Anyone knows whether it's possible at all to buy Trenitalia tickets online using a non-Italian creditcard? I tried several times but got an error message that doesn't specify why it doesn't work... The website's help doesn't solve my problem.
Trenitalia online purchase?
I've had problems as well... I ended up getting a friend in Italy to purchase the tickets for me and post them over!! I think you also have to have them delivered to an address in Italy if you book international tickets online. Can you get a travel agent to book it? Might cost you a bit extra though... Sorry, I'm not much help!!
Unless you're travelling at a busy period such as Easter weekemd, 15 August or the Christmas holidays, there is usually no problem getting seats/tickets when you arrive. While TrenItalia offer slightly cheaper (and less flexible) web fares (opt for "Amica"), the price difference is not huge when buying at the station. Most main stations have ticket machines which offer English translations (and other languages also).
To follow up on my own post, Trenitalia informed me that:
Il problema potrebbe dipendere dal fatto che alcuni circuiti bancari internazionali (Visa, Mastercard, American Express..) possono interrompere (senza preavviso) per un tempo determinato o meno i pagamenti su alcuni siti o sulla piattaforma italiana. Per risolvere il problema lei dovrà contattare il proprio gestore di carta (non la banca) per farsi abilitare al pagamento.
In English: Trenitalia blames the issuer of the credit card, who can disable their cards for payment through certain websites. In order to solve the problem, one has to contact the issuer (Visa, Diners, Mastercard, Amex...).