More and more travelers to Italy who use the long-distance trains are becoming aware of an extremely useful extra-cost feature which transforms what would otherwise be a nonrefundable train ticket into a partially refundable ticket with limitations. Called "tiRimborso" by Trenitalia (Freccia and Intercity trains) and "Opzione Rimborso" by Italo Treno, they offer reasonable protection against unexpected events or contingencies which often compel travelers to need to cancel their reservations. However, as will be explained below, the protection is not complete.
Why buy train tickets in advance?
Why choose to book long-distance trains in advance? Primarily to benefit from the possibility of getting an EXTREMELY LOW FARE, as much as an 80% discount. For example, from Rome to Palermo the full-fare "BASE" ticket on the Trenitalia second class Intercity train costs 80.50 Euros, while the "Super Economy" fare starts at just 19.90 Euros!! From Milan to Rome the full-fare ticket on the Trenitalia second class Freccia train costs 95 Euros, while the "Freccia Days" fare starts at just 24.90 Euros!! From Milan to Naples on Italo Treno second class "FLEX" ticket costs 98.90, while the "Extra Magic" fare starts at just 19.90 Euros (a discount of 79.9%)!!
NOTE: There is NO price reduction for the Trenitalia unreserved REGIONALE trains, no matter when you purchase the ticket or in what format (paper or electronic).
You ordinarily don't need to purchase this optional refund offer for full-fare tickets with either Trenitalia Freccia/Intercity trains or Italo Treno, which are automatically 80% refundable: "BASE" fare on Trenitalia and "FLEX" fare on Italo Treno. The DEADLINE to cancel these full-fare tickets is just prior to scheduled train departure (no refund after train departure). The discounted tickets, however, are an entirely different story, as most are not automatically refundable.
Trenitalia "tiRimborso"
https://www.trenitalia.com/en/offers/tirimborso.html (English)
https://www.trenitalia.com/it/offerte_e_servizi/opzione-tirimborso.html (Italian)
BEWARE: Trenitalia has recently expanded the types of discounted tickets for which the "tiRimborso" option is offered. This is explained in the ITALIAN-language webpages, whereas the English-language webpages continue to reflect outdated information. This is the full list of discounted tickets for which Trenitalia offers the "tiRimborso" option: Economy, Super Economy, FrecciaYoung, FrecciaSenior, Young, Senior, Me&You, Insieme, Freccia 2X1, FrecciaDays, Speciale Frecce e Speciale Eventi.
TAKE NOTE that the refund amount is 90% of the cost of the ticket, and the DEADLINE to exercise the refund option is 23:59 (Italy time) TWO DAYS prior to your travel date. The cost of the option is 2 Euros per ticket (1 Euro for the "Economy" "Young" and "Senior" fares).
Italo Treno "Opzione Rimborso"
Works very similar to that of Trenitalia, with two important differences: the refund amount is only 80%, and the DEADLINE to exercise the refund option is 72 HOURS prior to your travel date. The cost of the option is 2 Euros per ticket.
With respect to either train operator, the refund option must be purchased SIMULTANEOUS WITH TICKET PURCHASE (not at a later time). This is, after all, a form of travel insurance!
NOTE that this refund option will NOT provide any protection for last-minute cancellations, including instances where your flight arrives late and you want to cancel your train ticket within hours of the scheduled train departure. Nevertheless, considering the almost trivial cost of 2 Euros, this is an excellent form of travel insurance which can address common occurrences such as cancellations prompted by illness, family or work obligations, or other unplanned contingencies, and where the traveler has at least two or three days of advance warning.
WHAT ABOUT REFUNDS OF TICKETS FOR THE TRENITALIA UNRESERVED REGIONALE TRAINS?
Here the rules are a bit simpler: you can request a refund (whether the ticket is in paper format or purchased electronically online) and receive an 80% refund, within the DEADLINE of 23:59 (Italy time) on the DAY PRIOR to your travel date. No refund is given if the amount which would be refunded (net of the 20% cancellation fee) is 8 Euros or less.
