Hi Everyone,
I have been trying to purchase tickets on renfe.com from Barcelona to Paris in 28th April, 2013 on the train hotel for a couple of weeks now with NO LUCK! I am extremely frustrated and do not know what to do. I have contacted my bank and they assure me there is NO block on my CC for Renfe. When I go on Renfe.com they have promotion tickets available for 77 EUROS on the 28.4.13. Then I tried the Petrabax website and the cheapest ticket they are offering is $246US!!
I will be very greatful if someone can help me out! Any advise? Seriously, I think the Renfe is causing me to have grey hair!
Thank you in advance 
Renfe Tickets
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Even though they show the promo tickets, they are not always available after the first two or three have been sold. You need to look at the Elipsos web site to see what actually is available (www.elipsos.com).
Renfe is a nightmare, don't get me started. Don't go through Petrabax, there are still £62 tickets available in 4 berth sleepers there must be a hefty agent fee involved there.
Have you tried booking through http://www.voyages-sncf.com/billet-train ? I did that with my booking from Figueres to Lyon in the spring. However only my American Express CC would work.
I found the following site on TripAdvisor: Madrid: Buying Renfe Tickets Online-Trip Advisor.
I printed out the instructions and followed them. It took a while to get the tickets I wanted, but the site was really helpful.
You need to have Verified by Visa, if you are paying with a Visa card. If you pay with a Mastercard, you need Mastercard SecureCode program. You can sign up with those beforehand.
I took two extensive trips to Spain in 2011 and 2012, so the savings on the tickets were extensive.
I finally had success with a Master Card - my Visa cards could not be enrolled in the Verified by Visa program according to their banks but the MC Bank did something and after that my card worked....but I did have to wait 24 hours - RENFE evidently puts a 24 hour hold when a card is rejected...good luck!
Thanks Pegontheroad. I registered my Mastercard with the Securecode program and was able to purchase my tickets for travel within Spain on the Renfe site.I also found that having the Securecode program allowed me to purchase entry into the sights in Barcelona that we had on our itinerary enabling us to go through the fast line with no waiting.