Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: clue is in the nym
Programs: BA Gold, TP Gold, VS Gold, Hilton Gold, IHG Diamond, Hyatt Explorist, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 1,394
If you don't need the flexibility and can safely commit to a specific train for the VIE-BUD sector, the MAV website will often sell tickets for much less than the fixed-train non-refundable 'Sparschiene' prices on OeBB.
A random example - RJX63 on Saturday 23rd September is showing a Best Price 'Sparschiene' ticket (this train only, non-refundable) of €38 + €3 for the seat reservation, whilst a non-refundable ticket for that specific train can be had for €20 + €1 seat reservation on MAV (First Class is still only €28 in total). Even where OeBB doesn't show a Sparschiene price, MAV will usually still sell you a non-flexible, non-refundable ticket
Conversely, Flexible tickets are often more expensive on MAV than OeBB so you should always buy these on OeBB.