Train tickets in Spain from July 2025: what changes after the “abono recurrente” ends
We knew it was going to happen: the free train tickets in Spain were too good to last forever. But with the end of the abono recurrente ticket, that has been going on since 2022, how much are the local (cercanías) train tickets going to cost in Spain? Well, that’s a complex question, but I have good news: the new system, that starts on July 1st, 2025, will bring some bonuses; besides that, there are ways to keep the cost of the trains very low. That’s what this post is all about.
What changes after the end of the free train tickets in Spain?
From July 2025, there won’t be the possibility of paying 10 euros for a local train travel ticket that lasts for months and is refunded in the end of the period, provided the user makes a minimum number of trips – the abono recurrente ticket we have come to love and use extensively. Instead, there is going to be a new “abono”, or discount ticket, according to the Ministry of Transports:
- There is going to be a ticket valid for a month, for illimited trips in all zones of Spain. It will cost € 20, but it will not be refunded at the end of the period. The good news here is really for tourists that intend to visit several cities: with the abono recurrente, they had to buy one abono for Malaga, another one for Sevilla and so on; this new ticket will be valid for all zones.
- That same ticket will cost half for those between the ages of 15 and 26 and will be free for those under 15.
Like the old abono recurrente, the new ticket is going to be personal, meaning it cannot be shared among users (or in other words, if caught being shared one can get a fine).
There is also going to be a discount card valid for 10 trips, but the prices are not informed yet (as far as I know). This ticket will be valid only for the trip specified by the buyer when purchasing the ticket; so for instance, one can buy 10 tickets to go from Torremolinos Station to Fuengirola Station and pay (hopefully) less than buying the tickets individually but can’t use it on any other route. The prices will vary according to the origin and destination chosen.
What about Media distance tickets, for train trips between cities?
There are still going to be discounts for the media distancia trains – trains from Malaga to Seville, for instance – but the discounts will be less generous than what we have had so far. The Ministry of transports talks about 40% of discount on those lines, but not much more is disclosed as of now.
How to buy the new local ticket?
As of now, it looks like it will work like every other Renfe ticket: one can either buy it online or on the train stations, and add either to their phone or to the TSC (the gray and purple card you see in the image above, also known as the train card). As of this writing, the tickets are not available for sale, and their exact name has not been informed yet. It should be something on the lines of “Abono mensual” (monthly discount) or “Abonos Cercanías 2025” (which would cause confusion with the abono recurrente), judging from Renfe’s press release image below:
Is it worth buying the new ticket?
It depends on how often one uses the trains. For occasional users, in the area of Malaga, I would say it is probably not worth it, because there is a better, cheaper way to use the trains – the green card, to be specific. Let’s see it:
Using the green card on the train in Malaga
Not too long ago, this very same card was known as the green bus card, because it gave a big of a discount on bus fares – and none on train fares. It was possible to pay for train tickets with it, though; it just didn’t provide any advantage. But this has changed, and now (yes, it is already in place!) one can get great discounts with the green card on the trains as well.
It is not being talked much because, well, the abono recurrente makes the trains free, so there is no point getting “just” a great discount; with the end of the abono recurrente, though, this is going to change.
Above, the train tariffs in place when paying the train with the green card; below, the full price paid without the green card. See explanation about the zones on the next topic. 😉
Explaining the zones
Suppose one gets the train at the Airport Station and goes to the center of Malaga, leaving at Malaga Centro-Alameda Station (a gorgeous area, by the way!). Both stations are in the same zone (Zona A, in pink on the map of train stations zones). This trip will cost € 1,80 paying with cash or bank card, but only € 0,52 if paying with the green card. (0 zones crossed)
Going from the Airport Station to Torremolinos crosses 1 zone. Therefore, this trip will cost € 1,80 paying with cash or bank card, but only € 0,59 if paying with the green card.
Going from Plaza Mayor to Fuengirola Station crosses 2 zones. This trip will cost € 1,80 paying with cash or bank card, but only € 0,79 if paying with the green card.
Going from Malaga to Álora crosses 3 zones. This trip will cost € 2,05 paying with cash or bank card, but only € 1,30 if paying with the green card.
Getting only one train, there is no way to cross more than 3 zones on Malaga local trains, but I suppose it is possible to do so in other cities, and so it explains why there are prices for 4 and 5 zones on Renfe’s one-way tickets price list.
🤯 Considering, though, that the green bus card is valid only in Malaga province (and only in part of the province, actually) I wonder why there are prices for 4 and 5 zone crossings on the “Map of train stations zones and travel prices with the green card”!!! I can only think that, if one gets a train in Fuengirola, leaves in Malaga and then gets a train to Alora, they would, indeed cross 5 zones – but hey, these are two train trips, that would cost a lot less if paid separately. Therefore, if you want to do that long train trip, pay twice! 🤯
Related posts:
Train stations in Malaga
Train Stations in Benalmadena
Train Stations in Torremolinos
Train Stations in Fuengirola
Paying for the train with the green bus card
Really good news: paying with the green card, you skip the machines! You go straight to the barrier. Put your green card on top of it, and it debits € 0,52 from your green card; you take your card with you and pass it again on the barrier on your destination, leaving the station; then it will charge you the rest of your fare, which varies according to how many zones you have crossed.
