket with RailEurope.com. This was a $500 train ride in Switzerland and they REFUSED to refund me. I shared all of my covid results and a proof of contraction from a pharmacy. They still wouldn't give me my money back for a trip I could not take due to COVID!! Insanely terrible business practices. I really hope they go out of business. Total scam.

RailEurope will sold me tickets marketed as "fully refundable for free prior to the date of travel". However when I contacted them to refund these "fully refundable tickets", they have refused to give me back my money. They are hiding behind a vague statement buried in the fine print of the email I received AFTER purchase that says "some tickets MIGHT be non-refundable" when you download a copy. However this is after the specific booking conditions in the email stating that my tickets ARE fully refundable for free. In contractual situations a specific statement will always take precedence over a general, non-specific statement.

I purchased tickets before the pandemics started. I agree with all the posts this year that they are the worst. Their policy says if the train cancels they will refund you. After numerous emails I have been sent in circles. They lied to my credit card so now they won't cover the dispute. Beware. I won't use them ever again.

Purchased tickets for myself and wife in January and before the pandemic requested for refund. It’s so sad that no one responds to your emails and no contacts. This is a scam and would not encourage anyone to use their services. So sad.

You will never be able to get your money back from them. The site takes you around in Circles, no one to communicate with. We spend over $500 in tickets. Due to pandemic we were unable to travel. They stole our money and will steal yours too.

I booked 2 passes with them for this 2020 summer. Obviously, I am unable to travel during the pandemic. I am currently being given the runaround to get my refund (or at the very least a new ticket for next year).. Being made jump through hoops (phones disconnected or endlessly busy, generic unsigned emails with no phone numbers to call back, now the website is on lockdown etc), to now be told (after purchasing a protection for those tickets) that I need to provide the airwaybill number of the delivery company that sent them to me (6 months ago!!!!), WHO KEEPS THAT? I will never say it loud or often enough: DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY; they are not reliable. I wish I had read the reviews beforehand. I hope I help at least one traveller.

So before booking them in January 2020 for my trip from Minnesota to Europe, I saw all the horrible reviews. But I thought it'd be ok. Then the coronavirus, Covid_19 happened. Travel bans, closure, quarantines made me going impossible. I requested a refund over a month before I was supposed to get on a train. They refused. They stole my money for a trip I couldn't take. Do NOT book with them.

I was told twice that my train tickets are refundable due to Covid-19 outbreak, but I am getting a continual run-around. According to their response, every person has said that it is not their responsibility to issue the refund and they pass me along to somebody else. Now they won't even respond to me. Do not buy from this company.

I purchased a refundable ticket and they refuse to issue a 85% refund - per their terms. This is during the COVID-19 outbreak. I can not believe they endorse stealing. How is this a legitimate business practice?

I contacted Rail Europe to cancel tickets due to the coronavirus. I was told that the rail service was not refunding any tickets due to the virus outbreak. I am not sure if this the railway position or if it is just this service. I will not be using this service again and would advise the same for anyone else contemplating this service.

If I could review Rail Europe a negative star, I would. This company does not deserve any stars whatsoever! Horrible experience!! Consumers. Please STAY AWAY from this fraud agency. I bought 4 euro Spain passes and I couldn't book my seats. Every time I would check, no schedules would be fully open. I would log in to their live chat, and every person I would speak to would give me different answers. One of their reps told me that it would take a few days even though another one of their colleagues said to wait till next month. They had me going in circles! They provided me a phone number for customer service. I called. It was a machine who sent me back to their live chat. I cancelled my tickets due this reason. Being misinformed and not being able to book my seats! I get an email from Tejal... that it would take 10 business days to get refunded only for the passes... NOT the protection plan!

All the other reviews pretty much sum it up. Poor service, canceled trains, lack of refunds, etc. You actually don’t need Rail Europe. They are a broker, instead try the actual train site or just buy the ticket at the station. You will save yourself lots of money and grief.

Several weeks prior to our planned departure, we purchased 6 Eurail Global Passes for our family trip. We also purchased their “Travel Protection Plan” which started it covered lost or stolen passes, cancellation once no questions asked, and other assurances. As it turned out, my husband who is 77, was suddenly hospitalized 4 days prior to our departure for Europe.

