# Renfe special offers



## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

If anybody is planning a trip by rail over the next 3 months, Renfe have got some good special discounts on offer, which are available from today (the dreaded Black Friday) until 3 December, for travel up to 29 February.

For example, AVE fares between Malaga and Madrid are available from €23.85 (one way, depending on the time of the train) and the standard one way fare is €63.20.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

If you are over 60 or disabled, you can get a tarjeta dorada from any main railway station which gives you up to 40% discount on fares. It's €6 p.a. and you can renew it online. Some bank debit cards have this built in.

Details in English here: Tarjeta Dorada Card


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Alcalaina said:


> If you are over 60 or disabled, you can get a tarjeta dorada from any main railway station which gives you up to 40% discount on fares. It's €6 p.a. and you can renew it online. Some bank debit cards have this built in.
> 
> Details in English here: Tarjeta Dorada Card


My husband has one, but the current offers are actually cheaper than using the Tarjeta Dorada. We have to go to Madrid in the New Year to catch a flight and have booked return train tickets in Preferente on the AVE this morning, for €80.40 each (in September, mine cost €127-odd in Turista, OH's was cheaper because of the Tarjeta Dorada. In Turista, with the current offer the return fare would have been less than €50.

The Tarjeta Dorada discounts are 40% on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and 25% from Monday to Thursday.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

As far as I could see, there is no option to use the Dorada during online booking so we would have to go to the station, similarly, we have FIP cards which also give 50% reduction but again we have to go to the station which is a 160km round trip.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

baldilocks said:


> As far as I could see, there is no option to use the Dorada during online booking so we would have to go to the station, similarly, we have FIP cards which also give 50% reduction but again we have to go to the station which is a 160km round trip.


There is an option to use a tarjeta dorada when booking online - on the left hand side, just underneath where you enter the station you are travelling from, your destination and the dates of travel, there are boxes to tick if using a tarjeta dorada or joven.

Local travel agents will also book train tickets for you for a small fee, so no need to make a long round trip to a station. You can also get a tarjeta dorada from some of them, again for a small additional charge.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Lynn R said:


> There is an option to use a tarjeta dorada when booking online - on the left hand side, just underneath where you enter the station you are travelling from, your destination and the dates of travel, there are boxes to tick if using a tarjeta dorada or joven.
> 
> Local travel agents will also book train tickets for you for a small fee, so no need to make a long round trip to a station. You can also get a tarjeta dorada from some of them, again for a small additional charge.


In the 7 years we have been here we have had no cause to use the train, except that we are proposing to go to Madrid over the next puente for a meet up with SWMBO's old university friends from 30 odd years ago.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

baldilocks said:


> In the 7 years we have been here we have had no cause to use the train, except that we are proposing to go to Madrid over the next puente for a meet up with SWMBO's old university friends from 30 odd years ago.


In that case this current offer would save you money, the discounts are even more than the 50% your card gives you. The AVE is great, so comfortable and quiet. Just one thing - the fares are non refundable if you have to cancel, and no changes to journey times are permitted.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Lynn R said:


> In that case this current offer would save you money, the discounts are even more than the 50% your card gives you. The AVE is great, so comfortable and quiet. Just one thing - the fares are non refundable if you have to cancel, and no changes to journey times are permitted.


AVE doesn't come anywhere near here (at least no closer than 150 km each way.)


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## kalohi (May 6, 2012)

And if anyone is planning on flying with Iberia between Jan 15 and June 15, they are having a Black Friday sale (running from now until 3 Dec) offering 25% off on return tickets.


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## olivefarmer (Oct 16, 2012)

baldilocks said:


> AVE doesn't come anywhere near here (at least no closer than 150 km each way.)


I am amazed that you are so far from an AVE station. Presumably you could get a local train to the nearest AVE line?

I did read somewhere that 90% of the population live within 30 minutes or less of an AVE station. Ours will be Loja if it ever reopens. The line will be the Granada to Seville line I guess , with interchange near Antequera for Malaga-Madrid.

We have a plan to use it to go to Madrid when it gets a bit warmer.

Is the train from Malaga to Bilbao running again next year? Was it 8 hours day or 10 hours overnight?


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## DunWorkin (Sep 2, 2010)

Lynn R said:


> My husband has one, but the current offers are actually cheaper than using the Tarjeta Dorada. We have to go to Madrid in the New Year to catch a flight and have booked return train tickets in Preferente on the AVE this morning, for €80.40 each (in September, mine cost €127-odd in Turista, OH's was cheaper because of the Tarjeta Dorada. In Turista, with the current offer the return fare would have been less than €50.
> 
> The Tarjeta Dorada discounts are 40% on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and 25% from Monday to Thursday.


I think you have those discount percentages round the wrong way. It is 40% on a weekday and 25% at weekends.

Also, looking at these RENFE special offers, the really cheap fares are very early in the morning or late at night. We would have difficulty getting to and from Alicante station to get these trains.

Using the Gold Card we can travel on any train.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

DunWorkin said:


> I think you have those discount percentages round the wrong way. It is 40% on a weekday and 25% at weekends.
> 
> Also, looking at these RENFE special offers, the really cheap fares are very early in the morning or late at night. We would have difficulty getting to and from Alicante station to get these trains.
> 
> Using the Gold Card we can travel on any train.


So I did, sorry.

The trains we have booked with the special offer leave Málaga at 14.05 on the outward journey (and the services immediately before and after that were also available at that price) and Madrid at 13.00 on the return journey (cheapest price also available on all late morning and early afternoon services) - if it only applied to very early or late ones I wouldn't have booked them!


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

olivefarmer said:


> I am amazed that you are so far from an AVE station. Presumably you could get a local train to the nearest AVE line?
> 
> I did read somewhere that 90% of the population live within 30 minutes or less of an AVE station. Ours will be Loja if it ever reopens. The line will be the Granada to Seville line I guess , with interchange near Antequera for Malaga-Madrid.
> 
> ...


Our nearest "local" train is 75km away. with 3 trains a day to Madrid (over 4 hours).


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

baldilocks said:


> As far as I could see, there is no option to use the Dorada during online booking so we would have to go to the station, similarly, we have FIP cards which also give 50% reduction but again we have to go to the station which is a 160km round trip.


What's an FIP card?


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Pesky Wesky said:


> What's an FIP card?


It's an International Reduced Rate card for current and retired railway employees.


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