Start here: Trenitalia CartaFreccia — joining, earning points, claiming prizes and the 2027 deadline

Step 1: What CartaFreccia is and who it suits

You will learn: what kind of operation CartaFreccia is, who may take part, and when it runs.

CartaFreccia is a points-based prize operation carried out in compliance with Presidential Decree (D.P.R.) no. 430 of 26 October 2001, promoted by Trenitalia S.p.A., with Alkemy S.p.A. as the delegated party [1]. It is addressed to end customers who are natural persons and hold one of the CartaFreccia, CartaFreccia Argento, CartaFreccia Oro, CartaFreccia Platino or CartaFreccia Platino Infinito cards [1]. Travel agencies, tour operators and resellers in general may not take part [1]. The operation is valid throughout the national territory of Italy and of the Republic of San Marino [1].

As printed, the operation is valid from 1 June 2022 until 31 December 2026, which corresponds to the points collection period, subject to any extensions, which will be promptly announced [1]. Points earned during that period may be used to request prizes starting from 16 June 2022 and no later than 31 March 2027 [1].

The version published on trenitalia.com is the Current CartaFreccia Rewards Program Regulations 2022–26; the same page lists earlier versions of the 2022–2026 regulations valid until 14 October 2026, 30 September 2026, 31 July 2026, 30 June 2026 and 22 June 2026 [2]. The current PDF file itself carries no issue date [1]. CartaFreccia suits travellers who buy Frecciarossa, Frecciargento, Frecciabianca and Freccialink tickets on national routes, or Eurocity and Euronight tickets for journeys within Italy, because those are the tickets that earn points [1].

Go deeper: CartaFreccia programme hub for every page about this programme, grouped by task, and Trenitalia Frecciarossa service classes for what the different service levels on those trains include.

Step 2: Joining and keeping your card valid

You will learn: the channels for joining, how the card must be used, and how to leave the operation.

Participation is free of charge [1]. Joining is necessarily subject to holding one of the cards issued by Trenitalia and takes place by filling in the form at trenitalia.com in the CartaFreccia section, at assistance offices or desks in stations where available and at ticket offices in all other cases, by filling in the form through the Trenitalia App, or through travel agencies participating in the operation [1].

The card is registered in the holder's name, is personal and non-transferable and may be used only by the relevant cardholder, who provides personal data after reading the privacy notice and must communicate any changes through trenitalia.com [1]. Cardholders may withdraw at any time through the “Cancella adesione” section of the Reserved Area, either immediately or starting from the next CartaFreccia programme; with immediate withdrawal, and if no prize has been requested beforehand, the points earned up to that moment are lost [1]. Rewarding behaviour carried out before joining never contributes to the accumulation of points [1].

A cardholder whose registration has been cancelled is barred from registering again in the same programme, unless Trenitalia decides otherwise at its sole discretion [1].

Go deeper: Renfe Más Renfe vs Trenitalia CartaFreccia for how the Spanish operator's programme compares with this one.

Step 3: How points are earned on train tickets

You will learn: the earning rate, which tickets qualify, and how to make sure points are credited.

Table 1 in Article 10 is printed in Italian in the English file; described in English, it awards 1 point for every euro (euro one/00), VAT included, spent on national-route travel documents for Frecciarossa, Frecciargento, Frecciabianca and Freccialink trains, and 1 point on the same basis for Eurocity and Euronight, exclusively for journeys within the national territory [1]. Only journeys made by the cardholder on those trains, operated by Trenitalia S.p.A., earn points, and points credited for journeys made by another person are cancelled [1]. Tickets that do not earn points are: ticket changes and tickets bought on board; tickets bought through channels other than trenitalia.com, Trenitalia ticket offices, FrecciaLounge, FrecciaClub, self-service ticket machines of the national network, Trenitalia travel agencies, the Trenitalia App and the Trenitalia Call Center; tickets relating to promotional offers unless the commercial conditions of the specific offer state otherwise; admission fees, “Tutto Treno” cards and similar; tickets for international journeys unless otherwise indicated on trenitalia.com; and tickets not used by the cardholder, even if bought by the cardholder [1].

At the time of purchase the cardholder gives the personal code of the card in the manner provided for the sales channel and checks that the code is correctly shown on the travel document [1]. The Reserved Area shows two balances: the Reward Points Balance, meaning the points available for requesting prizes net of points used, and the Accounting Points Balance, which also includes points relating to journeys bought but not yet made, again net of points used [1]. Article 10 states that points are available for requesting prizes “only after the date on which the journey is made, within 3 (three) days of the date of the journey, even in cases where they are credited before the journey itself takes place” [1].

