Solving problems with IRCTC/Cleartrip registration

BINGO i'm in,was reading something the wrong way.
going for drink.Cheers.

PERSEVERANCE PAYS OFF!!!

Well done.

Amex should work. I bought tickets just few days back using Amex and it worked fine.

How did you do it! Please post details, I'm being driven crazy by this whole process...

Did you just keep trying the same email and sms OTPs? and eventually they worked? or did you do something else?

Did you have to try putting it through a number of times or did it work first time? I'm trying with Amex (over and over and over) but it won't go through! I'm using a friends so their address etc doesn't match my IRCTC account but I assume that shouldn't effect the payment...
ps Amex have been informed so are not blocking the transaction.

Hatrat, I used for the first time and it worked. In fact I bought twice over the last couple of days and both the times it went through the first time.

Lucky you!!! Hoping my own Amex will arrive over the next day or two and I will have more luck with that.

Enjoy your trip Psouvik

It didn't go through,or the system was slow,so I panicked a bit,I thought I had reset everything. I retried twice with the otp & nothing. But Dave w said something that jogged my brain.
At some stage I switched from the otp to verification code,Realised what I had done,I then typed in user name,then otp,then in. altough it was 15 mins or so before I saw that I had type, verification code in back to front & that was that.Now just waiting for an amex card 2weeks I think. I leave 13 so I hope when the card arrives all the seats are not gone.

Keep at it,you'll get there, & you'll have earned that drink.
Regards Homerus.
Just stay awy from cleartrip,it just confuses everything.

I depart 13th of july,so I hope when the card does arrive in 14 days there are stil seats left.
Homerus.

I'm over the moon! My Amex arrived and I have booked my first round of rail tickets on IRCTC! Going back for more now. So happy - thanks everyone for help and advise.

Ok - now I've booked 3 journey's - it's not been a fluke.

Anyone having problems/nightmares with Cleartrip, please consider getting hold of an Amex and booking direct with IRCTC.

I wouldn't be surprised if Cleartrip becomes a far less popular way to book considering the recent changes making it so so difficult to use.

So now I have an amex prepaid travel card, and I've been trying to use that, but I just keep getting the communication error. Amex says they have authorised the payment, and that it is the merchant that isn't accepting.

(I have been charged, but I'm aware the money will be credited back after 8 working days, I'm not so much worried about that, rather trying to find a way to get a couple of vital tickets booked!)

I've spoken to two people form IRCTC customer care and they are blaming heavy traffic on the website for the failure. And their best combined advice is to try again later. Though this will be the 4th time I have tried with three different amex cards, could it just be my IRCTC account somehow?

I should add to that, they lady from customer care asked me to try booking the tickets again at the best time. I didn't take that literally, I thought she just meant later, but is there in fact a 'best' time to book tickets through the IRCTC website? Obviously not early morning when taktal ticket buying is loading up the servers, but does anyone have any advice on that one?

i'n not sure if there is a best time, but the worst times are around 7:45am to 10:15 am IST (during this time most of the tatkal crowd & agents impersonating as individuals login, just to keep the connection alive & then book furiously between 8:00am to 9:00am), another bad time is 11:30pm to 12:30am IST when the site is down for maintenance.

Madsm - I booked mine in the evening (21h00) here in the UK when its the middle of the night in India. Perhaps that might work?
I kept getting the communication error with a friends card (all times of day) but as soon as mine arrived and I used that it worked first time. Don't really know what you can read into that...