Benelux Pass

• Q. What fees does Rail Europe charge?

  A. Rail Europe charges different types of fees for the services we provide. These fees are waived under certain circumstances. Below is a list of the fees we charge.

  Delivery Fee: this fee covers the cost of delivering your travel documents to you, allowing you to relax, knowing that you have everything you need prior to your departure.

  Customer Care Centre Fee: this fee is charged only when bookings are made over the phone through one of our Customer Care Centres.

  Rail Europe Processing Fee: this fee allows us to continue to provide travellers with a wide range of European rail products to choose from, in addition to offering quality customer support before, during, and after your trip.

  Administrative Fee: this fee is charged only for refunds and exchanges. It is 7% of the original train ticket or rail pass price.

• Q. Will a National Rail Strike affect my train travel?

  A. A national strike impacting rail services could affect train travel for locals and visitors alike. Typically, during a rail strike there will be a reduced number of trains operating which could lead to more passengers on board trains that are running, changes in schedules, or even alternate modes of transportation (such as buses) to transport passengers to their destinations.

   In the event of a strike, Rail Europe will provide as much information as possible to assist those who may be impacted. If a strike has been announced, you can always submit inquiries to Rail Europe through the Contact Us page or, if you’re already in Europe during a strike, go directly to a railway station and ask the local railway official for assistance.

• Q. Do I need to buy a reservation if I already have a rail pass? How do I book one?

  A. If you plan to travel on a high speed, scenic, or overnight train, you will need a reservation as many of these types of trains require them - even if you have a rail pass. Seat reservations guarantee you a seat on the train you wish to travel on. While additional fees apply, many trains offer reduced fares to passholders. When you reserve your train, be sure to check the box that states "I have a rail pass", this will allow our system to find the best fare possible for your journey.

• Q. How can I tell whether or not I have a reserved seat on board?

  A. To tell if you have a reservation, first see if you received one or two travel documents for your trip. If you received two travel documents, you probably received an open train ticket and a reservation. The reservation portion will show a train number, car number and seat number assigned to you personally.

  If you received only one document, see if it also indicates a seat number and car number. If so, your train ticket includes a reservation.

• Q. Are lockers and luggage storage services available at the train station?

  A. Most major train stations have a left luggage facility offering either self-serve luggage lockers or staffed luggage facilities.

  Keep in mind that there is a fee to store your luggage at a train station. Typically, stations will charge a flat rate to rent a luggage locker that you’re free to fill. For staffed luggage facilities, you may incur a “per bag” fee. In either case, the fee is usually under 10 Euros. If you do leave your bags, be sure to keep some money in your pockets for the luggage lockers.

• Q. I’ve noticed a big difference in the cost of seat reservations for different trains. Why?

  A. Fares for reservations may vary greatly from one train to another. Unfortunately, we have no control over these prices as they’re set by each individual railroad.

  Trains that have higher priced reservations are typically high speed, international trains such as Thalys or Eurostar, as well as night trains.

  Various factors are considered by rail carriers when pricing reservations for rail pass holders. These factors can include: the technology used by the train (high speed or regular speed), the types of tracks the train travels on and their associated maintenance cost, the range of services and amenities offered on board, possible tolls incurred by the carriers depending on the train routing (such as tunnel crossing tolls) and partnerships between rail carriers for the operation of cross border trains.

  In addition, there are also specific costs associated with traveling on a night train that may include food for dinner and breakfast, as well as cabin maintenance costs (sheets, etc…). Since these costs are not associated with travel on day trains, day train reservations generally cost less.

• Q. What are the fees associated with getting a train ticket refunded?

  A. The first type of fee is carrier penalties. These are charges determined by the rail carrier depending on the exchange and refund conditions associated with your original train ticket. For example, there may be a 15% penalty assessed for exchanges, which means that only 85% of the value of the original ticket will be carried over for the purchase of a new ticket. Or there may be a fixed penalty charged for exchanges, or no fee at all.

  When browsing fares on our website, you can read a brief description of each fare flexibility level, and then see the full exchange and refund conditions for each fare.

  Once you have booked a train ticket with us, its exchange and refund rules will be indicated in your Rail Europe booking confirmation email, as well as printed with your train ticket and/or on the ticket jacket in the case of paper tickets. Please note that train tickets must be received for exchange or refund within the allowed time frame mentioned in the exchange and refund conditions.

  The second type of fee is Rail Europe’s administrative fee. This fee is charged in addition to applicable carrier penalties. The processing fee is 7% of the cost of the original train ticket.

• Q. Can I exchange my train ticket after its date of departure?

  A. Unfortunately, this is not possible. If a train ticket can be exchanged, it normally must be done prior to the first date of validity on the ticket or the train’s departure date. However, please consult the “after sales conditions” found on your confirmation email for exact exchange rules pertaining to the train ticket you booked.

• Q. Do you offer maps of European train stations?

  A. We do offer links to Google Maps for many European train stations. At this time we do not have specific layouts of any train station interiors in Europe.

• Q. How can I track the status of my refund?

  A. To check the status of your refund, you can visit our Contact Us page to send us a message. Please be sure to include your original booking number so that the refund request can be researched.

  Refunds processed online for e-tickets are completed immediately. Emails received for e-ticket refunds will be processed on the next business day.

  Refunds for paper documents cannot be completed entirely online because your original travel documents must be sent back to us. They will be processed within 1-2 business days after the documents are received by Rail Europe. Our Customer Relations team will contact you once your refund is processed.

  Please note that once a refund has been processed, it will take 7-10 business days for it to reflect in your credit card account.

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