Interrail Digital use In Europe

[CS2447]

Can this Digital Pass be used also by approaching a ticket office and obtaining a paper ticket , as the search is very limiting if avoiding reservation fees and sends you on slower routes on the App

 

[Feuillesmortes]

Can this Digital Pass be used also by approaching a ticket office and obtaining a paper ticket , as the search is very limiting if avoiding reservation fees and sends you on slower routes on the App

Why do you need a paper ticket if you have a interrail pass?

 

[Mainline421]

I assume they mean seat/berth reservation, and yes it can. This is the only way it's possible in some countries, just remember to add the journey manually on the app.

Both the paper and digital pass offer exactly the same benefits/validity it's just the way you show the ticket inspector, but with that said it sounds like you may prefer a paper pass @CS2447

 

[Feuillesmortes]

I assume they mean seat/berth reservation, and yes it can. This is the only way it's possible in some countries, just remember to add the journey manually on the app.

OK. But it sounds like they are avoiding reservation fees ?!

 

[Bletchleyite]

OK. But it sounds like they are avoiding reservation fees ?!

Reservations are chargeable in most countries anyway, typically about EUR5 or so.

 

[30907]

You can use an ordinary journey planner (preferably the one for the country you are in as it is most likely to be uptodate, unlike the IR planner).

Reservation-only can be bought at TVMs (eg in France) or online as well as at offices, and tend to be slightly cheaper too.

Perhaps our OP could explain more what sort of paper ticket they want.

 

[rvdborgt]

Can this Digital Pass be used also by approaching a ticket office and obtaining a paper ticket , as the search is very limiting if avoiding reservation fees and sends you on slower routes on the App

Your pass is your ticket.
You can use a mobile pass in the same way as a paper pass. It has no influence on how and where you buy reservations. Pass and reservations are completely separate.
The app should NEVER be used to plan journeys. It's often out of date, incomplete and sometimes outright wrong, both for timetables and for train information, like information on compulsory reservations.
Use national websites or apps to search timetables, and for international journeys, bahn.com is a good choice.
If you're looking for anything specific, then include details, like route and travel date. If you want to book a reservation, also include departure time.
There are a few Facebook groups about Interrail and also an online forum here.
Seat61 has a lot of useful information here about Interrail in general and here about reservations.

 

[dutchflyer]

Also assuming s/he means getting reservations etc: in fact in a few cases it is even only possible to get these by showing digital pass at counter to get them- Spain springs to my mind, also the remaining old-style habits in some Eastern-Europe countries. One has to accept that trying to avoid RES is near impossible in Spain, TGV-FRance and a few other countries for the IC-trains. And of course for the Brits the €* for getting in&out of that island in the NorthSea on iron roads.
Myself had a long time last paper pass and my first new style digital in the last year, both bought in the 50% off 50-yrs sale and was pleasantly surprised on how easy the digital one is to use. Take the current black friday 25% off sale if the dates to use suit you!

 

[theironroad]

Your pass is your ticket.
You can use a mobile pass in the same way as a paper pass. It has no influence on how and where you buy reservations. Pass and reservations are completely separate.
The app should NEVER be used to plan journeys. It's often out of date, incomplete and sometimes outright wrong, both for timetables and for train information, like information on compulsory reservations.
Use national websites or apps to search timetables, and for international journeys, bahn.com is a good choice.
If you're looking for anything specific, then include details, like route and travel date. If you want to book a reservation, also include departure time.
There are a few Facebook groups about Interrail and also an online forum here.
Seat61 has a lot of useful information here about Interrail in general and here about reservations.

To say NEVER is a bit harsh. IR/ER openly state that their database is only updated once a week and does not contain live info for planning. That said, it is still one useful tool in the planning armoury though I think it could do better.

Can this Digital Pass be used also by approaching a ticket office and obtaining a paper ticket , as the search is very limiting if avoiding reservation fees and sends you on slower routes on the App

The filter in the app to avoid reservation only trains is generally always going to use slower routes as it is the higher speed lines that want the mandatory reservation for a fee.

