Rail Ninja transforms how the world books train travel. We facilitate millions of journeys annually for travelers from over 150 countries, exploring more than 50 destinations by rail. Our mission is to elevate your travel experience by securing the best seats on the finest trains, ensuring a seamless and memorable journey.
Reviewers overwhelmingly had a great experience with this company. Customers frequently mention that the website is extremely easy to navigate and allows them to find clear travel options effortlessly. Travelers find the online booking process to be smooth, efficient, and straightforward, enabling them to complete their ticket reservations in just a few minutes.
However, some customers also noted that they were charged unexpectedly high fees and steep markups compared to booking directly through the official train operators. Some reviewers were dissatisfied with a perceived lack of transparency regarding service charges and hidden costs discovered after completing their purchases.
Update Aug 21: Rail Ninja has now refunded the tickets. Adding one extra star for the refund.
Original review:
We purchased tickets from Edinburgh to London for Aug 4th 2025. The tickets were purchased about 6 weeks in advance. On Aug 4th, all trains were cancelled. However, Railninja did not send any notifications. When I contacted them for a refund due to cancellation of all trains, I just got an email acknowledgement but not other communication yet.
Rail Ninja 回复2025-08-12
Dear Customer,
Thank you for leaving your review. We’re committed to assisting our travelers and want to help resolve your issue. To do so, could you please provide your order number or trip details? This will help us look into your case and find the best solution for you.
Dear Marianne,
Thank you for your review. We’re sorry to hear that you missed the information on our homepage. If you need any assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact our support team.
Don't get what you ordered - neither in terms of schedule nor in terms of price
The order and payment process were easy, however I don't get what I ordered. After the payment was done, they offer me to change departure time with more than 4 hours, which is not acceptable. Otherwise I should pay 380 USD extra to get the ticket at originally requested schedule! In my case it was 80% over the price of my order!! Obviously there are tickets available, but they display in the booking system some good "fishing" price just to hook the clients. Then immediately push you to change the price of order. So disappointing experience.
Rail Ninja 回复2025-08-11
Dear Customer,
Thank you for your review. We’re sorry to hear about the issues you faced with your booking. Please be assured that any changes made were not intentional but occurred unexpectedly to ensure your travel plans could proceed.
Prices can be dynamic, and if your booking was made at the last minute, we apologize for having to offer alternative options. Our support team is ready to assist you as soon as you provide your order details.
We booked first class tickets over two days from Oslo to Voss. Then Voss to Bergen. our train (Voss to Bergen) was running very late and we were advised to get another train, however this had no first class carriages (and no seat bookings) so we ended up sitting apart and there was no food etc too. tried the ‘support’ part of the ninja app and eventually Elizabeth helped us to get a refund. Thank you
Rail Ninja 回复2025-08-05
Dear Traveller,
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re truly sorry to hear about the inconvenience you experienced and appreciate the opportunity to address it.
Please rest assured that Rail Ninja always aims to provide the best available seats at the time of booking. In cases where seat assignments do not meet expectations, this can often be due to a few common factors. For example, if the booking was placed less than 60 days before departure, it’s possible that the most desirable seats had already been taken by early planners. Alternatively, if no seat preferences were specified during the booking process, the system may have assigned seats automatically from the remaining available options.
We genuinely regret any frustration this may have caused. It was certainly not our intention, and we are committed to assisting you further. If you could kindly share your booking details, we’ll be happy to look into this and see how we can help.
It is written express traing on your webpage, this is NOT express train, but very SLOW train, stops at many stations
There was problem and long time stop 40 km before Bratislava,- no information and the staff did not speak english.
WARNING FOT OTHER PASSANGER, BEWARE OF THIS PROBLEMS
Rail Ninja 回复2025-07-25
Dear Traveler,
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We're genuinely sorry to hear that your train ride did not meet your expectations.
We’ve reviewed our records but couldn’t locate your booking, so it’s difficult to confirm the exact route or service you experienced. Rail Ninja operates as an international booking platform and relies on schedules and service classifications provided directly by the rail operators. What’s referred to as an “express” train may vary from country to country, sometimes it simply means fewer stops compared to regional trains, not necessarily high-speed service.
We understand that some experiences may feel different from what one is used to, but that’s part of the adventure. Language barriers, and cultural peculiarities are not signs of poor service, but a sign of how much our world can surprise us.
Very expensive, not possible to get a modification on the dates.
Rail Ninja 回复2025-07-24
Dear Véronique,
Thank you for your reply. I’m glad to let you know that your refund has been processed. We truly hope this resolves the matter for you, and it would mean a lot to us to see your positive feedback.
