Travel withdrawal

 

Refunds of tariffs

The passenger holding a valid ticket for transport, can cancel the trip/ refuse to make the trip, regardless of the reasons, having the right to be refunded of the travel fees related to the trip he did not make, usually withholding the processing fees, ONLY if the request is made within the specified terms and conditions, depending on the travel document type.

A. General conditions

At the traveler’s request to cancel the trip for personal reasons or any other reasons, which are not the fault of the railway undertaking, the transport fares are refunded in whole or in part, with the retention of the processing fee, when:

• the ticket was not used or was partially used for the untraveled route segment;
• the ticket was not used by all the travelers for whom it was purchased, in case of groups of travelers;
• illness during the trip, but only for the untraveled part of the route, only if certain terms and conditions are respected.

The processing fee is 10% of the transport fee for the trip which has not been made.

    In case of canceling the trip:

– the fee of the reservation ticket for day coach is not refundable.

– the bed supplement fee for the sleeping / berth coach is refunded under the following conditions:

• if the request is made at the latest one day before the departure of the train from the forming station, the fee for the bed/bed supplement is refunded with the retention of the processing fee, which represents 10% of the bed/berth supplement fee;
• if the request is made on the day of the train’s departure, no later than one hour before the train’s departure from the forming station, only 50% of the fee will be refunded;
• if the request is made on the day of the train’s departure, less than an hour before the train’s departure from the forming station, the bed/berth supplement fee is NOT refundable.

The request for the refund of the due sums, as a result of completely abandoning the trip (for personal reasons), is accepted only if the specific terms and conditions are respected, depending on the type of ticket held, as follows:

a. in case of tickets issued on the train and date purchased from the ticket offices in railway stations, travel agencies or ticket vending machines belonging to CFR Calatori:

• at any CFR Călători unit during its working hours, if the request is made verbally, anytime before, until at the latest date and time of departure of the first train from the route, with the mandatory presentation of the original ticket;
• only from the initial boarding station – during its working hours if the request is made verbally within a maximum of 1 hour from the departure time of the first train on the route, with the mandatory presentation of the original ticket.

     b. in case of tickets purchased online:

• filling out an application, anytime before, until at the latest date and time of departure of the first train from the route, either online directly in the user account, or at any railway station served by CFR Călători staff during its working hours;

c. in case of tickets purchased from the ticket offices and ticket vending machines belonging to CFR Călători, during the validity period (subscription type):

• mandatory presentation of the original ticket (subscription type) in original, at any unit (CFR station or travel agency) served by CFR Călători staff, if the request is made verbally during their working hours, anytime before the first day of validity.

In special cases of illness, accident or detention by the authorities, the request for the refund of the ticket (for personal reasons) can also be received even after the expiration of the aforementioned terms but no later than within 3 (three) days from the date of departure of the first train from the route for which the ticket in question was issued, only on the basis of a written request accompanied  by an official document showing that the person in question was unable to register the application on time (within the established terms either at a sales unit served by CFR Călători staff, or online (by registering from the own profile of the user in the online sales application, etc.) depending on the type of pass, as the case may be.

       The refund of the amounts due, as a result of cancelling the trip for personal reasons, is accepted in case of tickets issued for a train and date, only if the respective type of ticket gives the right to interrupt the journey and the request is submitted in a station on route provided in the „LIST OF RAILWAY STATIONS where it is possible to request changes to the transport contract en route” (see below), within at most one hour of the actual arrival time of the train traveled by.

B. MARKING the fact that a ticket is no longer valid and used 

      Visa of non-usage used by the in force regulations, represents the MARKING of the fact that a ticket is both no longer valid and used for transport, either in full or on a certain part of the route, or is no longer used under the same conditions (for the same services – class, rank, etc.) mentioned on it.

