Booking rail tickets from abroad- a Beginner's Guide

Sama

you're welcome!
my travel partner for this trip called me the "train brain"

the site is great when it works properly, and a total pain in the A** when it doesn't! but actually it was my credit card companies, not the site, that kept me from booking my first train ticket for my upcoming trip. credit card fraud must be rampant nowadays if my companies question every foreign transaction.

I look upon the rail site as a good test of patience for India itself....

__________________
MY INDIA, 2005-2008
"Once you have felt the Indian dust, you will never be free of it." (Rumer Godden, 1975)

reelist

hey guys, im having a little trouble booking a ticket and was wondering if someone could help.

i've read through the original post but havent been through the 800 or so posts afterwards, so if im asking something which has already been answered then i apologise in advance!

im trying to book a ticket from mumbai to madgoan on the 18th January. i've found my ticket, and done everything right up until the payment part - which is where im left scratching my head! i tried a few different credit card options and each one has returned as failed, i've even tried using an AmEx card but it asks for my pincode (postcode?) which is british, and wont verify.

i was wondering if im not selecting the right payment option for a british card? are there specific options for foreign credit cards or has all this frustration gone to my head and sent me crazy?!

gaurav1441

You should select the Axix bank Payment gateway to aviod getting the PIN screen. The pin code is not the Postal code but VBV (Verified by Visa) or MasterSecure something code. You should not get to that screen using Axis gateway.

reelist

thanks gaurav, ticket office has closed now but i'll try that later on

magicfairy

I had exactly the same problem the other day, make sure you are doing the booking through the main page, not the quick book page. That way you get the payment page come up and use the AXIS payment gateway in the top right.

HTH

magicfairy

You will still nedd your security code, either verifeid by visa or securecode by mastercard. If you dont have these set up on your card they wont let you use it.

reelist

thanks magic fairy & gaurav, i did that this morning and it worked! phew!

MsMonty11

Well this is my problem. I'm using a Citibank card but I can't choose the Citibank option because it's an American card not an Indian one. And all foreign credit cards are supposed to use the AXIS gateway. BUT Citibank isn't affiliated with the verified by visa or mastercard secure code system so I can't use AXIS either? Am I screwed or is there a way to deal with this?

gaurav1441

Try booking the trip on Makemytrip.com or Cleartrip.com. These websites allow booking by International cards but they would charge some Rs30-40 extra.

MsMonty11

Worth it. I just need to get these first few bought before I get there. I'll try it as soon as the site is up and running for the day. THANKS.

wat

verified by visa and mastercard secure are not needed by international credit cards on irctc. Just, use the AXIS gateway

MsMonty11

I know, I keep hearing this, but according to IRCTC their new security policy requires that cards be registered with either verified by visa or master card secure. Citi bank doesn't have a connection with these systems, though, so you can't use AXIS with a Citi card. But neither can you use the Citi payment gateway with a non-Indian Citi card.

**Also, cleartrip.com and makemytrip.com both require Master Card secure code as well. Apparently there's no way for me to book these tickets other than to get a new credit card or buy them when I get there. Good times.