At first I would like to say that we are used to travel through a large part of Eurasia and North America since late 1970-s. This year RailEurope advertised a "Black Friday" sale. The price was good, so I ultimately ordered a 3-month rail pass for myself and 3 days in one month rail pass for my son. The sale started very bad: the site of RailEurope was unable to take the order for about two days because they did not program it correctly. There was no way to contact them by the phone, I had to e-mail to the head of customer support, Shirlee **. After three days being lost, they fixed the problem of their website. But it was a limited sales event, with three days already lost.

Rail Europe booked train travel for me from Vienna to Paris, taking me first to Munich then Stuttgart then to Paris. Due to a rail strike the last leg was cancelled. Rail Europe would not refund the cost of the entire trip, only the Stuttgart to Paris segment. I understand it was not their fault and that part of it was running, but my agreement with them was to get me from Vienna to Paris, not to Stuttgart where I would need to wait three days before I could get a train. I ended up booking a flight to get where I was going. Not their fault but they did not do what they agreed to do. I don't think that should be money out of my pocket. Won't use them again, that is for sure! Wish I had read the reviews before I booked with them.

Traveling to Austria and then to Slovenia for the first time we wanted to experience as much of the beauty of the country as possible. What better way than to book a train from Salzburg to Slovenia? First we were mailed the tickets along with someone else's tickets. They were incomplete so no way to get in touch with them. We had a train switch along the way. We had 10 minutes to reach the platform. We got to the platform only to find someone yelling at us to get on the bus to go to Slovenia. No train. No reason or explanation.

Booked several months in advance and paid for the insurance through Rail Europe. Rail travel from Rome to Milan on the Trenitalia and Milan to Paris overnight 1st class family sleeper car on Thello train. Notified by Rail Europe one day prior to our trip July 9 (in a very confusing email) that overnight train cancelled due to a mudslide from July 2nd in the French Countryside. Informed by email to proceed from Rome to Milan on first segment as there would be no interruption and we’d be taken care of by Thello in Milan to Paris and that our trip would not be ”affected.”

Please read all the reviews on this site. I wish I had. Raileurope is nothing but a scam. Very deceptive and there's no reason to buy from them. Buy direct. Cheaper and better service. They will fee you to death. And after I realized all the additional charges I tried to cancel (literally minutes later), they said I could but it would cost be about 22%. And there are so many caveats you're sure to get screwed even more. They make all their money on added fees. Run from this company.

I was taking train from Paris to Salzburg together with my girlfriend, and there are few connecting trains in between which I will breakdown below:

I booked SNCF Train tickets from Paris to Bayeux a month before going on my trip. I did not look at the reviews on-line prior to booking. I did so after and got very anxious based on what I saw however, I did not have any issues. In fact aside from the worry that I got from on-line reviews, everything went well. I booked online and was emailed two digital tickets instantly. I also received follow-up emails reminding me of my upcoming trip with ticket information. The prices were comparable and it was as easy as printing my tickets and scanning them at the gate.

This company adds a surcharge for their train ticket booking service. They are only middlemen who charge. There are no savings or advantages to booking a train with this company. Book directly with the SNCF and save money and disappointment. Do a little homework.

Back on Aug 2nd, my three travel companions and I booked four tickets from Seville to Madrid for Oct 2nd. They were the best advertised price at 23 euros/person. My card was charged for $99USD at that time but I never received a confirmation. Upon reaching out to their company that same night, Sia emailed, "We are waiting for RENFE to load fares and schedules for all routes in Spain for all upcoming travel. Once we receive the confirmation from the rail carrier, we will notify you. We appreciate your patience and ask that you wait for a response from our web booking team". I practiced extreme patience until my companion asked me to reach out to Rail Europe on Sept 19th.

Booking **. I made the above booking, they froze the funds in my bank account but failed to issued tickets and told me that it was because the bookings/timetable is only available within 2-3 months of travel but in my case the travel was within 1 month so it did not make any sense. DO NOT BOOK WITH THIS COMPANY. I wished I had read the reviews prior booking with Rail Europe. They told me it would take up-to 15 days for the funds to be released which I find to be crap. BEWARE OF EURORAIL.

This company is absolutely awful! It is a SCAM. DO NOT buy train tickets through this company. They are NOT tickets. It is simply a reservation to buy a ticket. Buy your tickets at the train stations and DO NOT go through this company.