Mobile Pass Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, it’s possible to exchange your paper Pass for a mobile Pass. To find out more, please visit our Refunds and Exchanges page.

Some benefits only require you to show a valid Pass to receive the discount. Others can only be accessed by providing your Pass cover number. 

You’ll find specific instructions for each benefit in the Pass Benefits Portal.

In the unfortunate scenario that your device gets lost, damaged, or broken with your Pass on it, you can opt to move your Pass to another device.

Open the app on your new device and go to My Pass to add your Pass using your last name and Pass number from the order confirmation email. When asked, tap 'Move Pass' and follow the steps to have your Pass moved to the new device.

Remember, if you don’t have a device available to add your Pass to, you won’t be able to travel since you won’t be able to show your ticket. You run the risk of being fined or asked to leave the train. Unfortunately, we can’t reimburse any fines you may incur or tickets you had to purchase. 

No, it’s not possible to get a refund after you’ve used your Pass, even if you still have travel days left.

Your Pass is considered used when your validity has started. Once it’s used, it’s no longer possible to get a refund.

Your mobile Pass is periodically checked against our system to ensure its validity and prevent fraud, which means that you need to be online at least once every 3 days.

We’ll send you a notification 24 hours before your 3 days are up so you can find an internet connection. If you are on a train, there may be on-board Wi-Fi that you can use (note: the Wi-Fi signal must be at least 3 bars or higher). The app does not update in the background, so you’ll need to open the app when you find a connection so we can check your Pass. This won’t affect any of your saved trips or journeys in the app.

If you haven’t been online in more than 3 days, your mobile Pass will be considered inactive and you will not be able to use your Pass until you connect to the internet and open the app. 

No, it’s not possible to add more days or countries to your Pass. However, if the Pass is unused, you can opt for an exchange. 

If, during your travels, you decide you would like to extend your trip, you can buy another Pass and add it to your app. 

A Child Pass needs to be activated in the same way as a regular Pass and can be on a separate device. The Child Pass should always have its own trip and tickets for inspection on the train.

Please be aware that a Child Pass and an Adult Pass should have the same country of residence, otherwise they cannot be added to the same device.

When travelling with an Interrail Global Pass, you can use 1 travel day to leave your country of residence (outbound journey) and 1 travel day to return (inbound journey), with multiple train transfers included. You can use these journeys in your country at any stage of your Pass’s validity by using one of your travel days (note: the outbound and inbound journeys are not extra travel days).

When adding a journey to your Pass to travel in your country of residence, you’ll be prompted to use an outbound or inbound journey. You need to be online to add these journeys to your Pass. 

Sometimes, you’ll have more than 2 journeys depending on your country of residence. This is because, in some countries, it may take longer than 1 day to cross the border. Once you’ve used your outbound and inbound journeys: you won't be able to add an additional journey to your Pass to travel on trains in your home country.

While it's not possible to pay the price difference to upgrade your 2nd class Pass to 1st class, you may be able to exchange your 2nd class Pass for a 1st class one. You can see how that works here.

No, you don’t need an internet connection to show your ticket. You only need to be online when you add your journeys to your Pass to create your ticket. Once your ticket is created, you can always show it, even when you’re offline. 

However, it's important to have regular access to a stable internet connection to keep your Pass active. If you haven’t been online in more than 3 days, your mobile Pass will be considered inactive, and you will not be able to use your Pass until you connect to the internet and open the app. 

The Rail Planner app is available on both iPhone and Android phones.

Android phone

Supported on Android 6.0 and later.

Apple iPhone

Supported on iOS 15.0 and later.

You can check your device settings if you are not sure which software version your device is running.

If you have already activated your Pass, you can see the validity period in My Pass. Tap on your Pass and check the dates mentioned under 'Validity period'.

If you haven't activated your Pass, you won't see a validity period. Instead, you will see by which date you can activate your Pass 

You might see an error for a few reasons:

• The surname and/or Pass number is incorrect. You need to fill in your surname and/or Pass number exactly as stated in the confirmation e-mail. The 'Pass number' field is case sensitive. Make sure you don't add extra spaces if you copy/paste from the e-mail.

• The Pass is already added to a device. If the Pass was already added and activated on a device, it cannot be added to a second device.
• The Pass has expired. The Pass is being added after its activation period is over, or after its validity period has expired.
• Your internet connection is weak, or you’re offline. You need to be online when adding your Pass to the app.  
• The calendar your phone uses isn’t supported. Please make sure you’re using the Gregorian calendar, it’s the only calendar our app is compatible with. 
  
