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Delayed train? How to get a refund from Renfe Spain

Passengers of the Spanish rail company are entitled to compensation if their train is delayed

Spain’s railway service is up there with some of the best in the world, but from time to time delays still occur due to a variety of reasons, including problems on the tracks, station works and mechanical issues.

This is not only an inconvenience, but can have a knock-on effect for passengers taking the train to the airport.

What most people don’t know is, just like flights, if your train is delayed then you are entitled to compensation, at least if you use a Renfe service from the state-owned rail provider.

But like the airlines, it’s not always straightforward to figure out how you can claim compensation, which is why we’ve added this step-by-step guide. The best thing about the Renfe website is that it automatically detects if passengers are due money back.

With Spain’s most popular rail provider, customers are entitled to 50% of the ticket price if the train arrives more than half an hour late, and the full amount if the arrival is more than 1 hour late.

How to claim compensation for a delay on Renfe’s website

Step 1: Have your ticket handy (either the physical train ticket or the electronic version) and jump onto Renfe’s official website.

Step 2: Click on the ‘Help’ tab which is located at the top right of the page.

Step 3: Scroll down to the ‘Punctuality and automatic compensation’ section and click to open a new page.

Step 4: Here, there are several options but passengers need to locate the ‘Request my compensation’ tab and click to enter.

Step 5: On this page, passengers will have to enter their ticket number, as well as the origin and destination stations and Renfe will determine if they are entitled to compensation.

Renfe offers a number of compensation options, including a refund onto the card used for the original payment, returned Renfe+ points or a discount for future travel.

At this point, passengers will have to tick a box acknowledging that Renfe is processing the claim, but the compensation usually comes through pretty quickly. It’s worth noting though that if the original ticket was purchased using Renfe points, customers will only be refunded in points.

Also of interest: Air Europa strikes—how to claim compensation if your flight is cancelled

Image: Renfe

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