General Policies
All railpass orders are subject to a non-refundable handling fee. Italian Kilometric Tickets are subject to a non-refundable US $25.00 issuing charge per pass.
Advance Bookings
Please apply for your passes and other tickets at least 15 days prior to your departure. We will try to help if less notice is given, but RailPass Express is not responsible for delays in delivery service or otherwise. If a product is ordered at short notice RailPass Express will charge an additional fee for overnight delivery service. When ordering please include your date of departure as this is how we determine how much time we have to process your order.
Payment
RailPass Express accepts credit card payment through Visa, MasterCard, and American Express. You may also pay using a certified check or money order, but the order must be placed over the phone with a customer service rep before the check is sent to us.
Refunds
Lost or stolen railpasses are neither refundable nor replaceable. Handling and/or issuing charges are not refundable. Unused railpasses are refundable within one (1) year from issue date (or six [6] months from issue date for BritRail passes or where so stated) provided the passes have not been validated, or, if they have been validated, have been canceled and so stamped at a rail station in Europe prior to the beginning of the validation period. All refunds are subject to a 15% cancellation charge. Unused vouchers of combination packages (those combining rail with other travel programs such as car rental) are not refundable if any of the services of the entire combination package have been wholly or partially used. Companion and Saverpasses, BritRail discounted and Eurail and Europasses, and Rail 'n Drive passes together are considered one document and must be submitted together.
Exchanges
Unvalidated passes may be exchanged or upgraded for US $10 per pass. A 15% railway charge is assessed for downgrading to a less expensive pass. Guide books, Hostel Memberships, Paris Visite, Gatwick Express, Great British Heritage Passes, and ISE Cards are non-refundable.
Pricing
Every effort has been made to ensure all information appearing on the RailPass Express Internet Site is correct and exact. However, RailPass Express, Inc. cannot accept responsibility for human or printing errors or changes in prices that may be imposed on RailPass Express after publication by European Rail systems, or other providers of services mentioned in this site. Prices on this site are listed in USD. Any conversion can be made using the Universal Currency Converter™.
All prices indicated are effective January 1, 2001, and are subject to change without notice.
Eurail and Europasses may not be issued to residents of Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States (the former Soviet Union), Turkey, Morocco, Algeria or Tunisia. Citizens of the United Kingdom are not eligible to purchase BritRail Passes.
Validating
Passes must be validated within 6 months from the date of issue and prior to the first day of use. Validity starts only when the pass is endorsed by a railway official at a railway ticket office - not a conductor - from the country in question with your passport number and the first and last days of travel. This must be done before boarding the train for the first time. In most cases, validity runs from midnight to midnight for the period shown on the pass.
Under no circumstances is the holder allowed to validate his or her own pass, nor should pass holders enter their own passport number. Any tampering or altering of passes will invalidate them and could incur a fine in local currency levied by train personnel. On Flexipasses, the holder must enter the date of each day of travel, in ink, in the appropriate box before boarding the first train of the day. Failure to comply with validation and date-of-use regulations will result in a fine collected onboard the train. Rail/Drive packages may require pre-validation.
For complete details, see Conditions of Use as printed on each pass or pass cover.
Passes are available in first-class and second-class unless stated otherwise. Passengers holding first-class passes are also permitted to travel in second-class. Passengers holding second-class passes are permitted to travel in first-class only if they pay the difference between the two fares as applicable locally.
Reservations
A railpass does not guarantee a seat on a train, bus or space on a ship, and reservations should be made in advance. While seat reservations are recommended for all long-distance trains, they are required for certain high-speed trains. Travel in sleepers or couchettes always requires advance reservations.
Seat reservations, sleepers and couchettes, travel on certain high-speed trains, luggage checking, port taxes, meals, beverages and refreshments are all subject to additional charges. These are not included in the price of the rail passes, and must be paid separately.
Seat reservations should be made in advance and are compulsory on some trains (all TGV, Thalys, Cisalpino, AVE, Eurostar, and certain EC and IC trains), buses, and boats. Reservations are also compulsory for all sleepers and couchettes, and should be made in advance.
Passes are strictly non-transferable and are only valid for those named. Use by anyone other than those named will invalidate the pass and will result in a heavy fine in local currency. It is compulsory to present passports to European railway officials on request.
All transportation covered by multi-country passes where use is intended for more than one country is subject to the Uniform Rules concerning the Contract for International Carriage of Passengers and Luggage by Rail (CIV). National and/or single-country passes are subject to the rules and regulations of their specific countries. The European railroads are not responsible for damages resulting from strike.
Responsibility and Liability
(1) RailPass Express, Inc. acts only as booking agent and has no control over, nor responsibility for, the passes, carriers and other travel accommodations listed on the RailPass Express, Europe by Eurail World Wide Web Site or printed materials. All bookings are accepted and all tickets, passes and vouchers are issued on the express condition that RailPass Express, Inc. is not responsible nor liable for: any loss (consequential or otherwise), damage (including, but not limited to, loss of, or damage to passengers' clothes, baggage, property whatsoever), death, injury, delay, inconvenience or irregularity caused by, or arising from, or in connection with any defect in any vehicle or other land or sea conveyance used, rented or traveled in; or through the negligence, willful misconduct, strikes or other acts, defaults or omissions of any carrier, car rental company, hotel, restaurant or other provider of goods or services.
(2) Every booking accepted is subject to the conditions, tariffs and regulations imposed by the rail, shipping, bus, car rental, car insurance or other companies, firms and persons concerned.
(3) Travel insurance is recommended.
(4) Travelers are responsible for ensuring that they have all necessary travel documents and visas.
An optional Pass Security Plan is available for US $10 per pass to reimburse for the unused portion of the railpass in the event of loss or theft of the pass while traveling in Europe. Insurance is non-refundable and must be purchased at the same time as the rail pass.
Rail/drive packages may be included under the Pass Security Plan for US $10.
The Pass Security Plan is available for any pass purchased from RailPass Express, Inc.
How the Pass Security Plan Works
When your pass is lost or stolen while in Europe, report the loss/theft to the local police within 24 hours and obtain a police report. Purchase point-to-point tickets or another railpass for the remainder of your trip. Keep all receipts for travel. Within 30 days after returning to the U.S. file a claim for reimbursement.
The claim should include:
A notarized written report of the circumstances of loss or theft, official police report, receipt for replacement tickets. You will then be reimbursed for 100% of the unused portion of the pass.
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