Marking the non-usage of travel passes is carried out, depending on the way the tickets are issued, as follows:

• for tickets issued on paper, electronically or manually, it is necessary to present the original ticket at the ticket offices of CFR Călători railway stations and travel agencies, before or during the trip, within the deadlines and in compliance with the refund conditions specific to the ticket type;
• for tickets issued through the online sales channel belonging to CFR Călători, it is necessary to register the request, as a rule, directly in the specific application for online issuing or at the boarding railway station;
• for „electronic travel documents” issued through alternative channels of authorized distributors, refund requests can be registered before the start of validity through the same channel through which they were purchased.

For passengers excluded from transport, according to the provisions of the current Own Regulations, the differences between the fares paid for the travel IDs and those related to the trip performed, eventualy for luggage, will NOT BE refunded.

C. Refund of travel fares (for personal reasons)

C.1. Refund of transport fares in case of total cancellation of the trip

Refund of transport fares in case of cancellation of the trip for tickets issued at full price or on the basis of commercial tariff offers, with a discount, is made with a retention of 10 % of the paid transport fee, as a processing fee. The seat reservation rate for day coaches – 1^st class and 2^nd class is non-refundable.

–      Refund of transport fares before the start of the trip is made as follows:

1. for 1^st and 2^nd class coaches, the value of the reservation tickets and then 10% of the paid transport rate are withheld;
2. for sleeping / berth coaches, a percentage of 10%, 50% or the whole of the rates for bed/berth are retained in full, as the case, depending on the date and time of the request in accordance with own regulations and 10% of the transport tariff paid as a processing fee.

–       The refund of fares for electronic tickets issued online is made on the basis of a refund request registered (either online or at the ticket offices in the boarding station) within a set time interval, until the departure time of the first train on the route for which it was issued, at the latest, in compliance with the following conditions:

1. a) the request is made for a ticket as a whole, i.e. for all the passengers on the respective ticket (it is NOT allowed to request a refund only for part of the trips registered on the ticket) and for all the trains that form the respective route in case of single trips;
2. b) as a rule, the refund requests must be filled out directly on the internet by the registered user (from his own profile) and will be taken into account only if registered within the established time frame, until the latest at the departure time of the first train on the route (boarding date of the passenger); after the departure time of the train, the fares related to electronic travel tickets are NOT refundable; exceptions are made in special cases due to reasons that are directly or indirectly the railway undertaking’s fault (natural disasters, earthquakes, floods, etc.);
3. c) in case of tickets issued for round trips, they can also be partially refunded (only for the return trip), provided that the request is submitted before the departure time of the train from the return railway station, in which case, from transport rates related to the return journey, in addition to the processing fee of 10%, the discount granted for the round-trip ticket (another 10%) will be withheld;

         Refund of fares for tickets issued to kiosk vending machines belonging to CFR Călători, called in short „bilete Kiosk” / „Kiosk tickets” is made by the CFR Călători railway station / travel agency where the request is made, only if the passenger presents the POS receipt issued when purchasing the ticket (which they will attach to the retained tickets), and the terms and conditions regarding the refund are respected. In the absence of the POS receipt, the refund of the fares will be made on the basis of the file through the specialized services of the territorial structure of CFR Călători within the radius of which the unit where the ticket vending machine is located.

         C.2 –     Refund of transport fares for partial cancellation of the trip

Partially cancelling the trip means either cancelling the entire trip, (respectively, the passenger does not travel on the entire route for which the ticket was issued), or canceling the trip by some of the passengers, in the case of group tickets.

C.2.1. In the case of canceling the trip on route, the refund of the transport fares is made only for the route not travelled, only under conditions provided for the modification of the transport contract by interrupting the trip and only for the documents that give the right to interrupt the trip under the conditions in which the request for cancellation is made within the terms established, at a railway station along the route provided in the List of stations where it is possible to request the modification of the transport contract along the route (see below).

            If the conditions regarding the acceptance of the partial refund along the route are met, depending on the railway station to which the request is addressed, the refund of the fares related to the uncompleted route is performed as follows:

– if the request is made at a connecting railway station, the refund is usually made at that unit. The amounts withheld are calculated as follows: 10% of the transport fare (without reservation) for each train on the route not travelled as a processing fee, plus the transport tariff (without reservation) for the route travelled, as calculated when purchasing the ticket (with the initial advance discounts, with the discounts applied to the TrenPlus card, or other discounts for special offers on the train and connection, as the case may be), to which the reservation fees are added, calculated according to these regulations.

