FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Verified by Visa Program - old Schwab card is not eligible?
Old Feb 21, 2011, 9:22 am
  #11  
Happy
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,731
UPDATE: Web discount on AVE is HUGE

Today is the 62 days before our travel date from Cordoba to Madrid.

Web fares became available on Renfe site starting 07:00 CEST. (It does not always up and running at that hour - more like 08:00 CEST when you would not get a operation error.)

I did not stay up late last night to buy it but was pleasantly surprised that the AVE at 17:00 departure still has web fare of 27.40 euro available. Normal fare is 68.40 euro and that is what you would pay if you buy it from Rail Europe.

It looks like we bought the last pair of seats at the 27.40 euro price. Now the cheapest for this train is at 41.10 euro.

Most web fares for day before were gone by the way, leaving only morning and late evening trains still have web fares.

Rail Europe does not even offer Tourista class, nor the Preferente class. (restricted economy and restricted first class - both are unchangeable but cancelable with 30% fee). It only offers the flexible economy and first class (Club) - changeable with 15% fee.

The price difference simply is too big to justify buying it from Rail Europe which is truly a rip-off if all you want is just individual journey, not a pass.

Last edited by Happy; Feb 21, 2011 at 10:06 am
Happy is offline