• Your phone is set to a specific time zone. Set your time zone to 'automatic', so it will automatically match the country where you currently are. 

If the issue you’re facing isn’t described here, please refer to our Help page for more information. 

You need to connect a trip to your Pass so that we can check that your Pass is valid for all of the journeys you want to make.

Once you connect a trip to your Pass, you can add your journeys to your Pass as you travel and ensure that you have a valid Pass every step of the way. 

You might have already connected this trip to another Pass. Each Pass on your device needs its own trip.

You can change the trip your Pass is connected to up until you activate your Pass. Once your Pass is activated, you can’t disconnect a trip or connect a different trip.

You can activate your Pass any time up until your first travel day. You’ll need to fill in the number of the passport or ID you’re travelling with and select the start date of your trip to activate your Pass. 

To board your first train, your Pass needs to be activated. The ticket needs to be created and activated in My Pass before boarding the train.

Remember that you can activate your Pass for travel any time within 11 months of purchase. If you’re not sure when you bought your Pass, you can check your order confirmation email. Note: Passes purchased during a promotion may have a different activation period. 

You can deactivate your Pass any time before the start of your chosen start date (00:00 CET on that day). Go to My Pass, tap the three dots on the top right, and tap ‘Deactivate Pass’. You can then activate your Pass again when you’re ready to travel.

You need to activate your Pass within 11 months of the day you bought it. You can activate and start using your Pass any time before this date. If you are not sure by what date you need to activate your Pass, you can check your order confirmation email.

You can remove your Pass from your device before and after its validity period. Once your Pass is activated and within its validity period, it can’t be deleted or removed. You can check the validity period of your Pass if you have activated it in the 'My Pass' view of the Rail Planner App. 

To remove your Pass, go to the 'My Pass' view in the Rail Planner App, select the Pass that you want to remove, and tap on the 'Remove' button. The remove button will only appear if a Pass is currently invalid and/or not activated.

If your validity period is yet to start, you can always remove your Pass from your device and add it again later or add it to another device. Please note that if you remove your expired Pass, you cannot add it again later.

If the details on your mobile Pass are incorrect or outdated and you can’t change it yourself, please get in touch with Interrail customer service. We will be able to change the information for you.

We can help with:

• Adjusting your name (in case of typos, or name changes due to marriage and other legal name changes)
• Adjusting your ID/passport information (in case of typos or ID/passport renewal)
• Adjusting your date of birth

Please note that you need to contact customer service before you activate your Pass to change your country of residence.

We ask for your passport or ID number for safety and verification that the Pass you are travelling with is actually yours. You may be asked to show your passport or ID card when your Pass is being checked by ticket inspectors, so the number on your Pass should match the number on the passport or ID you are carrying.

The ticket is the part of your Pass that the ticket inspectors will check. In most countries, the ticket inspector will visually check the details on your ticket, including the journey information you added, while in some other countries, the ticket inspector will scan the barcode and visually check the journey information.  

Ticket inspectors are currently able to scan the barcode in these countries: 

• Austria 

• Czech Republic 
• Denmark

• France 

• Germany 

• Hungary 

• Poland 
• Romania

• Slovakia 

• Switzerland 

• The Netherlands 

•  Turkey  

In countries not mentioned above, ticket inspectors will check your ticket visually.  

You can also use the barcode on your ticket to open platform gates in some countries. At present, platform gates can be opened with the barcode in France (TER gates only), Italy, and the Netherlands. 

To get a ticket, you need to add your journeys to your Pass from My Trip. You will then find your tickets in My Pass. Choose the Pass you're travelling with, then tap on a travel day and tap 'Show ticket'. Your ticket contains a barcode, your Pass details, and your journey information for that day. 

If you have a Continuous Pass, select your Pass and simply tap 'Show ticket' to see the current ticket information. You can see the ticket information for a different day by tapping the desired date at the top of the screen in the ticket view. 

Your ticket is valid for the whole travel day and can be shown as often as you need. Make sure you add all your journeys to your Pass during your trip, as they need to be visible on your ticket for it to be valid. 

Note that each travel day has a separate ticket, so if you're continuing your journey the following day, you'll need to create and show a different ticket during inspection. An exception to this rule applies when you're travelling on a night train. See FAQ 'How do I use the ticket with the night train rule?' to learn more.

In most countries the ticket inspector will visually check the details on your ticket, including the journey information you added, so make sure to add the right journeys. In some countries the ticket inspector will scan the barcode and visually check the journey information. The ticket inspector may also ask to see your passport or ID card to verify that the Pass is yours. 

