pmchale03

I was looking at italo high speed trains (the private company) and right now on 1/19, you can only buy up until June 6. I understand the timetables change after this date. However, does that mean I can't buy until June 7th (my trip is July) or will I be able to purchase online before that? I have a firm plan and I'm obviously trying to get the cheapest deals as soon as they are released. Thanks for any help.

PalenQ

Summer schedules will be loaded sometime before the commencement of summer schedules but if Trenitalia is any harbinger of this sometimes it can be quite late - keep trying - Italo Tren has I believe a pretty low fare base in general so you may not have to buy months early to get the more limited in number discounted tickets on Trenitalia.

Check www.seat61.com for possible clues on that as that site's goal is highlighting cheapest fares possible.

Dukey1

You have to also remember that train schedules don't necessarily all load at the same time. In my experience it can sometimes take days for the entire group of timings to load in.

kybourbon

>>>However, does that mean I can't buy until June 7th (my trip is July) or will I be able to purchase online before that?<<<

No, it means you can't purchase until that load their schedules. Italo tends to get theirs loaded earlier than Trenitalia. You just have to keep checking over the next few months and when you see them, purchase. Italo lets you purchase 6 months out (once loaded). Trenitalia, even if they load early, you can only purchase 120 days in advance for the fast trains.

>>>Italo Tren has I believe a pretty low fare base in general so you may not have to buy months early to get the more limited in number discounted tickets on Trenitalia.<<<

I find their fares to be similar to Trenitalia (base or discounts). Both list the requirement for a secured credit card. Paypal seems to be an option for payment on both now though.

http://www.italotreno.it/EN/timetabl.../overview.aspx

PalenQ

BOURBON - Thanks for correcting my false impression of Italo Treno about more low base fares - I read that a few times but was not sure and havn't looked them over much yet - you are the expert or an expert on Italian train fares!

Italo Tren is supposed to be much easier to use than finicky Trenitalia.com which has flummoxed so so many as per posts here about getting it to work - even recently - hopefully Italo Treno will compete on more lines and be able to constantly use central stations like Termini in Rome and not just Tiburtina (if so) though personally I'd prefer Tiburtina for its much smaler and less hectic nature.

Holly_uncasdewar

I bought tickets on Trenitalia three times this past month with absolutely no problems whatsoever. It looks to me like they've fixed whatever ailed their system in the past.

bvlenci

On the other hand, I've seen lots of complaints on Trip Advisor saying that credit cards were refused by Italo for no apparent reason (verified by the bank). There was even one person who said she got a "transaction refused" message from Italo, although her credit card was charged.

The only problem I've heard of regarding Trenitalia is that if your email address ends in .net you may not receive your confirmation. For that reason, I suggest printing out (or taking a screen shot of) the page that gives you your reservation number (PNR) before you close the browser window. All you need is the PNR, not a printed ticket. However, I like to have something printed in case the ticket collector's handheld computer isn't working.

kybourbon

Trenitalia states the same credit card verification requirement and many people used to have a lot of problems with that. This is not the 3 numbers on the back of your card. It's something you must sign up for with your credit card company(Visa/Mastercard) and not all Visa/Mastercard's offer this. The biggest current problem on Trenitalia is the registration.

PalenQ

bvienci and bourbon - Fodor's is lucky to have two such well-versed folks who take time to answer countless queries and shed light on actually booking trains - many have problems at first encounter and these two, bourbon for years, bvience more recently, have helped hundreds save a lot of money but being able to buy those discounted ducats when on their own they could not get thru the frustrating inauguries of Trenitalia.com and now Italotren.com (or whatever official name it has - keeping getting mixed up.

A collective thank you from many I am sure.

RonZ

I've find only small differences in prices between the two, but the Italo web site gets you through quicker. Paypal works great for both.