Above, a practical example: (a) I had € 13,02 (pointed by a blue arrow) on my card green card at the end of a previous trip; (b) I then passed a barrier in Benalmadena, and it charged € 0,52 from my card, leaving it with € 12,50; (c) I went to Fuengirola, and at the exit there I once again passed my card, where it was charged extra € 0,07, leaving me with € 12,43. In total, I was charged € 0,59 for this trip that crossed one zone – exactly as expected.
But what happens if one doesn’t pass the card on the exit barrier? The card is charged € 3,88 – equivalent to 5 zone crossings, even though that is impossible!!! So do not forget to put your card on the barrier – even if there is no barrier. In the case of small train stations, such as Torremuelle (shown below) there will be at least a totem-like thing, usually by the ticket machine, where you should place your card before leaving.
Where to buy the Green Card?
The green card, officially called the Transports Card of the Malaga Consortium, can be found in tabacarias in Malaga, Benalmadena and Torremolinos (at least), as we described in the post about Bus and train cards in the Costa del Sol. In Fuengirola it seems to be a rare find, though. The page of the Consortium says it can also be bought from Renfe’s vending machines and ticket offices in the stations; I never tried, though, but it is a good place to look for the green card for those in Fuengirola.
Once bought (it costs less than € 2,00) you have to add money to it. It doesn’t expire – I have the same one since I moved to the Costa del Sol, more than 3 years ago; I just go to a Tabacaria and ask to add € 5 or € 10 from time to time. It is worth remembering, it is also a great card for buses in Torremolinos and Benalmadena – but not so much in Malaga or Fuengirola, a mess we’ve tried to clarify while untangling the buses in the Costa del Sol.
After all, is it worth buying the € 20 monthly ticket?
For people that use the train to go to work every day, yes, the monthly card is super worth it. If one lives and works in the same zone, the daily trip costs € 0,52 each way with the green card, which means € 1,04 per day. Times 22 working days in a month (assuming Monday to Friday), the home-work-home trips would cost them € 22.88 per month with the green card – already more than with the monthly ticket. For those that have longer daily commutes, the monthly ticket saves even more.
For those of us that don’t use the train every day, though, the green card is probably a better option. One can come and go to Fuengirola or Malaga up to 16 times a month, departing from either Benalmadena or Torremolinos (crossing one zone), and still pay less than € 20 with the green card. It would take 13 full round trips per month between Fuengirola and Malaga (2 zone-crossings) to make it worth buying the € 20 monthly card.
Another way to pay for the train: bank card
Not recommended, but, sure, you can pay for the train with a bank card, the same way as explained with the green card. The good part is that you don’t spend time on the machines and go straight to the barrier; the bad part is that you pay full price.
Pass the bank card on the sensor in the barrier or totem when entering and again on the exit, so it charges you only for the area you covered; failure to pass on the exit will charge you (at least) € 3,60. I say that because I once tried this form of payment, but I didn’t know I had to pass again on the exit; that is how much I was charged on October 2024.
There is actually a difference from paying with the green card: I was charged € 3,60 right from the start with the bank card, and I wonder if that payment would have been recalled and substituted by a smaller one had I passed the card on the exit as well; with the green card it charges first the smallest possible charge and then add on the exit. I prefer the green card way.
The only situation I think it is worth paying for the train with a bank card is when one has just arrived in Malaga Airport and is taking the train for the first time, assuming this person does not yet have a green card. The lines for the Renfe vending machines are long there, and one is tired after hours in a plane; so going straight to the barrier and paying a bit more makes sense. After that, getting a green card is a breeze, and saves a lot on all the future train rides.
Conclusion
As we say goodbye to the Abono Recurrente, let’s at least have the consolation that the green bus card will make train trips cheap. It was sooo good while the Ab Recurrente lasted, but so good that there were people that didn’t believe it was true when I posted about it, back in the free train tickets post.
Now, well, I guess we will have to adapt. I think the new system does make sense – it is good for everybody; it gives a good discount for occasional travelers (with the green card), and the possibility of an even greater discount for the everyday commuter (with the monthly discount). If there is a bright side, it is that the trains will probably be a bit less crowded. But we will miss the abono recurrente dearly. RIP.
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Great article thankyou. will it run per calendar month or for 30 days from purchase? thanks
Hi Neil,
Thank you. I believe it will be per calendar month, just because it seems to be easier for Renfe to issue tickets this way, but as far as I know this has not been informed yet. Let’s see!