Rail Protection Plan™ Terms and Conditions

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Rail Protection Plan™ (RPP) Terms and Conditions


Rail Europe, Inc. (“REI”) is pleased to offer its Rail Protection Plan™ for all European passes and rail tickets issued through our company.

  • Exchanges: if you need to exchange your pass/ticket due to illness or injury to yourself or illness, injury or death of an immediate family member (spouse, child, parent, or sibling), you will be allowed a one time exchange of your pass/ticket regardless of the fare restrictions.
  • Cancellations: if you are unable to use your pass/ticket due to the illness, injury or death of an immediate family member (spouse, child, parent, or sibling) or yourself, the unused portion of the pass/ticket including any cancellation penalties will be reimbursed.
  • Strikes - if you are traveling in Europe and your trip is interrupted or stopped due to a rail strike, you will be reimbursed the value of the unused ticket. Coverage for rail strikes only applies to unused tickets and does not apply to passes.
  • Loss or Theft – you’ll receive reimbursement on your pass/ticket that is lost or stolen while traveling in Europe. Under the Rail Protection Plan™, Rail Europe will either refund the unused portion of the lost or stolen rail pass/ticket or the cost of replacement pass/ticket, whichever is of lesser value.

Important: Please print and keep these Terms & Conditions with your travel documents.
The Rail Protection Plan™ fee is non-refundable and non-exchangeable.

How do I file a RPP Traveler Request Form (“request”) to receive reimbursement through the Rail Protection Plan™ if I need to do an exchange?

  • The Rail Protection Plan™ does not apply to pre-existing illness or injuries.
  • Requests due to illness or injury must include a letter from the attending registered medical physician or hospital in North America confirming that the pass/ticket holder cannot travel due to his/her medical condition. The letter must also state that the illness or injury was not a pre-existing condition.
  • Requests due to death must include a copy of the death certificate.
  • Pass exchanges must be for the same product. Pass holders are responsible for shipping and processing fees for the delivery of new passes.
  • Ticket holders are responsible for any fare increase, shipping and processing fees for the delivery of new tickets.
  • The claim must be received by REI prior to the scheduled departure date from North America.
  • Exchanges do not apply once the pass/ticket holder has departed North America.
How do I file a request to receive reimbursement through the Rail Protection Plan™ if I need to cancel?
  • The Rail Protection Plan™ does not apply to pre-existing illness or injuries.
  • Cancellation requests being made prior to departure from North America, must include a letter from the attending registered medical physician or hospital in North America confirming that the pass/ticket holder cannot travel due to his/her medical condition. The letter must also state that the illness or injury was not a pre-existing condition. The request must be received by REI prior to the originally scheduled departure date from North America.
  • Cancellation requests being made when travel has already begun in Europe must include a letter from the attending physician or hospital in Europe confirming that the pass/ticket holder cannot travel due to his/her medical condition. Upon return to North America, the pass/ticket holder must submit the request to Rail Europe within thirty (30) days of your return from Europe. The request must also include airline tickets from North America to Europe and return and a brief explanation of the situation to allow for evaluation of the request. Only the unused portion of the pass/ticket including any cancellation penalties will be reimbursed.
  • Cancellation requests due to death must include a copy of the death certificate.
How do I file a request to receive reimbursement through the Rail Protection Plan™ if there has been a strike?
  • Request due to strikes must include the ticket which must have been stamped at the European rail station by a railway official indicating the ticket was not used due to a rail strike. Passes are not covered in cases of rail strikes.
  • Request due to strikes for printed e-tickets must follow the procedure mentioned above. If e-ticket has not been printed, requests for cancellations must be emailed to customerrelations@raileurope.com before the train departure time.
How do I file a request to receive reimbursement through the Rail Protection Plan™ if there has been loss or theft?
  • Pass/ticket holders must file a police report within twenty-four (24) hours of the incident.
  • Pass/ticket holders must purchase a replacement rail pass or rail ticket in order to continue with his/her travel plans.
  • Upon return to North America, pass/tickets holder must submit the Traveler’s Request Form to Rail Europe within thirty (30) days including the police report, replacement passes or tickets purchased abroad, RPP Traveler’s Request form, replacement passes or tickets purchased abroad, airline tickets from North America to Europe and return. A brief explanation of the situation is also necessary to better evaluate the request.

More Details for Filing a request to receive reimbursement through the Rail Protection Plan™:

Notice of any request, as applicable, made under this program for customers who have not traveled to Europe must be received by REI prior to the originally scheduled departure date from North America which was given to REI at the time of booking. Notice of any request for customers who traveled to Europe, due to loss, theft or strike must be given within thirty (30) days of your return from Europe.

For a RPP Traveler’s Request form and further instructions, call Rail Europe, Inc. (in the U.S.) 1-888-438-RAIL, (in Canada) 1-800-361-RAIL or write to: Rail Europe, Inc. Customer Relations Department: 44 South Broadway 11th floor, White Plains, NY, 10601-4421. All Traveler’s Request Form must be accompanied by the appropriate documentation listed in the conditions above.

This program is administered by Rail Europe, Inc. and can be revised or terminated at our sole discretion at anytime, with or without notice. In the case that the Rail Protection Plan™ is terminated, only passes/tickets issued prior to the date of termination will be covered.

Description of the Rail Protection Plan™ program:

Exclusions: This program does not apply to any loss caused by:

(a) Delay or detention or confiscation by Customs Officers or Officials or Police or other Security Officers.
(b) Pass/ticket not in clients’ actual possession at the time of loss.
(c) Flight cancellations, acts of god, war, invasion, act of foreign enemy, hostilities (whether war be declared or not), terrorist acts, civil war, rebellion, revolution, insurrection or military or usurped power.
(d) Any dishonest, fraudulent or criminal act by the pass/ticket holder.
(e) Damage due to wear and tear, gradual deterioration, vermin or inherent vice.
(f) No change to this program will be valid unless authorized by REI.
(g) No legal action can be brought to recover against this program within sixty (60) days after a Traveler’s Request Form has been submitted. 
(h) No legal action can be brought after one year from the time that a Traveler’s Request Form is required to be submitted as indicated herein.
(i) Any provision of this program that is in conflict with applicable law is hereby amended to conform to minimum requirements of such law and the pass/ticket holder agrees to the jurisdiction of New York County, New York.