If the request /application is addressed in an intermediate railway station on the route of a train, the refund is made only with a file through the specialized territorial structures of CFR Călători, regardless of the payment method (cash, bank card, other banking instruments). The amounts withheld are calculated as follows: the transport rate (without reservation) for the recalculated route, taking into account the initial discounts granted for anticipation or the discount from the TrenPlus card, large groups or other special discounts for train and connection, as the case, plus 10% of the amounts remaining to be refunded from the paid transport fares (without reservation), as a processing fee, to which the reservation fares are added, calculated according to the provisions of our own regulations.

C.2.2.For partial refund of the transport fare when cancelling the trip for a part of the passengers, (in case of group trips), if one or several passengers in the group completely cancel the trip before it starts, the refund of the due amounts is made after the trip has been completed on the basis of the group ticket marked for non-usage for some of the travelers through the specialized services of the territorial structure to which the issuing unit belongs. In order to refund the fees, the fare of the ticket issued based on the group commercial offer is recalculated for the new formed group. The recalculated value is subtracted from the amount paid, and 10% is retained from the resulting amount, which represents the processing fee, the result representing the difference in the fee that must be returned to the passenger. If the recalculated amounts are higher than the amounts originally paid, no refund will be given.  

D. Specific conditions for the refund of transport fares for commercial offers of CFR Călători

    D.1 The ticket issued for the ROUND trip

In the case of tickets issued for round trips (with a 10% discount on the full price tariff or for a child, student etc.), refund can be requested either for the entire ticket or only for the return ticket, provided that the application registration deadlines are met depending on the sales channel.

When canceling the trip at the passenger’s request, the refund of the transport fares with the processing fee is made only for the part of the route that was not travelled.

The route segment not travelled can start:

1. a) from the original departure railway stationfor the outbound/one-way trip, in which case the refund is made for the entire trip (both for departure and return), subject to a 10% processing fee from the transport fare of the outbound journey, and respectively return, as a processing fee, to which the reservation fees are added.
2. b)from the boarding railway station for the return trip, case in which the refund is made only for the return trip, with the retention of the amounts related to the cancellation of the trip.

The ticket issued for a round trip does not give the right to refund the transport fares for the route not travelled from an intermediate railway station along the route (as it does not give the right to interrupt the trip).

The refund only for the outbound trip can NOT be requested. In this situation, the entire ticket is returned and a new ticket is issued according to the new travel data.

In order to be considered, the request to cancel the trip must be made within the following terms and conditions as follows:

a.1. at any time before the time of departure from the initial boarding station, the request can be addressed to any unit (CFR Călători railway station or travel agency) served by CFR Călători staff during its working hours – the request being considered for the entire ticket

a.2. within a maximum of 1 hour after departure from the initial boarding station, the request can only be made at that railway station, provided that it is served by CFR Călători staff, and the request is made within its working hours – the request being considered for the entire ticket.

a.3. at any time before the departure time from the boarding station for the return trip, the request can be addressed to any unit (CFR Călători railway station or travel agency) served by CFR Călători staff during its working hours – the request being considered only for the return journey.

a.4. within a maximum of 1 hour after departure from the boarding station for the return trip, the request can only be addressed to the respective railway station, provided that it is served by CFR Călători staff, and the request is made within its working hours – considering the request only for the return trip.

When requesting a partial refund for the return trip, the withheld amounts are calculated by adding up the following rates:

1. a)the transport rate related to one-way trip (calculated with the discounts actually granted upon issuing) added up with the seat reservation rates (for one way and for return) calculated according to the provisions in force depending on the constructive type of coach (day, sleep/berth coach).
2. b)from the transport tariff (without reservation) related to the return route, the amounts calculated as follows:

b.1. 20%  when 10% discount was applied for round trip (10% as processing fee and 10% resulting from the cancellation of the discount granted for the return trip offer);

b.2. 10% as a processing fee when initially only the discount granted for the respective type of passenger was applied, according to the provisions in force (discount for child, student, etc., in which case the 10% discount for the round trip offer does not apply).

