I have been trying for weeks to purchase tickets on Trenitalia"s website. I get all the way through the process but in every case the final message is: Payment denied. I have tried Visa, MC and Amex. All are in good standing. Can anyone help please? Thank you.

Had a simialr problem last year, and was never able to purchase the tickets online. If you do find out what the problem is let me know, we'll be going again next year!

Tahoejon, have you called the credit card company that you are you are trying to use to advise them you will be buying these Italian train tickets. Each of your credit card company's might have declined the charge thinking it was a fraud. Just a thought. I too have read of people having a problem with the Trenitalia website. I have always just purchased the train tickets when I arrive but I know for one reason or another a lot of people like to buy them in advance.

I must be lame also. I have tried countless times and there is always an issue. I have given up and will buy my overnight amsterdam-venice ticket when I arrive in Amsterdam.

I will buy all of my point to point tickets for different italian locals from the train station in Venice.

Another possibility: Trenitialia will not let you purchase a ticket more than 60 days in advance.

Has anyone figured this out? Same problem here. I'm trying to purchase tix for 10/5 and I get payment denied. We called our credit card bank and they swear no one has even tried to run a charge from trenitalia. It's not even getting as far as the bank to even be denied from there.

Nash,

I have read that debit cards work well with Trenitalia. I know a lot of people don't like to use them, but they seem to have the most success. I never got passed getting a password. I used three different email addresses and two internet providers to avail. I ended up buying my tickets through Selectitaly.com. It only cost 21.00 dollars more than Trenitalia but that included second day delivery and I order 4 ticktes for 2 legs, so not a bad deal and I still have my sanity!

I was able to purchase successfully with my Visa credit card tickets on the Trenitalia website without any problems. Your card needs to have a 3 digit security code. I don't know but perhaps that could be one reason why your payments were rejected. If you had entered the three digit security code, I can't think of any other reason.

I had read on another posting here that when entering your credit card number you should make sure there's a space between each four digits. The first time I tried to enter the number it didn't work, but after trying it with the spaces it went right through (even using the American Express and only having three digits in the last set). Don't know if that was what made the difference, but at least it worked. Thank heavens, because by that time I was so frustrated by the Trenitalia site I was ready to give up and walk from Rome to Naples!

Hi nash,

Trenitalia's computer is a government worker, therefore not conversant with the term "customer service".

You just have to keep trying.

Often, opening an account at yahoo or hotmail and going through that account works.

Good luck.

True I entered my credit card number with spaces between each four digits.

I've been on Fodor's and other forums for years, and see complaints about the Trenitalia site pratically every day. Because I'm very stubborn about things like this, I just now made a second attempt to find somebody at Trenitalia to complain to. There seems to be no webmaster for the site (or at least not one who wishes to be found), so I just sent an email, with a copy of this whole thread, to their head of press relations.

Maybe that will get some attention!

Just trying to make Italy more user-friendly...

best regards,
Deirdré Straughan

beginningwithi.com

The crankiness of Trenitalia's Web site is legend.

One time I managed to book successfully, but never got a confirmation. The only way I knew it worked was to go to the train station and plug in my info at a ticket kiosk.

Needless to say, their site is unlikely to cop the Web Site of the Year Award.

Oh my gosh! You got my hopes up with the idea that spaces between the groups of numbers was going to work.

DENIED.

I think I have covered all the bases. It's a Visa debit/credit card, I entered the 3-digit security code, I've made sure the bank was going to let the charge go through, I've tried with and without spaces........

I think I'll go have a couple of stiff drinks and see if that helps.

Grazie for the suggestions.

It took me two attempts to finally purchase our trenitalia tickets (Rome to Naples).

I attempted to use both an American Express card and a Mastercard, but neither of them worked; after attempting to pay with the MC, my account was disabled, for 'safety reasons'. I was determined to get the tickets today since I working on finalizing our itineary. We leave in less than one month!

Finally, the site accepted our Visa debit card.

I am glad I found a post discussing the same problem I was facing today.

Thanks a bunch!

Oh, and I had tried an American Express card before all this. It didn't like the security code.

NashTN,

I entered the debit card number without spaces on all of my attempts; thus, I don't think that's the issue. it is definately a very finicky site.

On my last attempt, I created an account for hubby, since my trenitalia account had been disabled; I don't know what I did to cause the system to disable my account.

Well, now I am attempting to get the return tickets back to Rome.

Good luck on your next attempt! Perhaps that strong drink will make it happen ;-)

Well, the site didn't even allow me to purchase tickets for over an hour. There was a message saying to try back later. Must have been my lucky night as I got through to buy my tickets allright. Very stupid though. Never had finickiness with the French rail site.

FYI, I searched the corporate site of the Ferrovie Statali and found an email address for a PR contact, to whom I sent a copy of this thread along with the comment that these kinds of problems seem to crop up daily on the various travel forums I frequent, and suggesting that they could be making more money if their purchasing system actually worked.

The man actually replied, and promised to forward my email to the person in charge. Let us now see whether that person has anything useful to say...

In the meantime, I'm trying to find an email for our new minister in charge of tourism, Rutelli, in order to launch a general crusade for usability in Italian tourism!

best regards,
Deirdré "Tilting at Windmills" Straughan

beginningwithi.com

Just want to report that the problem you folks have been having with the Trenitalia site has not gone away. Tried most of the morning to get the site to accept any one of my credit cards.

No luck.

I tried every permutation I could think of to enter my CC number -- with spaces & without. After three attempts, they shut me down.

Called all of my credit card companies, and they say my account is "fine".

Poop!

I'll just have to do it at the station in Rome.