Ticket inspectors are currently able to scan the barcode in these countries: 

• Austria 

• Czech Republic 
• Denmark

• France 

• Germany 

• Hungary 

• Poland 
• Romania

• Slovakia 

• Switzerland 

• The Netherlands 

•  Turkey 

In countries not mentioned above, ticket inspectors will check your ticket visually. 

Adding a journey to your Pass means the journey will appear on your ticket for that travel day. You need to add all your journeys to your Pass as you travel, so you have a valid ticket for every journey. 

The ticket inspector will check the journey details on your ticket, so make sure you add the right journey to your Pass before you board the train.  

You might not find every journey in our timetables, as not all trains in Europe are part of our timetable database. If you can't find your journey, first make sure you've written the station name in the local language. 

If you still can't find your journey, you'll see an option to add a journey manually. There, you'll be able to enter the missing journey details and save this journey to your trip. 

Make sure you use correct, full station names and train times, as these details will be checked by the ticket inspector. If you're not sure about the details, you can check them at the station. If a train is delayed, please enter the originally scheduled departure time. 

You can use the barcode on your ticket to open platform gates in France (TER gates only), Italy, and the Netherlands. Simply hold it against the scanner to open the platform gates. 

If this is not possible or the platform gates do not open, please speak to a member of staff at the station. They will be able to open the platform gates for you. 

If you're travelling on a night train that arrives at your destination after midnight, your journey will show on the ticket of the travel day of your departure. This is the ticket you need to show to the ticket inspector, even if it's past midnight. 

If there is no ‘Show ticket’ button in My Pass, go to My Trip and check if you have added your planned journey to your Pass. Tap the toggle bar on the right to add a journey to your Pass.  

If you're still not sure how to add a journey, follow the steps on creating a ticket explained in our user guide for mobile Pass, which you can find in the Help Centre of the More section of the app. 

No, adding a journey to your Pass is not a reservation. If reservations are required on your journey, you will need to book and pay for a seat reservation separately. For trains that require reservations, the ticket inspector will ask to see your seat reservation along with your ticket in the app. 

If seat reservations aren’t required, you can choose any free seat on board (except in 1st class if you have a 2nd class Pass). Adding a journey to your Pass doesn’t mean you have an allocated seat. 

There is a small possibility of receiving a fine despite having a valid mobile Pass. In the unfortunate event that this does occur, we ask that you note down all details from the specific journey and train, make screenshots of your ticket, fine, and reservation (if applicable), and get in touch with our Customer Service team as soon as possible. They will be able to assist you further.

You can reach our Customer Service in the Help Centre of the More section of the app. Scroll down to Support, tap Contact Us > Planning & travel issues > Travel issues > Problem with ticket inspection and fill in the form. 

Unfortunately our reservations system is not linked to the Rail Planner app, which is why your booked reservations can not be shown with your ticket in the app.

You can check and download your confirmed reservations in your Interrail account, in the reservations overview. Paper ticket reservations will be sent to you by physical mail.

How do I show my reservation tickets on the train?

We recommend you to always print your reservation e-tickets to avoid any inconveniences. Paper ticket reservations need to be brought with you on your Interrail trip, so you can show them on the train. 

It’s possible that railway carriers allow your reservation e-ticket to be scanned from a mobile device, however, we cannot guarantee this will be the case in all countries. Please check your reservation confirmation e-mail or the terms and conditions of the ticket for specific instructions or conditions of use.

You can cancel your travel day any time before the start of that day (00:00 CET). Go to My Pass, choose the travel day you want to cancel and tap ‘Cancel travel day’.

Once a travel day has started, it’s no longer possible to cancel it. You cannot cancel a travel day that is in the past.

Please note that some European countries do not observe Central European Time (CET). This means there can be a difference in the start and end time of a travel day when compared to your local time while travelling.

You can change your start date any time before the start of that day (00:00 CET). Go to My Pass, tap the three dots on the top right, and tap ‘Deactivate Pass’. You can then choose a new start date by following the steps to activate your Pass.

You can’t change your start date if the day has started or if it’s in the past.

Please note that some European countries don’t observe Central European Time (CET). This means there can be a time difference in a day’s start and end compared to your local time while travelling.

If you can’t use a travel day when you still have some left, it may be that the overall validity of your Pass has expired. You can see the last day of your overall validity in the top section of your Pass. You must use all available travel days within your overall validity.

If you're travelling on a night train that arrives after midnight, you only need to use a travel day for the day of departure. The app will automatically only use one of your travel days when you add this journey to your Pass. Keep in mind that the arrival day of the night train needs to fall within the validity of your Pass.