   D.2 Refund of fares for travel passes of type Subscription

Passengers which hold tickets of subscription type are entitled to a refund, only if the request to cancel the trip is made in compliance with certain terms and conditions.

For the subscriptions issued at the ticket offices from railway stations and travel agencies, as well as at kiosk ticket vending machines belonging to CFR Călători (on thermo-reactive cardboard support) the request to cancel the trip can only be received at the issuing unit during its working hours, with the presentation of the ticket in original.

Depending on the date of the request to cancel the trip, the procedure will be as follows:

1. if the passenger cancels the subscription before the start of the validity period, (before the first day of validity), the refund is usually made on the spot at the issuing unit by using the specific return function in the system, in which case the calculation of the amounts to be returned is done automatically with the retention of 10% of the total amount paid, as a processing fee.
2. if the subscription is cancelled starting from the first day of validity, the request is received during working hours, based on a written request – typed form available at ticket offices, and the restitution of the amounts due to be returned is done only through the specialized services of the territorial structure to which the respective unit belongs, on a case-by-case basis.

         In the case of refund requests submitted starting from the first day of validity, the amounts withheld, depending on the date of receipt, are calculated by summing up the processing fee, which is calculated as 10% of the subscription fee paid and the amount of the transport fee related to the days used (for the subscription consumed) resulting from multiplying the transport rate per day of validity, with the days actually used up to and including the date of submission of the application;

       In cases when a passenger repeatedly presents subscriptions for refund after the start of the validity period, CFR Călători reserves the right to also request supporting documents to justify the request (starting with the 3^rd request in a year) for the approval of the refund calendar).

ATTENTION: Fares for lost or unused subscriptions are not refunded, regardless of the reason, even if the holder did not have the subscription for verification of the legality of the train trip.

E. Refund of transport fares in case of illness before the start of the trip or during the trip

In cases when, due to illness, accident or detention by the police, the deadlines for registering a request to cancel the trip cannot be met within the stipulated terms and conditions, it is accepted that the request is also registered later, within a maximum of 3 days from the departure date of the first train on the route. Registered refund requests will be taken into account for the calculation of the amounts that should be returned with the retention of reservation fees and processing fees according to the provisions of these own regulations, only if they are accompanied by official documents (issued by authorized state or health institutions) by which it is confirmed that on the date of the trip, the respective person was unable to submit/register the request to cancel the trip within the established deadlines. 

F. Refund of transport fares in case of force majeure or fault of the railway undertakings

F.1. General conditions

The travel fares are fully or partially refunded for the trip not travelled or for the services not used, without withholding the processing fee, in the following situations which are considered railway undertaking’s fault:

1. cancellation of the train for which the ticket was issued;
2. traffic interruptions or train cancellations along the way and either the trip is no longer possible or the passenger does not wish to continue the trip with other trains in circulation;
3. the loss of the connecting train due to delays in the conditions where the passenger has been issued only one ticket and is not required to continue the trip with another train;
4. train delays at the departure station of 60 minutes or more, or which lead to the loss of the connection along the route (connecting train) and the passenger abandons the trip entirely;
5. it is not possible to secure a seat in the commercial or reservation class for which the ticket was originally issued and the traveler refuses to make the trip;
6. train delays accumulated of 60 minutes or more (which were not known at departure) and the traveler abandons the continuation of the trip;
7. the ticket was used in a class or train of a lower category than the one mentioned on the ticket, except for cases when the passenger voluntarily requests to travel in a class or with a lower category train;
8. train delays accumulated of over 60 minutes or more or regardless of the delay it leads to the loss of the connection along the way (delays that were not known at departure) and the passenger abandons the continuation of the trip and requests to return to the initial railway station of departure.

