The Council of Ministers decided on 28 January 2025 to maintain the validity of direct subsidies for passenger transport until 30 June 2025, from which frequent users of Cercanías, Rodalies and conventional Media Distancia services will be able to benefit, with free travel cards.
Avant recurrent users will receive a 50% discount on all multi-journey tickets (Tarjeta Plus, Tarjeta Plus 10 or Tarjeta Plus 10-45) throughout the year, as well as on Cercanías passes in Asturias and Cantabria.
Why is direct aid to passenger transport maintained?
- To encourage the use of public transport on a daily basis and reduce the use of private vehicles.
- To accelerate the shift towards healthier, safer and more sustainable mobility
- To contribute to reducing pollutant emissions
- To ensure that transport is accessible and affordable for all citizens.
- To promote territorial and social cohesion
Where to buy Cercanías, Rodalies, Media Distancia and Avant passes?
Renfe maintains its passes so that its users can travel unlimitedly in each Cercanías and Rodalies hub, as well as between the station of origin and destination, in both directions, of conventional Media Distancia services. In this case, passes are not valid for intermediate stations within the chosen route. In addition, it maintains the Avant titles.
They will be available for purchase:
- In person: At ticket offices and self-service machines at Renfe stations.
- Online: Users must register with their ID card on the Renfe website or in the Renfe App or Renfe Cercanías App to request the titles.
In the case of Cercanías or Rodalies, the App will generate a QR code that passengers can download to their mobile phones and validate at turnstiles, self-service machines or station ticket offices. You will also be able to obtain a physical pass, free of charge, by presenting your mobile phone with the QR code only once at a self-service machine.
If the ticket is for conventional Media Distancia, users must choose the origin and destination of the journey at the time of purchase. They can also pre-register each journey (indicating the day, time and train they want to travel on) via the Renfe App or website, at the self-service machines or at the station ticket offices. On Rodalies regional trains, it is not possible to make a reservation as there are no reserved seats.
If you need more specific information on how to get the passes in your Cercanías or Media Distancia hub, visit the Renfe website.
For medium-distance high-speed Avant journeys, passengers can purchase the Tarjeta Plus Pass (between 30 and 50 journeys), Tarjeta Plus 10 or Tarjeta Plus 10-45 on the renfe.com website, at station ticket offices, by telephone or in travel agencies. And formalise each trip through the same channels.
How long are the passes valid?
Cercanías, Rodalies and Media Distancia travel cards are valid from 1 January 2025, or later date of purchase, until 30 April. They are unipersonal and non-transferable. Renfe will issue another pass to cover the months of May and June with a deposit and lower journey obligations.
Tickets for Avant trains have the following specific conditions:
- Tarjeta Plus Pass (30-50 return journeys either way): The validity period is 90 days from the date of purchase and travel must be made (within that period) within 60 days of first purchase.
- Plus 10 Normal or Student card (10 return journeys either way): It is valid for 30 days from the date of purchase and travel must be completed (within the validity period) within 20 days of first purchase.
- Plus Card 10-45: It includes 10 return journeys, either way, always on the same route, between two stations. Can be used for 45 days from the date of purchase.
Are Renfe passes free?
- Renfe passes in 2025 are free until 30 June, but Cercanías and Rodalies users must pay a deposit of 10 euros and Media Distancia users 20 euros (except on the Villarubia-Córdoba-Rabanales-Alcolea line, and between any of the Rodalies stations in Lleida, Tarragona and Girona, where they pay 10 euros).
- In general, multi-journey tickets for Avant users are not free, but there is a 50% discount throughout the year on the purchase price and other discounts can be applied, such as the large family discount after this reduction.
- The Avant long-distance train services between Ourense and A Coruña, between Madrid and Salamanca and between the new Murcia and Alicante services will continue to be free of charge, with a deposit of 20 euros.
Is the same pass valid for different journeys?
No, a separate pass is required for each Cercanías hub. In the case of Media Distancia, the pass is different for each origin-destination journey.
The same user can buy different passes for different journeys, paying the corresponding deposit in each case.
What are the requirements for free or reduced prices and what happens if they are not met?
The Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda has established measures to promote the proper use of season tickets.
- The requirement for free travel on Cercanías, Rodalies and Media Distancia is that users must make a minimum of 16 journeys during the validity of each pass.
In conventional Media Distancia, only four journeys may be made per day (outward and/or return) for the same journey. In addition, if users formalise a trip at least three times and then fail to take it or cancel outside the permitted time limit (60 minutes before departure), it will be considered fraudulent use. In this case, the pass shall be cancelled, the security deposit shall be forfeited and a new pass shall not be issued for any origin-destination until 30 days after the cancellation.
- In the case of Avant travel cards, if passengers formalise a journey at least three times and do not complete or cancel it within 60 minutes of departure, they lose the right to obtain a new discounted travel card for 90 days from the notification of the last offence. You will be able to obtain new passes without discount.
- On both Media Distancia and Avant, journeys may not be made for two or more consecutive trains in the same direction until three times the scheduled journey time has elapsed. For example, if the travel time between two stations is one hour and you take a train departing at 8 a.m., you can only take another train departing at 11 a.m. (1 hour x 3).
- In addition, passengers must always occupy the seat allocated on their ticket. Failure to do so may result in the intervention staff taking note of a misuse of the pass, as they consider that you have left your seat empty.
To ensure compliance with these rules, Renfe uses different methods to verify the recurrence of Cercanías and Media Distancia journeys and carries out checks on board and at the entrances to Avant trains to avoid specific cases of irregular use of subsidised tickets.
The rail transport operator asks all train users to not make reservations that they do not need or to cancel the previous reservation if they are not going to use it in order to favour that the free or reduced ticket prices benefit the greatest number of citizens.
When do I get my deposit back?
- Keep the QR code or the physical credit note to obtain the refund of the deposit, as well as any ticket or proof of purchase.
- The deposit will be returned at the end of the four-month period of validity of the subscription if the requirements have been met.
- If you paid the deposit by credit card, the amount will be refunded automatically.
- If you paid in cash, you can request a refund at any point of sale by presenting your pass, ID card and proof of purchase. If there are any incidents when applying for a refund, applicants will have to fill in the refund form with all their details.
- In the case of 2024 passes, users have one year to request the return of the deposit at the end of the period of validity.
Further discounts from 1 July 2025
As announced by the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, in his assessment of the political year, the aid for public transport will continue from 1 July.
In fact, the Royal Decree-Law approved on 28 January 2025 includes the new ticket price reductions for recurrent users in a core area or for a specific RENFE origin-destination route, which will be extended from 1 July to 31 December 2025.
The future system envisages the creation of the following passes and multi-journey tickets for Cercanías and Rodalíes:
- A pass for 10 journeys per zone and nucleus with the conditions and prices established in the usual fares, valid for use for one year from the effective date.
- A monthly pass at a flat rate of 20 euros, valid for one month from the effective date, which can be used for all the zones of each nucleus, and even in the other nuclei (with conditions yet to be established for the latter case).
- A nominative monthly pass at a flat rate of 10 euros, for young people between 15 and 26 years of age, both included, with a similar scope to the previous one.
- A free annual season ticket for children under 15 years of age.
Conventional media distancia passes will be discounted by 40% and will be free for children. For young people between 15 and 26, the reduction rises to 50%.
The conditions of validity and application of the tickets and discounts established, including the conditions of sale and use, validity and expiry of tickets, the limitation on the number of discounted tickets, and other conditions deemed necessary, shall be established and specified by Resolution of the Secretary of State for Transport and Sustainable Mobility.
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