Not too sure what you mean by obtaining a paper ticket with a digital pass as if you opted for digital at purchase, then that is your ticket. separate reservations may be ticket office paper, tvm or online QR etc.

If you wanted a paper IR pass then that should be requested at purchase allowing for delivery.

 

[nwales58]

2 cases where Rail Planner is always wrong, because the relevant railway administration does not share the data:

Italy: Emilia-Romana region, services operated by Trenitalia for the region (TTPER) do not appear even though the pass is valid. So sometimes you will see an expensive infrequent service such as Bologna-Ravenna via Rimini on Frecce with no idea there is a frequent regional service.

Spain: Cercanias services cannot be shown but some routes have Regional or Media Distancia services too. Eg common tourist day trips from Madrid to El Escorial, Aranjuez or Alcala de Henares only show a few MD services needing a supplement instead of the real suburban service.

 

[rvdborgt]

To say NEVER is a bit harsh. IR/ER openly state that their database is only updated once a week and does not contain live info for planning. That said, it is still one useful tool in the planning armoury though I think it could do better.

I mean it, never. A weekly update would be nice but they hardly ever do that. It's more like twice a month. For reference: DB receive updates from MERITS twice a week. Any errors or omissions in the rail planner app can take weeks to be corrected. Updates for engineering works can take weeks to be integrated.
I see stories every week about people whose train didn't materialise or left earlier. And there was the story about the one train to Ljubljana (IIRC) that was overcrowded for weeks because it was the only one that showed up in the rail planner app.
The only feature that could be useful is the possibility to search for routes without compulsory reservations. But see below.
If you like an offline planner, then look at Můj vlak from Czech railways.

The filter in the app to avoid reservation only trains is generally always going to use slower routes as it is the higher speed lines that want the mandatory reservation for a fee.

It will also hide routes because it claims reservations are necessary when they aren't. There are numerous examples from all over Europe.

 

[CS2447]

My trip will try to avoid paying seat reservations,they're not mandatory in the areas I'm visiting .Can I just open app and show valid QR code and that's it!

 

[Feuillesmortes]

Can I just open app and show valid QR code and that's it!

plus add your journeys to the journey planner!

 

[30907]

plus add your journeys to the journey planner!

....before you board (he says pedantically), or you may get hassle. The instructions in the app are clear enough.

 

[nwales58]

... and if you hit a gateline, work out beforehand what to do in the relevant country!

 

[43096]

....before you board (he says pedantically), or you may get hassle. The instructions in the app are clear enough.

The whole trip recording thing is a nonsense anyway - on the paper tickets you still have to do it even though there is no way of sending it in now. 100% pointless exercise.

Oh, and I have never had any hassle with filling it in once on train; although that is the paper version. Indeed in some countries guards rarely bother looking at the journey history anyway.

 

[rg177]

I've been forced to buy a new ticket in Belgium for being part way through filling in a paper pass once on board (it was lashing rain outside and no platform canopy).

I wouldn't say this was typical though - the guard just seemed like a nasty piece of work and was absolutely loving the fact he'd caught me out.

Staff do check the digital one's itinerary but far, far less regularly. The plus side is that you can just load in your planned itinerary whenever you want and change it if needs be. Its a bit messier on paper if you start doing that.

 

[rvdborgt]

Staff do check the digital one's itinerary but far, far less regularly. The plus side is that you can just load in your planned itinerary whenever you want and change it if needs be. Its a bit messier on paper if you start doing that.

You do need to make sure that you activate your pass and travel day (in case of a flexipass) before departure of the train. The activation leaves a timestamp that can be checked later. SNCF staff sometimes check that and I've see reports from people who had been fined because they'd done it after departure.

 

[Mainline421]

My trip will try to avoid paying seat reservations,they're not mandatory in the areas I'm visiting .Can I just open app and show valid barcode and that's it!

Yes, the barcode is your ticket.

 

[CS2447]

Yes, the barcode is your ticket.

