La noticia It was a pleasant surprise for regular train users in Spain, and also for those who regularly use this means of transport for their trips and holidays. The Free Renfe season ticket for the services of Cercanías, Rodalies and Middle Distance until December 31 (recently extended to 2023) is a measure that will benefit many people. We explain how to request it.
In principle, this initiative was aimed at counteracting the negative effects of the general rise in prices as a result of the war in ukraine, as explained at the time in a press release issued by Renfe.
The background of this measure is the objective of the Spanish government to reduce energy dependence and the carbon footprint. Thus, the executive approved on August 1 in the Council of Ministers the 100% discount on transport subscriptions for Cercanías, Rodalies and Media Distancia trains from the month of September.
In the following paragraphs you will find all the information about the free Renfe season ticket: how to access it, what services it covers and other frequently asked questions:
Services included in the free Renfe season ticket
These new free subscriptions are valid only for the Cercanías, Rodalies and Media Distancia services of Renfe. The conditions of the integrated tickets (those that combine the train with other means of transport, such as buses, subways and other trains not operated by Renfe) are different. It can be consulted in the corresponding regional and local consortiums.
As for its validity, it depends on each service:
- Surroundings: to make unlimited trips between any origin and destination of the nucleus for which the season ticket has been issued.
- Middle distance: to make unlimited round trips, indistinctly, on authorized trains and between the two stations of the purchased route. Intermediate stations within the chosen path are not included.
In both cases, the payment is unipersonal, personalized and non-transferable. Initially, this subscription should be valid for every day between September 1 and December 31, 2022, although this same month of October its extension to all of 2023 has been approved, which is excellent news.
How to get the free Renfe Pass
Suburban Rail
To obtain the free Subscription and benefit from all its advantages, it is necessary to be previously registered in the Renfe official website or in the Renfe and Renfe Cercanías Apps*. These are the steps to follow:
- First of all, you have to download the Renfe Cercanías application to your phone from Google Play Android or Apple Store.
- Then we select our commuter core.
- Once there, we display the menu and choose the option «Buy Tickets».
- Let's go to option "To buy" and we select our usual origin/destination station.
- The next step is to go to the option "Select a rate" and there choose "Ab. Recurrent".
- Then it's time to enter the registration data.
- Finally, generate a unit’s QR code which will be saved in the application. we will find it in "My Tickets", within the Buy tickets tab.
(*) The only exceptions at the moment are Asturias, Santander and Metric Width. In these cases, you must purchase the season ticket at the self-service machines and at the ticket offices of the stations:
The QR code generated for our free Renfe Pass must be validated at the platform access turnstiles or used at the self-sale machines to obtain the corresponding ticket. Renfe has enabled enough support staff to lend us a hand when carrying out these procedures at the most important stations.
Middle distance
Unlike the free Renfe Suburban Pass, the Medium Distance pass can only be purchased at the usual points of sale, that is, in the vending machines and at the ticket offices of the station. In this case, at the time of purchase you must choose the two stations of our journey: Both the source and the destination.
Instead, at the time of formalize our trips, that is, when indicating the date of the trip and the train in which we want to travel, the options are broader. We can do it on the Renfe App, on the official website, at self-sale machines and, of course, at the station ticket offices.
The bail issue
In order to guarantee recurring travelers free of charge, Renfe has implemented a specific procedure: the traveler is obliged to deposit a refundable bond. The amount of the deposit is as follows:
- For routes within the Cercanías core: 10 euros.
- For Medium Distance services: 20 euros.
The amount of this deposit will be returned once at least 16 trips are made within a period of four months. The refund will be made at the end of the validity period. If we have paid the deposit by credit or debit card, this will be done automatically; If you have paid in cash, you will have to go to the box office of any station to get the money back.
Measures to avoid "empty wagons"
One of the most curious and worrying consequences that have been recorded since the free Renfe season ticket was launched in September of this year is the "empty wagon" problem. The fact is that there are many travelers who have obtained their free subscription, reserving seats that they do not occupy later.
This would not be so serious if it were not for the fact that many trains travel with hardly any passengers, while there are many other users who have not been able to get on them for the simple reason that there were no seats available. Why does this situation occur? Travelers do this to ensure they meet the above requirements for refunding the deposit. There were also many people who used this formula for sheer convenience (and a bit of selfishness, really), making reservations at several different times and then taking the train at the time that was most convenient for them.
Obviously, it is a misuse of these services. To avoid this, Renfe recently decided to introduce certain measures, such as limiting the number of reservations to travel on the same day to just four or not authorizing reservations for two or more consecutive trains.