To ask you to help me sort this holiday nightmare!!

[CantKeepCalm2]

I’m sick with worry over this and unable to sleep as a result.

My husband, kids and I are going on holiday to Spain in just over a week. We are going to Alicante but to keep costs down, I booked flights to Madrid as I saw the train looked cheap from there to Alicante. I think the airport is half an hour from the train station in Madrid but thought with the train being cheap, we would hopefully be able to figure out a shuttle bus or something that might take us.

Fast forward to now and the train prices have sky rocketed. I was really silly not to book at the time, but I didn’t expect the markup to be quite so extreme.

I came up with a plan b. Hire a car in madrid to drive us to Alicante on arrival day, and same again on departure day. I’ve booked this all but have now realised we are going to have issues as neither DH or I have a working credit card. Long story short but we moved from the UK to another European country and when I lost my credit card, i tried to cancel it on my husband’s app and accidentally cancelled his card. I tried to resolve this with the bank but they couldn’t deal with me as I wasn’t the main card holder. On top of that, I have a pin block on my credit card as a result of getting the pin wrong 3 times. Again, this has been a nightmare to sort as the bank wouldn’t deal with me and my husband has been rarely home due to his work (military).

Anyway, after booking the hire car a couple of days ago, my husband was able to call the bank. Unfortunately it’ll take 10 working days for his new card and the pin should arrive 3 days later, so this doesn’t help with our hire car. They advised me I could go to an ATM and sort my pin. I tried that today but to no avail, the ATM here didn’t have a “pin services” option. And I’ve been thinking, surely I can’t change my pin anyway since I don’t know the pin to begin with.

We can cancel the hire car and receive a full refund up to 48 hours before the trip. If we do that, it’s going to cost us loads getting the train, plus I haven’t figured out a way to get from Madrid airport to Madrid train station. I can’t change the flights because direct flights will cost us an extra £1000 at least and I can’t afford that. What do I do? I’ve really messed this up badly and know I sound like the most disorganised person. I’ve just massively dropped the ball on this one. 😢

Apply for a new credit card with your bank. I got one through in a few days

Also you can get prepaid credi cards at the post office.

Do not hire a car with anyone except a 'known' company otherwise you will 100% regret it when you return it.

I wouldn't be booking anything with all the delays ATM. A family member was delayed after landing in Turkey at Dalaman airport. It took two hours to get through the airport because of the amount of people and queueing for all the checks etc. They had a taxi pre booked. But the maximum the taxi could wait was 45 minutes. So they had to pay for another taxi to they're hotel.

As a frequent visitor to Madrid (I have family there), DO NOT use the metro from the airport!!
It’s a nightmare if you have luggage, and crime is rife. Taxis are fairly cheap and much safer.

Get your husband to get his credit card from the bank?

Those train prices you have found don't seem too bad. Just how cheap was it originally, to have sent you into such a panic about the price difference?

Late night buses in Spain are so cool!
Genuinely you have families and push chairs on them at 0100am at night.
And the kids are not crying, just sleeping.
DD lived in Barcelona and regularly got the 0100 bus home.
Don't rule out the bus.

@Mums5net, the Alsa intercity coaches are not quite like a night bus. They take 7 hours from Madrid to Alicante, so not exactly a quick easy journey

Can't you just not book the train and just buy a ticket when you arrive? Then you don't run the risk of missing it and the staff can advise on the best cost for your journey.

People really need to stop giving advice that is either out of date, incorrect, exaggerated or all those things at once.

I don't know that much about public transport in Bangkok so I'd never jump on a thread and share my experience from the one time I visited Bangkok. Same as if I came here asking for advice on the Sheffield buses, I wouldn't want comments from someone living in Brighton who visited Sheffield 5 years ago for a weekend.

Blablacar is not going to work with 4 people plus checked luggage. Blablacar also requires you to choose a specific time for your ride, so we're back to square one and the inflexible trains.