         Refund requests due to the fault of the railway undertaking, to be taken into account, must be made as a rule within the following terms, depending on the case, as follows:

• at any time, until 3 days after the departure of the first train on the route at the latest (for which the ticket was issued), for the situations mentioned above at letters a), g) and e), when, for various reasons (the arrival station does not have a work program when the train arrives at it, the station does not have its’ own staff, the train staff has not written the necessary mentions on the ticket, the passenger must travel urgently etc.), and the passenger could not request the reimbursement of the respective fare differences within one hour from the train’s arrival at the destination station;
• until the real departure time of the train from the initial boarding station at the latest – for the situations provided for above at letters d) and e);
• at the latest one hour after the train arrives at the station along the way where the event occurred or the passenger abandons the trip – for the situations provided for above at letters b), c) and f).
• up to one hour after arrival at the initial boarding station.

F.2. Full refund of the transport fee – due to the railway undertaking’s fault

The transport fare is fully refunded, including the seat reservation fare, in the case of a ticket issued before the departure time according to the train timetable, from the departure railway station, in the following situations:

1. train cancellation;
2. the train has an approved delay of 60 minutes or more in the departure railway station, written on the ticket, and the traveler cancels the trip;
3. in case of tickets issued for several trains, if the approved delay of the train at the departure railway station leads to the impossibility of ensuring at the connecting railway station a time of at least 5 minutes from the arrival of the delayed train until departure of the connecting train, and the passenger cancels the trip.
4. a seat cannot be secured in the reservation class for which the ticket was purchased and the passenger does not wish to travel under the new conditions offered
5. if the passenger, due to the train stopping en route, or the loss of the connecting train, or or an accumulated delay of 60 minutes or more, the passenger refuses/abandons to continue the trip and requests to return to the original station of departure.

Requests for refunds if the trip is canceled in full for reasons considered to be the fault of the railway undertaking (direct or indirect), in order to be accepted, must be registered within certain terms depending on the incident/event, as follows:

• within a maximum of 3 days from the date of travel written on the ticket in the situation presented above at letter a.
• until the actual departure time of the first train on the route at the latest (departure time according to the schedule written on the ticket to which the approved delay is added) in the situations presented above at letters b), c) and d). Exceptions are tickets issued at ticket offices or kiosk machines belonging to CFR Călători, which in the cases provided for at letter d), can be received at the latest one hour after the departure of the train only at the initial boarding station.
• within a maximum of one hour after arriving at the original station with the obligation to present either the original ticket validated for return, or the replacement ticket of the original ticket.

–   For trips made on the basis of CFR – Kiosk tickets (issued at ticket machines belonging to CFR Călători) in the case of refund requests, to be resolved on the spot, additionally, the POS receipt will be presented. In its absence, the refund of the fares can be done on the basis of the file through the specialized services, on the basis of the request for refund which is completed by the passenger.

– For trips made on the basis of “online CFR tickets”, the refund of fares is made on the basis of a refund request, which is usually completed directly in the online sales application. Applications can also be fill out at the initial railway station of departure, in which case they will be forwarded immediately for resolution to the specialized services according to the specific procedures. Under no circumstances will refunds be made on the spot.

          F.3. Partial refund of the tariffs due to railways fault

The transport fare is refunded in full for the for the part of the route not travelled, including the reservation fee from the trains not used entirely on the route or for services used under conditions inferior to those for which they were issued, in the following situations:

1. the interruption of the train circulation along the route (not authorized / unknown before departure from the initial railway station) and the passenger does not wish to continue the trip, or the continuation of the trip is no longer possible, nor does he request to return to the original railway station of departure;
2. loosing of connecting train (provided for in a travel pass), due to the delay of the train with which he traveled (to the connecting station) and the passenger does not wish to continue the trip;
3. the train accumulates a delay of 60 minutes or more along the route and the passenger waives to continue the train journey;
4. removal from circulation of a wagon from the composition of the train on the route, which leads to the impossibility of securing the trip to business class or booking class for which the initial ticket was issued and the passenger waives to continue the trip (under the new conditions offered);
5. the ticket was used in business class, reservation class or on a train of a lower rank (from a tariff point of view) compared to the dates mentioned on the original/initial ticket, either for the entire distance or only for a segment of the route.