If points have not been credited after 3 days from the date of the journey although the code is correctly shown on the travel document, assistance can be requested in the Reserved Area [1]. Where the code was omitted at purchase, only Frecce, Eurocity and Euronight tickets bearing the cardholder's first name and surname can be recovered, through the “Recupero Punti” section of the Reserved Area within 30 days of purchase [1]. Stubs must be kept until points have been credited, and a full or partial refund of a ticket entails cancellation of the entire value of the points credited for it [1].

Go deeper: Trenitalia fare types for how the fares behind those tickets differ, including the promotional fares excluded from earning unless their own conditions state otherwise.

Step 4: Points from partners

You will learn: how partner purchases and points exchanges credit points, and who is responsible when they do not.

Trenitalia may develop agreements with partner companies under which points are credited for purchases of goods or services from those partners, or in exchange for a share of the points earned in the partner's own loyalty programme, a points exchange [1]. The cardholder gives the partner the personal card code, at the partner's premises or on www.cartafrecciacollection.com, at the time of purchase or of the request for a points exchange [1]. For certain partners, whose list is published on trenitalia.com, points are credited exclusively by entering a unique code previously issued by the partner in a dedicated section of the website www.cartafrecciacollection.it [1]. The regulations print the partner website as www.cartafrecciacollection.com in two places and as www.cartafrecciacollection.it for entering partner unique codes; this page reports both addresses as printed and does not reconcile them [1].

Points relating to these initiatives may be credited up to 75 days after the initiative itself, and if they are not credited the cardholder must contact the customer service of the partner concerned directly [1]. Points credited this way are subject to the same conditions of duration and usability as points normally credited by Trenitalia, partners are solely responsible for the conditions for crediting points, and Trenitalia declines all liability regarding the services and products offered by the partners [1].

Go deeper: the Flyerfolio guides for the step-by-step guides on earning and using points across programmes.

Step 5: Claiming prizes and point refunds

You will learn: how to request a prize, what can be changed afterwards, and when points are re-credited after a delay.

Points may be used to request the prizes in the catalogue, which Article 12 describes as set out in Annex 1 to the regulations [1]. The catalogue annexed to the current file is headed Annex “A”; this page reports the two labels as printed and does not reconcile them [1]. Rail prizes may be requested by calling the Trenitalia Call Center; in the Reserved Area of trenitalia.com or in the CartaFreccia section of the Trenitalia App; at FrecciaLounge and FrecciaClub, only for cardholders entitled to access them; and at dedicated desks of authorised Trenitalia ticket offices [1]. Rail prizes are registered in a name and may be used by the cardholder or by a third party whose name is entered when the prize is issued, with the exception of the upgrade prize, which may be used only by the cardholder [1]. Once a rail prize has been issued, no changes of any kind are permitted and no refund can be requested unless otherwise indicated [1].

Only in the event of a delay in the arrival of the train used with the rail ticket or prize are points re-credited: 25% of the points used for a delay of between 30 and 119 minutes and 50% for a delay of at least 120 minutes, with no re-credit for Frecce Gift Cards [1]. The refund may be requested after 24 hours from the journey and up to 12 months after the date on which the delay occurred, exclusively by opening an Assistance Request in the “Assistenza Cartafreccia” section of the Reserved Area [1]. Through the same method a bonus of 25% of the points used is granted if the air-conditioning in the carriage is completely out of order and no seat can be assigned in another carriage of the same or a higher class or service level, and the right to the bonus is lost if the cardholder refuses another available seat; the two benefits cannot be combined, so only the delay re-credit applies [1].

Stolen or expired rail prizes cannot be reissued, and a cardholder who is unable to use a prize is not entitled to the payment of any sum of money [1]. Once a prize order has been confirmed it can no longer be cancelled or replaced and the contact details given cannot be changed; prizes are delivered free of charge within 180 days of the date of the request, and the cash value of a prize cannot be requested, nor can the prize be exchanged or replaced, subject to substitution by the promoter for reasons not attributable to it [1].

Go deeper: Trenitalia regional fare rules for the rules that apply to regional tickets, which are outside the trains listed for earning in Table 1.

Step 6: Your first concrete action

You will learn: five actions you can take now, one for each part of the programme.

• Join through one of the channels listed in Step 2 and communicate any change to your personal data through trenitalia.com [1].
• Give your card code at the time of purchase on every Frecce, Eurocity or Euronight national-route ticket bought through a listed channel, and check that the code is shown on the travel document [1].
• If the code was omitted, recover the points in the “Recupero Punti” section within 30 days of purchase, and if points are still missing 3 days after the journey, open an assistance request in the Reserved Area [1].
• On a prize ticket delayed by 30 minutes or more, request the points re-credit within 12 months of the date on which the delay occurred, from 24 hours after the journey [1].
• Plan to use your points by 31 March 2027: as printed, points earned and not used by that date are automatically reset to zero [1].

Next: the mileage expiry calculator to see how much time is left before a points deadline, and Start here for the other courses in this series.