Used them for Marrakesh to Casablanca which worked well. Booked/paid one way Paris to BCN in Dec 24 for a trip following September. Far in advance as wanted all 4 to sit together. Pinged late May/June as to status. 'Processing' was the response. Late July still waiting for tickets/seat assignments for the 4 travellers - both are readily available on other platforms. Pinged them again. Awaiting response. I know the train schedule has been changed, but they remain silent. Unimpressed.
23 July UPDATE. Was promised a response by mail yesterday. You guessed it!! Absolutely nothing!!
They have my $1300. I have nothing.
Rail Ninja 回复2025-07-22
Dear James,
Thank you for your review. We’re sorry we weren’t able to secure seats for your preferred train at this time. Please rest assured that our team is working hard to provide high-quality service and find the best possible solution for you.
We kindly ask for your patience while we continue communicating with the rail carriers and our partners to confirm the expected date for seat reservation. Thank you for your understanding.
Disappointing that it took writing a 1 star review to get a real person's attention (the online chat AI took itself offline the moment I replied "no" to the question "was this heklpful?), and finally my tickets which had been in "processing" limbo for days.
Now that I have my tickets, I can proceed with arranging the rest of my trip.
Rail Ninja 回复2025-07-21
Dear Traveller,
Thank you for your review.
We’d be glad to assist, and hope to become your trusted travel agent. Please share the details of your reservation so we can take a closer look and provide a solution.
We also kindly recommend checking your personal account to see whether your booking was made in advance, with tickets scheduled to become available for download at a later date.
We look forward to assisting you further.
Dear Sreemukh,
Thank you for your review. We’re sorry we were unable to secure tickets for your preferred train. Please note that train schedules are sometimes adjusted by the rail carriers due to weather conditions or necessary maintenance work to ensure passenger safety.
We sincerely apologize for the cancellation of your reservation. Rest assured, our team did its best to offer you suitable alternatives. We appreciate your understanding and acceptance of the full refund.
If you have any questions regarding the refund, please don’t hesitate to contact us via e-mail or online chat.
0 price transparency. I wanted to buy through rail ninja and not from the website of the direct seller because is in bulgarian and i didn't want to take chances, even translating it. Selling a ticket that's roughly 15 euros for 41 is not just mark up, is predatory.
Rail Ninja 回复2025-07-18
Dear Riccardo,
Thank you for your review, we truly appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts with us.
You are absolutely right that our prices include certain fees. These help support the convenience of our trip-planning platform, which offers access in more than 15 languages and supports local payment methods that may not be available when booking directly with rail carriers.
We value your opinion and hope to serve you again in the future.
It was fairly easy to make our original bookings. Needed to change a date on one of the legs and it was extremely difficult to do this via the app. I went to the "chat" location, which turned out to be an AI-based system. After about 10 exchanges, I received a reply asking if I wanted to get a human to continue, which I requested. A few minutes later, a note comes on saying someone would contact me in 2 hours. This is not a 24/7 service. I finally gave up and made the change, but had to pay for a fair difference. I originally paid for a business class seat and a "Flexible fare".
Rail Ninja 回复2025-07-21
Dear Peter,
Thank you for your review, we truly appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts.
Our chat bot is just a helpful assistant (you might’ve noticed our logo is a ninja bot 😉), but rest assured that our human support team is always behind the scenes. In fact, a possible solution for your case has already been prepared. Please reach out to us via email or online chat so we can assist you directly.
Our tickets are referred to as nonstop in Ninja Rails' emails to us but I ordered one way tickets. We could however use the other direction tickets upon our arrival in France as we did not purchase any to get to LaRochelle 2 weeks prior to these. Unfortunately I've not been able to reach them.
Also I erroneously gave my grandson's full name when asked how it reads on his passport only to find out later that only his first and last name is on his passport but have been unsuccessful in modifying it. We arrive in France July 30th.
Rail Ninja 回复2025-07-11
Dear Claire,
Thank you for taking the time to leave your review. Your feedback is extremely valuable to us, as it highlights important areas where we can improve our communication and support.
We are truly sorry for any confusion. It sounds like there may have been a misunderstanding regarding the type and direction of your tickets. Rail Ninja is committed to transparency, and the travel direction, date, and departure station are always shown before finalizing the booking.
While Rail Ninja provides the option to enter names manually for accuracy, changes after the ticket is issued are generally restricted by the rail operator's rules. We kindly advise double-checking the first and last name fields before confirming your booking, as per the guidelines visible on the website.
Service is efficient but very expensive, almost 100% mark up on ticket price
However their customer service did respond to my subsequent complaint and refunded me the full mark up, so overall good experience.
Rail Ninja 回复2025-07-11
Dear Paul,
Thank you for taking the time to leave your review. Your thoughts matter to us, and we appreciate your honesty.
Rail Ninja operates as an international booking platform that allows customers to reserve seats in advance, often before they are available through national railway websites. Our service fee covers the cost of providing multilingual support, early access, customer service, and secure ticket delivery. We aim to make travel simpler and more reliable.