DISCLAIMER: The foregoing information is current as of today but is subject to change. Always consult the Trenitalia and Italo Treno websites to ascertain the up-to-date rules and restrictions. Happy travels on Italy's trains!
Why buy train tickets in advance?
Why choose to book long-distance trains in advance? Primarily to benefit from the possibility of getting an EXTREMELY LOW FARE, as much as an 80% discount. For example, from Rome to Palermo the full-fare "BASE" ticket on the Trenitalia second class Intercity train costs 80.50 Euros, while the "Super Economy" fare starts at just 19.90 Euros!! From Milan to Rome the full-fare ticket on the Trenitalia second class Freccia train costs 95 Euros, while the "Freccia Days" fare starts at just 24.90 Euros!! From Milan to Naples on Italo Treno second class "FLEX" ticket costs 98.90, while the "Extra Magic" fare starts at just 19.90 Euros (a discount of 79.9%)!!
NOTE: There is NO price reduction for the Trenitalia unreserved REGIONALE trains, no matter when you purchase the ticket or in what format (paper or electronic).
You ordinarily don't need to purchase this optional refund offer for full-fare tickets with either Trenitalia Freccia/Intercity trains or Italo Treno, which are automatically 80% refundable: "BASE" fare on Trenitalia and "FLEX" fare on Italo Treno. The DEADLINE to cancel these full-fare tickets is just prior to scheduled train departure (no refund after train departure). The discounted tickets, however, are an entirely different story, as most are not automatically refundable.
Trenitalia "tiRimborso"
https://www.trenitalia.com/en/offers/tirimborso.html (English)
https://www.trenitalia.com/it/offerte_e_servizi/opzione-tirimborso.html (Italian)
BEWARE: Trenitalia has recently expanded the types of discounted tickets for which the "tiRimborso" option is offered. This is explained in the ITALIAN-language webpages, whereas the English-language webpages continue to reflect outdated information. This is the full list of discounted tickets for which Trenitalia offers the "tiRimborso" option: Economy, Super Economy, FrecciaYoung, FrecciaSenior, Young, Senior, Me&You, Insieme, Freccia 2X1, FrecciaDays, Speciale Frecce e Speciale Eventi.
TAKE NOTE that the refund amount is 90% of the cost of the ticket, and the DEADLINE to exercise the refund option is 23:59 (Italy time) TWO DAYS prior to your travel date. The cost of the option is 2 Euros per ticket (1 Euro for the "Economy" "Young" and "Senior" fares).
Italo Treno "Opzione Rimborso"
Works very similar to that of Trenitalia, with two important differences: the refund amount is only 80%, and the DEADLINE to exercise the refund option is 72 HOURS prior to your travel date. The cost of the option is 2 Euros per ticket.
With respect to either train operator, the refund option must be purchased SIMULTANEOUS WITH TICKET PURCHASE (not at a later time). This is, after all, a form of travel insurance!
NOTE that this refund option will NOT provide any protection for last-minute cancellations, including instances where your flight arrives late and you want to cancel your train ticket within hours of the scheduled train departure. Nevertheless, considering the almost trivial cost of 2 Euros, this is an excellent form of travel insurance which can address common occurrences such as cancellations prompted by illness, family or work obligations, or other unplanned contingencies, and where the traveler has at least two or three days of advance warning.
WHAT ABOUT REFUNDS OF TICKETS FOR THE TRENITALIA UNRESERVED REGIONALE TRAINS?
Here the rules are a bit simpler: you can request a refund (whether the ticket is in paper format or purchased electronically online) and receive an 80% refund, within the DEADLINE of 23:59 (Italy time) on the DAY PRIOR to your travel date. No refund is given if the amount which would be refunded (net of the 20% cancellation fee) is 8 Euros or less.
DISCLAIMER: The foregoing information is current as of today but is subject to change. Always consult the Trenitalia and Italo Treno websites to ascertain the up-to-date rules and restrictions. Happy travels on Italy's trains!
Last edited:
