Rail service is one of the most convenient ways to travel. Since planning of any trip is carried out in advance, the ability to hand over an unnecessary ticket remains the most important service for all passengers. In order to avoid confusion and the passenger returned most of the cost of a failed trip, Russian Railways has developed a clear system for returning travel documents.
Basic rules for returning train tickets
Depending on the time when the passenger applies to the return ticket office, he may claim different compensation for the cost of the ticket purchased in the Russian Federation for a trip between stations within the country.
An appeal earlier than 24 hours before the departure of the train gives the right to reissue a train ticket with an earlier departure date. Up to 8 hours before check-out time guarantee a full refund (minus box office).
Between 8 and 2 hours before the start of the trip, the passenger will receive half the cost of the reserved seat and the entire cost of the ticket in a comfortable electric train. But you have to pay a refund fee.
Less than 2 hours means that a passenger cannot claim a refund for a reserved seat. But for the ticket he will receive the full price.
Return Process
In the rules of Russian Railways, the conditions for returning train tickets provide for the presence at each station of a return ticket office, which any passenger can contact. In this case, an official identification document should be presented .
If the passenger on whom the travel document is issued cannot go to the ticket office, any other person with a certified power of attorney on his behalf can do it for him.
Regardless of the time when the train ticket is refunded, the commission from the operation is withdrawn in full. Only if the trip is not possible through the fault of the carrier, will the passenger be refunded the full price without commissions and deductions.
Payment for the use of bed linen and other services included in the cost of the trip is refunded in full, regardless of the time of applying to the return cash desk.
According to the rules of Russian Railways, money is given to the client in the form in which he paid for the ticket. He can receive cash on the spot at the cash desk, and money from the card will be transferred back to the same card within the time periods established by the procedure for this operation.
Features of refund for electronic ticket
From a legal point of view, electronic travel documents are equated with the usual ones, and the same conditions for returning train tickets apply to them. True, it will take a little longer.
To begin with, it is worth noting that the ticket for which a boarding document has not yet been issued is considered electronic. To return it, you need to fill out a questionnaire in writing, where you indicate all the details of the trip and the data on the card with which payment was made.
Return of electronic train tickets is carried out at the box office. Money for them is transferred in the period from 2 to 180 days. In practice, on average, it will be no more than a month.
The cost of the service at the checkout is 162 rubles. The amount to be refunded depends on the time remaining before the proposed trip, as well as with paper tickets.
Fees and fees
Regardless of the time when the return of railway tickets is carried out, the conditions of the Russian Railways foresee the collection of a commission from each document handed over to the return ticket office, even if it is carried out by one person in one session.
When purchasing electronic travel documents, the fee for using electronic payment systems is not refunded .
A cash fee for the return procedure is a prerequisite. It is imposed on each ticket, depending on the total cost of the travel document. Its size varies from 60 to 160 rubles.
Be sure to keep the advertising fee, which is equal to today 155 rubles.
If, for objective reasons beyond the control of the passenger (accident, illness), he was unable to use the ticket, the client has the right to compensation for the cost of the ticket. In this case, the rules for returning train tickets require the provision of documentary evidence of the effect of force majeure on the inability to make a trip.
The application for a refund is considered in a timely manner. In case of refusal, the passenger has the right to appeal this decision in court.
Proof of return railway tickets by proxy
In the event that a person personally cannot deliver an unused travel document within the established time limits, any person authorized for this operation can do this for him.
In order to make a ticket refund, it is necessary, in addition to the travel document, to provide the ticket office with its own passport and a power of attorney for performing the operation, notarized.
When returning an electronic ticket, first you need to get its paper form. In this case, you must also have a power of attorney to receive the document. And the next step will be the return of an unused ticket at the return ticket office.
In all other respects, commissions and penalties for returning train tickets are subject to the same rules as for a personal appeal to an established authority.
If you need to pass a ticket for the child, then parents can do this by presenting a birth certificate.
Return ticket for international traffic
To get the full cost of a ticket for communication between countries, you must contact the ticket office no later than 24 hours before the departure of the train from the station indicated by the starting point of the trip. In this case, the commission for the preliminary processing of the travel document is not refunded.
Also, the conditions for the return of train tickets provide in this case, a commission fee for the operation.
The passenger has the right to return tickets for his relatives, provided that one of these documents will be his travel ticket. He will receive the full amount of accompanying payments only if a passport or birth certificate is presented for each passenger for whom tickets are returned.
Compensation for half the cost of the reserved seat and the entire ticket can be claimed if the documents are returned in the interval less than 24 hours, but not more than 6 hours before departure. 6 hours before departure and no later than 3 hours after the cost of the reserved seat is not compensated.
If tickets were purchased in the Baltic countries or the CIS, then the money for the trip is returned at the place of purchase, and the ticket itself is canceled. With such a document, you will need to contact the ticket office of the country where the travel document was purchased, and all funds will be returned in accordance with the local ticket refund rules. In this case, the circulation time is considered the moment of termination of the validity of the travel document.