How To Buy Train Tickets Online
You can get information and purchase tickets 24 hours a day by calling 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245). Julie, the Amtrak automated, voice-activated agent, is happy to help. Or, if you need live, personal assistance, just say "agent" or press the "0" button on your telephone. For TTY service, call 1-800-523-6590.
how to buy train tickets online
In most circumstances, you must purchase a ticket before you board a train. On most Amtrak trains, only the full, undiscounted, unrestricted fare will be available for purchase onboard the train. This is regardless of reservations made or fares previously quoted by ticket agents, Amtrak.com or elsewhere. Higher fares usually apply when purchasing tickets onboard the train. To secure the best available fare, passengers should purchase tickets prior to boarding the train.
Credit and debit cards are accepted for the purchase of Amtrak tickets and services at all staffed stations. Debit cards must have a credit card logo and will be processed as credit card transactions; cards that require the entry of a PIN (personal identification number) are not accepted. There is no minimum amount required for credit and debit card purchases.
Purchase monthly, weekly or one-way tickets including one-way reduced tickets (half fare or less) for senior citizens, children, passengers with disabilities as well as military personnel and their dependents through our Bulk Sales program.
Students who attend post-secondary schools that participate in our University Partnership Program may purchase monthly student passes online and save 25-percent off regular monthly pass fares. Learn more.
Senior Citizens (62 and older) and customers with disabilities can travel on NJ TRANSIT trains, buses, and light rail vehicles at a reduced fare of half the regular one-way fare or less at all times. Learn more.
A flat fee of $3.00 will be charged on-board trains when you present a ticket/pass printed with Hoboken Terminal for travel to/from New York or points in New Jersey ($4.25 from Denville through Hackettstown stations). For travel to/from stations on the Main, Bergen County, Pascack Valley or Port Jervis lines, refer to your line's timetable for the proper change-in-terminal fee.
You can purchase tickets aboard the train without penalty only if there is no ticket agent or ticket vending machine available (A $5 surcharge is applied to tickets purchased aboard trains if a ticket agent or ticket vending machine is available at time of boarding). Customers with disabilities and senior citizens (62 or older) may purchase tickets aboard any train without penalty. Conductors cannot accept bills larger than $20.
One way, off-peak roundtrip and 10-trip rail tickets for travel "via Secaucus" between Hoboken Division (Morris & Essex or Montclair-Boonton lines) and Newark Division (Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast Line or Raritan Valley Line) stations may be used on Newark Light Rail for connections between Newark Broad Street and Newark Penn stations only at no additional cost. These tickets may not be used on other light rail lines or on buses.
With the new TrainTime app for Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North, you can plan a trip, purchase a ticket, get train status and track location, and chat with a customer service representative for either LIRR or Metro-North.
Ticket offices sell all LIRR and MNR ticket types and also offer certain MetroCard options when purchased with LIRR tickets. You can pay with cash, credit or debit cards, and some transit benefit cards. For LIRR tickets, you can use a personal check for monthly, weekly, and ten-trip tickets, or five or more one-way tickets.
Off-peak tickets will be "stepped up" to the peak fare when presented on peak trains. Step-up fares and extension-of-ride fares, which are charged for traveling beyond the stations listed on the ticket, will be rounded up to the next dollar.
Note that transit benefit providers are independent of the MTA. If we refund tickets purchased through a pre-tax program, the money will be credited back to the benefit card you used to make the purchase.
If you ride Metra, you can use the Ventra app to buy mobile tickets and ride with the app. Buy your tickets before you board so you're ready to go when the conductor comes around. Tickets are stored on your device and can be used even if you don't have cell signal on the train.
Your new mobile tickets will be stored under "Metra Tickets" in the app for when you're ready to use them. You can view and activate Metra tickets from the home screen and the "Tickets" section of the app.
With over a million routes connecting more than 7,600 cities by train, searching for a train ticket on Wanderu is a great way to plan your next trip. You could even take a train around the entire continental United States! Check out our guide on train travel for answers to frequently asked questions about trains, as well as tips on how to snag great deals on train tickets. You can use our convenient search tool to find and compare different train tickets from Amtrak (including Acela), Deutsche Bahn, VIA Rail and more.