@CantKeepCalm2, do you have good travel insurance and do they cover delays mid-travel? I would personally book the latest & cheapest train you can get on the 30th and think that:

• If your plane is severely delayed to the point of you missing your train because of it, you will receive something like 300 quid per person in compensation. This will cover any last-minute train purchase or unexpected overnight stay.
• If your plane lands late but still under the minimum delay for compensation, and for some reason you still don't make the train, your travel insurance should kick in and reimburse you for the new travel arrangements. At least mine do - check your policy to see how comprehensive it is?

You have 5 hours between landing and your train.

It takes 1 hour max to exit the airport - assuming long waits at passports and luggage belts. I use MAD regularly and have never taken more than 45 minutes to leave the airport, and that was late at night when most passport booths are closed.

It takes 1 hour max to buy Cercanías tickets, get on the train, and make it to Atocha. There you just need to go to the other end of the station and down a level, where the AVE trains leave from.

There are lifts, escalators, place for suitcases on the train and everything you need. Madrid is a city geared up for tourists so they won't make it impossible for you to use their public transport system.

It's very straightforward and if something fails, you can take a taxi. Even with a 3 hour delay, you're making that train. Anything over 3 hours and you'd 1) receive compensation, 2) have time at your airport of origin to sort out alternatives whilst waiting.

Change the flights and take the hit. It doesn't seem that much more expensive than the train or a car and far less hassle.

No, OP can't do that. Because she intends to use the AVE (high-speed) trains which, during summer holidays, don't often have any availability whatsoever for the same day. Plus, I've just checked the prices. The cheapest AVE today is £90 per person. And today isn't the busiest Friday of the summer for starters.

OP said changing the flights is £1500. Trains or coaches (all perfectly doable options) are less than £400. Throw in another 100 for taxis max.

You don't think a one thousand pound difference is 'that much more'?

Probably being a bit thick here, but you said you lost your card ? cancelled husbands instead. Then you went cashpoint to try and unblock your pin ? so you have a card ? can you not use that card as a holding card with the rental company as they will not ask for you pin number , just long card number, expiry and 3 digits on back of card , or have I read the post wrong ????

Hi @GrandSlamFinale. It's not quite correct that a long delay will automatically result in £300 compensation. Airlines are not liable to pay compensation if the delay was caused by "extraordinary circumstances" (EC) and there has been recent guidance issued by the U.K. CAA to say that the current problems with staffing etc are likely to qualify as EC.

Also, the compensation level depends on the length of the flight and will be max 220 GBP if the flight is under 1500km (rising to £350 if between 1500 and 3500km).

Also if the delay is only a little bit over the 3 hour qualifying delay threshold they can reduce the comp by 50%.

But the OP doesn't just want quick and easy, she wants cheap. Bus travel is cheap.

PS re delay compensation, OP isn't flying from the U.K. but the rules for intra-EU travel are the same as for ex-U.K. travel to Spain, save that the compensation amounts are roughly the Euro equivalent of the GBP sums I quoted.

If she is flying in from over 3500km away the comp is £520 if paid.

Sorry, I haven't read the full thread but if you applied for a Monzo account (Mastercard) it will almost certainly arrive before you leave for your holiday. Mine took 2 days recently. Then you can just transfer the amount you need for the car hire/deposit onto it.

People really need to stop giving advice that is either out of date, incorrect, exaggerated or all those things at once.
to which I'd add advice that is inapplicable to the OP because they've not read all her posts .

Not aimed at you WhathaveIfound !

Book a coach usually quicker in Spain

Thanks so much everyone for your help. Hire cars cancelled. Trains booked! I just hope it all goes smoothly on the day! 🤞🏻

Can you get a new credit card issued from another provider? I had to get one unexpectedly after the pandemic depleted our savings when DP lost his job. Think it came in five days?
Just make sure it's interest free for 12 months or something and don't overspend or even use it, just use it for the hire car booking. You could then call the company and update the card to use.

Sorry, posted too soon and saw your updates! Glad all is sorted. Have a lovely holiday!