If you change onto another train and keep travelling after your night train arrives, you will need to use another travel day. The app will automatically ask you to use another travel day when you add this journey to your Pass.

The Interrail Global Pass allows up to 2 journeys in your home country: 1 to leave and 1 to return, with multiple train transfers included.

You can travel on one travel day to leave your country of residence (outbound) and on one travel day to return (inbound). You can use these journeys in your country at any stage of your Pass’ validity.

Read more about travel in your own country.

Interrail One Country Passes are only valid for the trains in the country indicated on the Pass. You cannot purchase an Interrail One Country Pass for your own country of residence.

Please note that the Interrail Benelux Pass is valid in 3 countries. So if you're a Dutch resident, you can use this pass for travel in Belgium and Luxembourg.

If you’re planning to use a night train to return to your home country, and the destination of this night train is not your final destination, you will need to use two travel days: one normal travel day and one travel day that includes an inbound journey. The inbound journey should only apply to the second travel day, so you need to add two separate journeys to ‘My Trip’ on your Mobile Pass:

1. On the day of departure:

Night train departure station → the border station outside of your home country.

2. The next day, after midnight:

Border station outside of your home country → your final destination

The inbound journey will automatically be applied only to the second travel day

Example:

An Austrian traveller, departing from Amsterdam (the Netherlands), travelling home to Amstetten (Austria). His trip on the direct train from Amsterdam to Vienna (Wien) is split up in two sections in the app: 1. Amsterdam - Passau (Germany) and 2. Passau  - Vienna (Austria). This way the inbound journey is applied on the second travel day.

If your journey runs across more than one day, it will be split into separate journeys for each day and you will need to use 2 travel days. This is so each leg of your journey appears on the correct ticket for ticket inspection.

Yes, you can add Passes from separate orders to the same device. You just need the last name and Pass number of each Pass you want to add to your device, which you can find in each order confirmation email.

Note: While there is no limit on how many Passes can be loaded into the App, we do not recommend loading more than 20.

No, you do not need to activate all your Passes at once. You can activate each Pass individually in My Pass whenever you choose, up until the day you want to start travelling.

No, it’s easy to add and activate Passes from the same order on different devices. Just choose which Passes you want to add to the device you are using after following the link in your order confirmation email, or each traveller can add their Pass to their own device manually using their surname and Pass number from your confirmation email.

Yes, you can transfer your Pass to another device while travelling.

Open the app on the device you want to move your Pass to, go to My Pass, and add your Pass using your last name and Pass number from the order confirmation email. When asked, tap ‘Move Pass’ and follow the steps to have your Pass moved to the new device. Note that you can only do this once.

Remember, even if you bought your Passes together, it’s easy to add them to separate devices so you can split up on your travels whenever you choose.

Each Pass needs its own trip, so if you've got a few Passes on your device, you’ll need a separate trip for each Pass.

If you've already created a trip, you can duplicate it to connect a copy of that trip to another Pass.

It's easy to add journeys from the planner to multiple trips at once, and you can name each trip something different to keep track of all your journeys.

We ask you to set up authentication on your device to protect the personal information on your Pass, like your passport or ID number. You can use any of the authentication features on your device, from a passcode to a fingerprint to facial recognition.

The app uses your device’s authentication features, so the PIN or passcode is the same as the code you use to unlock your phone.

No, the app cannot access any of your authentication data and does not register any authentication input. We do not store this information in any way.

If your device has no authentication features, the app will ask you to create a passcode to protect your Pass and ticket.

You might see an error for a few reasons:

• The surname and/or Pass number is incorrect. You need to fill in your surname and/or Pass number exactly as stated in the confirmation e-mail. The 'Pass number' field is case sensitive. Make sure you don't add extra spaces if you copy/paste from the e-mail.

• The Pass is already added to a device. If the Pass was already added and activated on a device, it cannot be added to a second device.
• The Pass has expired. The Pass is being added after its activation period is over, or after its validity period has expired.
• Your internet connection is weak, or you’re offline. You need to be online when adding your Pass to the app.  
• The calendar your phone uses isn’t supported. Please make sure you’re using the Gregorian calendar, it’s the only calendar our app is compatible with. 
  
• Your phone is set to a specific time zone. Set your time zone to 'automatic', so it will automatically match the country where you currently are. 

If the issue you’re facing isn’t described here, please refer to our Help page for more information. 

You might see an error for a few reasons:

• The calendar your phone uses is incorrect. Please make sure you are using the Gregorian calendar, it's the only calendar our app is compatible with.
  
• Your phone is set to a specific time zone. Set your time zone to 'automatic', so it will automatically match the country where you currently are.