Please note: per CDC guidelines, we encourage passengers to minimize non-essential travel during the coronavirus outbreak. To learn more about travel restrictions and the safety measures train companies are taking, check out our COVID-19 travel guide.
Over 30 million passengers took a train in the United States in 2019, according to Amtrak. Train travel is even more prevalent in Europe, with the European Union reporting 8 times as many passengers traveling by rail than air. Traveling by train is a popular choice for both short commutes and longer journeys, and for good reason.
In general, prices fluctuate based on availability and demand, but tend to spike as you get closer to your departure date. We recommend that you buy train tickets at least two weeks prior to your departure.
Use an online booking platform. Sites like Wanderu allow you to easily compare routes, schedules, and prices to your top destinations at-a-glance, making it easier than ever to spot a good deal. You can also buy train and bus tickets as a single journey to get to more remote destinations that might not be accessible via Amtrak.
Travel during less-busy times. The busiest windows for train travel are Friday evening and Sunday afternoon, when the majority of passengers are departing or returning from weekend getaways. Weekday mornings tend to be crowded as well, with commuters in transit to work. To avoid high fares, plan to leave in the afternoon or evening during the work week, or for a weekend trip, mid-morning or early afternoon on Thursday, Friday or Sunday.
In addition to saver fares, major train companies also offer discounts for some travelers. For example, Amtrak offers a 10% discount for seniors, active military personnel, and passengers with disabilities. Amtrak tickets are also discounted for children from ages 2 to 12, while infants under 24 months may ride for free.
The child offer is now extended to children ages 4 to 14 years when traveling on high-speed Frecciarossa, Frecciabianca, Frecciargento, InterCity, InterCityNotte, EuroCity, and Thello trains. Your child will be assigned his/her own seat and children must be accompanied by an Adult when traveling on this offer.
The ticket is automatically displayed on your screen when the booking is completed. You will need the Adobe Reader on your computer to open the ticket.You can also download the ticket to your computer: the download button is located on the booking confirmation page at the end of the booking process. You can save your ticket immediately and present it digitally to the ticket inspector on your laptop, tablet or smartphone. You will also receive a confirmation e-mail with your PDF ticket.Our online tickets feature visual security features that make it possible to check them without using a scanner. We would therefore ask you to please ensure that visual elements (images) are not suppressed when you print your ticket out or display it on your mobile device. Please also make sure that the brightness of the screen is set as high as possible. If you want to access your ticket again at a later date, use the "Order search" or call up the booking history in My Bahn.
Digital tickets are tickets you book online that you can use digitally. You will receive the digital ticket as a PDF file after booking and additionally by e-mail. In the next step, you can save the digital ticket as an online ticket (PDF) on your mobile device or load it into the DB Navigator app as a mobile phone ticket. It is no longer necessary to print the ticket. If online tickets or mobile phone tickets are not available on your selected route, you will be informed of this during booking.
You have booked an online ticket and want to use it on your smartphone? For this, you need to download DB's app called the DB Navigator.This is how it works:1. If you are logged in your customer account on the DB Navigator app, you can add your latest online ticket by refreshing the Tickets section.2. You are not logged in on the DB Navigator app? Then add your ticket either directly into the app by clicking on the link in the booking confirmation e-mail or by entering your order number.
To book an online ticket for somebody else, tick the "Ticket for another person" box in the "Ticket & Reservation" booking step. In the next booking step ("Enter your personal details"), enter the details of the person for whom you are booking the ticket. The person travelling will then receive the ticket by e-mail. He or she can save the ticket as a PDF on a mobile device, load it into the DB Navigator app or print it out. The system will use your payment details, so you do not need to change them.
You can exchange an online ticket on bahn.com. Exchanges depend on the refund conditions.If you are a registered customer, you can call up the booking history in your My Bahn customer account. If you bought a ticket without logging in, use the Add ticket function. You will need the order number of your ticket for this. 041b061a72