Thanks, I'm mainly heading over to Munich first then over to Vienna Budapest Sibiu Brasov Bucharest Sofia I've got 15 days straight or 15 consecutive
it's even throwing me a reservation fee on the Avanti leg out 6 euro, I am not wasting it on the first train down in the morning. On Eurostar I get it but even DB I do not need a seat reservation

 

[Bletchleyite]

its even throwing me a reservation fee on the Avanti leg out 6 euro , i am not wasting it on the first train down in the morning , eurostar i get it but even DB i do not need a seat reservation

That's Avanti's fault for putting fake compulsory reservations in the data, but even if you did want a reservation on Avanti you can get one for free from any station. EUR6 is pure profiteering.

 

[rvdborgt]

That's Avanti's fault for putting fake compulsory reservations in the data, but even if you did want a reservation on Avanti you can get one for free from any station. EUR6 is pure profiteering.

€6 is for booking via ACP rail. I don't know why Eurail still hasn't replaced them with a link to GWR.

 

[Bletchleyite]

€6 is for booking via ACP rail. I don't know why Eurail still hasn't replaced them with a link to GWR.

It would rather help if Avanti themselves, like LNER, let you do reservations with seat selection on their own website rather than just when buying a ticket!

 

[CS2447]

€6 is for booking via ACP rail. I don't know why Eurail still hasn't replaced them with a link to GWR.

ill book a Reservation via my GWR account , if any body has any ideas for coming back up from Sofia via a different route across to Bar somehow! and back up

 

[theironroad]

I've been forced to buy a new ticket in Belgium for being part way through filling in a paper pass once on board (it was lashing rain outside and no platform canopy).

I wouldn't say this was typical though - the guard just seemed like a nasty piece of work and was absolutely loving the fact he'd caught me out.

Staff do check the digital one's itinerary but far, far less regularly. The plus side is that you can just load in your planned itinerary whenever you want and change it if needs be. Its a bit messier on paper if you start doing that.

wow, harsh, though last year I did get penalised for not making a reservation on a mandatory train. Should have been 3 euro i think and I had to pay 10 for doing it onboard. He didnt seem like he was going to relent either. Can't remember the country off hand, possibly Italy.

Last year I did a one month continuous global and this year a 22 day one, no-one this year asked for itinerary and iirc only once last year. As long as the QR scans they seem happy. My understanding from the IR website last year is the journey recording whether digital or paper is more to do with inter/eu rail being able to internally account/ gets stats on where people are travelling.

Still a bit of a newbie to it all, and while its certainly convenient not needing to book for cheap tickets and can turn up and go, not sure i benefit financially.

 

[43096]

My understanding from the IR website last year is the journey recording whether digital or paper is more to do with inter/eu rail being able to internally account/ gets stats on where people are travelling.

I don’t think the paper version even gives the option of sending it in any more. So it is a totally pointless process.

 

[nwales58]

Definitely do not need a reservation on Avanti. Ignore the flag in Rail Planner and just add the leg to your trip then enable it.

My experience is that Avanti on board people are trained to recognise and accept Rail Planner journeys even though the bar code will not scan here. Euston gateline staff on the other hand ...

 

[Bletchleyite]

I don’t think the paper version even gives the option of sending it in any more. So it is a totally pointless process.

Given the primary demographic of users is young people who near enough all have some sort of smartphone, I can see the paper version going away soon. I'm surprised it hasn't already to be honest!

 

[rvdborgt]

ill book a Reservation via my GWR account , if any body has any ideas for coming back up from Sofia via a different route across to Bar somehow! and back up

You have to realise that Serbia currently doesn't have any international trains, except for the one from/to Bar.

That's Avanti's fault for putting fake compulsory reservations in the data, [...]

Just like LNER and TPE (any others?). This has been going on for a few years now.
Any ideas about how we can get them to include correct data in their timetable data?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Any ideas about how we can get them to include correct data in their timetable data?

Good luck with that. I suspect if you went to them and said "you can either change the data or actually enforce genuinely compulsory reservations with only Advance fares on sale" they'd be picking the latter.