Senior Discounts (aka, luv your shades of silver!) ;) 2019

[RumAndChupacabras]

We have 6 weeks in Spain coming up and as of now, one is a Camino. That said, I'm searching for all manner of discounts for lodging and transportation. So, I thought I'd start sharing whatever it is that I might find, in this thread. Please, add any Senior Discount's information which you might have!

RENFE FEVE Trains:

404

www.renfe.com

Here's an excellent post by @alexwalker regarding Train Discounts for Seniors!:

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/do-trains-sell-out.56520/post-638218

ALSA Bus Line has discounts for those over 60 but, doesn't appear to have Senior Bus passes:

Over 60 - Alsa

www.alsa.com

 

[domigee]

You can also have discounts in museums, sometimes it’s even free (Burgos comes to mind).

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Local buses have senior rates.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Local buses have senior rates.

Is there something special you have to show? I'm thinking that for museums and such you can show a national passport but would bus drivers on a schedule take the time to check dates on a foreign passport, licence or ID card?

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Is there something special you have to show?

It depends. Santiago does not specify on its website:

There are different rates for urban buses, depending on the type of ticket used. Below you can see the price of each of them.

Type of ticket	Price
Ordinary ticket	€ 1.00 / trip
School ticket (<18 years)	€ 0.55 / trip
Ordinary bonus	€ 0.60 / trip
School voucher (<18 years)	€ 0.40 / trip
Monthly bonus	€ 26
Pension bonus	€ 0

The recharges available for ordinary and school bonuses are 10, 20 and 30 trips. These two bonuses include the free transfer within 60 minutes and between two different lines of urban transport. The monthly bonus, meanwhile, allows unlimited travel for 30 calendar days from the day of its first cancellation.

Both tickets and vouchers can be purchased on the buses themselves. In the case of the bonus, in addition to paying the amount corresponding to the recharge of trips, it is necessary to pay a deposit of 3 euros that will be refunded when returning the card as long as it is in good condition of use and conservation.

The school ticket is only valid for children under 18 years of age.

The elimination of the concession rate of the stretches of the municipality of Santiago de Compostela included in the exploitation of urban transport (Santa Lucia, Son, Figueiras, Ortoño and Vilamaior) is also remembered.

For any questions or problems, you can call the urban transport information number 901 12 00 54 .

 

[Pilger99]

RENFE: http://www.renfe.com/viajeros/tarifas/tarjeta_dorada.html
Special discount card (25-50% depending on train and day), which costs 6€ ("starter kit").

You have specialised travel agencies for elderly people, but I guess it is only for poor spaniards.
Comparing booking.com and the actual pilgrim rate at pensions/hotels is a better strategy than asking for special senior prices.

 

[Saint Mike II]

In three visits, as a Camino Pilgrim, and a non-EU citizen I am yet to experience any "seniors discounts" other than those of the pilgrim or those for booking 45 days in advance (on renfe etc). Cheers

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

You could look into auto club discounts. Sometime a long time ago I read that national clubs may honor membership in another country's club.

 

[tominrm]

In Europe I think buying RENFE tickets in advance is much better than buying with Tarjeta Dorada. But if you have to buy immediately, Tarjeta Dorada helps.

 

[Calvin & Hobbes]

I walked the CF in 2016. I believe the common term for "senior citizen" used by us in the U.S. was "pensioner". There were many discounts available from admissions to transportation. I don't recall a "senior menu" though.

 

[Pilger99]

Train is not as cheap as the buses and at least I don't plan the return train/bus weeks in advance.
3 days in advance your favourite connection will be already at 75 to 100% of the maximum price. You can easily spend 50€ on a train, often it's more. One ticket Barcelona - Madrid for tomorrow is 181,50€ (1st class), others are ~120€ in 2nd. It's not even 50€ for the bus, but with a 50% discount you may find the much faster train the better value.

 

[lindam]

Interesting thread. There appear to be many discounts for seniors in Spain. Certainly, this is the case where I live in Barcelona.

 

[C clearly]

I know that the Tarjeta Dorada is available to foreigners, but want to point out that sometimes the "senior" rates might be intended for local elderly people who have Spanish or EU identification. That is true in some countries in the EU, for some situations. Try to read the fine print and respect it.

 

[Albertagirl]

I have bought the Renfe Tarjeta Dorada each time that I was in Spain, mostly by habit, as I have not found that I have got much of a discount with it. I don't feel comfortable purchasing a ticket in advance for onward travel from Madrid airport on the day of my arrival, as my flight may be late or delays at the airport or getting to the train station may cause me to miss my train. Generally, I buy an Alsa bus ticket for a bus directly from the airport connecting to where I wish to go and leaving two or three hours after my arrival. So far, I have been lucky and have got the trip that I booked. But there will be other Alsa buses later in the day from the airport, hopefully, with available space. So I don't use my Tarjeta Dorada much. I doubt if I shall use it for my camino this fall, as there is no train station in Najera, which I shall be trying to reach from the airport. I could only use it to get back to Madrid from Santiago for my journey home. I don't think I have ever been able to use this card for entry to any historic site, monastery or church, for example. It is not very expensive, but for me it is just a habit to purchase it.