To ensure you always get the best experience, we recommend checking the fare rules and comparing tariff types before payment. You can also reach out to our support team before booking, and they’ll be happy to help you choose the ticket option that fits your plans and budget best.
Booked train travel Stavanger to Oslo three months in advance. Prepaid for first class seats. Three days before, no tickets! Contacted customer service, and they finally got back to me with bus options! I did request and get a refund. Flew Wideroe Airlines instead.
Rail Ninja 回复2025-07-09
Dear Douglas,
Thank you for your review. We're sorry to hear that, even with a full refund issued, you remain dissatisfied with the service.
We appreciate you bringing this to our attention. Feedback like yours helps us identify areas for improvement, and your comments will be taken into careful consideration as we continue working to enhance our customer experience.
Booking the rail travel was easy. However, we were very disappointed in the lack of instructions that had us getting off at one station in Madrid without any instruction about transfer to catch our next train at a removed station.
Rail Ninja 回复2025-07-03
Dear Allison,
Thank you for your review. We hope you had sufficient time to make the transfer between train stations, as the connection details were provided in your ticket. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our support team.
Wanted to book a train ticket for a Norway trip, Rail ninja came up top of the list on internet search so assumed they were affiliated with local train companies but I don't think that's the case. The price of the ticket was far more expensive than booking directly with the rail company.
Rail Ninja 回复2025-06-26
Dear Michael,
Thank you for your review. Please note that Rail Ninja is not affiliated with or representing the rail carrier - this information is clearly stated on our homepage. We’re sorry to hear that it may have been overlooked.
That said, we hope you’ll consider exploring the benefits Rail Ninja offers for planning and booking international train journeys. If you have any questions or need assistance in the future, please contact our support team via e-mail or online chat.
First time using Rail Ninja. After having the original tickets cancelled by them (message went to spam), rebooking costs went up. Then, without notice and once I had paid for the re-booked tickets, I was informed that the rail trip we had planned would be mostly by a bus replacement service. The spokesperson dealing with the issue was very reasonable but said that the ticket for the bus leg was not refundable. However, the company did offer a goodwill gesture of a voucher for future use or a partial refund of the fare.
Rail Ninja 回复2025-06-26
Dear Euan,
Thank you for your review. We're sorry to hear about your disappointment with Rail Ninja.
Please allow us to clarify that the initial booking was canceled due to the lack of response regarding the alternative options we proposed. Due to track works and schedule changes on the rail carrier’s side, our team proactively searched for alternative solutions to ensure you could still travel on your intended date.
We regret that your reservation was ultimately canceled and want to assure you that there was no intention to cause any inconvenience or frustration. We sincerely apologize for the experience and appreciate your understanding.
We have been overcharged by 51% for two tickets we booked online on our Visa card for the Bullet Train from Madrid to Granada. The invoiced charge was for Eur.96.40, which at that day's exchange rate should have cost Rands R1968.49. But R2968.84 was reflected on our bank statement.
Financially, challenging this overcharge makes no sense, but it leaves a negative impression.
Rail Ninja 回复2025-06-18
Dear Andrew and Louise,
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re truly sorry to hear that your experience did not meet your expectations and that you didn’t find added value in booking through Rail Ninja.
While our service fees are clearly displayed at checkout and our pricing remains transparent, we understand that expectations can vary. Our aim is to offer more than just a train ticket - we provide a user-friendly platform that allows travelers to plan and book rail journeys across multiple countries with ease, regardless of language barriers or local payment restrictions.
We genuinely hope your trip will go smoothly and comfortably, and we do appreciate the opportunity to learn from your experience. We would be happy to serve you again in the future and show you the benefits our service can offer.
Operates websites which sound like official rail websites and overcharges tourists - I paid 2x for my ktx ticket in Korea;
Update: After posting this review they reached out to refund the overcharge so I am revising my review from 1* to 3*. Would hv appreciated if they did so upfront and without 3mth of back and forth. Hope they can be more transparent on pricing in future, thanks
Rail Ninja 回复2025-06-19
Dear Traveller,
Thank you for your review. We’re sorry to hear about your frustration and would like the opportunity to make things right. Please share your order number and trip details so we can locate your reservation and look into a solution for you.
AFTER 2 WEEKS FROM THE PURCHASES I DIDN'T RECEIVE THE JAPAN TICKETS YET
Rail Ninja 回复2025-06-13
Dear Daniele,
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We’d like to kindly point out that the ticket issue date is indicated in your order details. Since we work in cooperation with rail operators, we are required to follow their seat reservation procedures. Your booking has already been submitted to their system, and we’re now waiting for confirmation. For Japanese routes, it’s standard for tickets to be issued 30 days before the travel date.
We genuinely appreciate your patience and understanding while the process is being completed.