Requests for refunds in case the trip is canceled in full for reasons considered to be (directly or indirectly) the fault of the railway undertaking, in order to be accepted, they must be registered within certain deadlines depending on the incident/event, as follows:

a) within a maximum of one hour from the arrival of the train at the railway station where the event occurred or where the passenger waives to continue the trip due to the occurrence of the respective incident, as the case may be, in the situations mentioned above at letters a), b), c) and d)

b) within a maximum of 3 days from the date of travel written on the ticket in the situation provided for above at letter e).

– Refundind of tickets issued online or through other alternative channels of authorized distributors is done only through the specialized services of the CFR Călători headquarters, directly on the account associated with the card with which the payment was made.

Amounts that are returned to the passenger in the event of interruption of the trip along the way due the railway undertaking‘s fault, are calculated as follows:

a)in a connecting railway station, the sums paid for the transport fares as well as the possible seat reservation rates (day, sleeping or berth coach), corresponding to the trains for which the trip was no longer made due to the railway undertaking’s fault, will be refunded in full;

b)in an intermediate railway station during a train on the route, the amount to be refunded to the passenger will be calculated starting from the transport tariff corresponding to the kilometer zone for the route not travelled from the respective business class train (1^st or 2^nd class) and possibly the tariff offer (travel ticket issued based on the TrenPlus card, advance discount, etc.,) or of the facility they benefit from (child, retired, student, etc) to which the ticket was issued, but not more than the amount paid for the transport fee from the train on whose route the trip was interrupted. For any subsequent connecting trains on the route, the calculation of the amounts to be refunded for the transport tariffs, due to the railway undertaking’s fault, will be carried out according to the provisions of letter a) above.

The rate for reserving a seat in a day, sleeping or berth coach, is NOT refundable if the seat has been used for a certain part of the route.

– The specific rules regarding the calculation of the amounts due to be returned for the partial refund of transport tariffs due to the railway undertaking‘s fault, in the case of certain CFR Călători offers:

a) for the round trip offer, if the trip is interrupted at an intermediate railway station of the outgoing train, the amount to be returned to the passenger will be calculated starting from the transport tariff corresponding to the kilometer area for the route that was not travelled (in favor of the passenger) from the respective commercial class train (1st or 2nd class) and possibly either the tariff offer (ticket issued on the basis of the TrenPlus card, advance discount, etc.) or of the facility they benefit from (child, retired, student, etc.) where the ticket was issued, but not more than the amount paid for the transport fare from the train during which the trip was interrupted.

b) upon subscription, in case of its non-use due to the fault of the railway undertaking for a certain period, the refund of the tariffs related to this period is made only in special cases of force majeure (disasters/calamities leading to the impossibility of its use on the route and train rank for which it was issued for one or more days) only on the basis of the approval of the CFR Călători management and on the basis of the passenger’s request. In these cases, to determine the amounts to be returned, proceed as follows:

b.1. the transport rate for one day corresponding to the respective subscription is calculated, as follows: the subscription fee is divided by the number of days for which it was issued, considering 22 days for monthly subscriptions.  The value is calculated with 2 decimals, rounding to 1 ban, by subtraction;

b.2. the number of days in which the subscription was used is calculated, respectively, in the case of monthly subscriptions of 22 days, the number of working days is deducted from the period established that it could not be used due to railway’s fault;

b.3. the value of the consumed subscription is calculated as follows: the rate for one day (calculated according to the provisions of letter b.1) is multiplied by the number of days in which the subscription was used (number of days calculated according to the provisions of letter b.2)

b.4. the amount that should have been returned to the passenger is calculated as the difference between the value of the subscription paid and the value of the subscription consumed (according to the provisions of letter b.3).