By Homson — Get exclusive travel tips and updates for free here.

Don’t Get Railroaded by Rail Ninja: Use Omio Instead

Updated: May 26, 2025.

Hey fellow travelers! Are you booking travel this summer? You might have Googled “Rail Ninja” or “Rail Ninja scam.” Or maybe you read the Trustpilot reviews.

Either way, at some point, you must have booked a train ticket only to realize you’ve been completely ripped off? Yeah, that’s exactly what happened to me with Rail Ninja.

So, grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and let me share my frustrating experience and some valuable tips to save you from the same fate. And why you should use Omio for your rail travel.

Before we get started–ask yourself, where is Rail Ninja based out of? What about Omio? Which one offers better consumer protection vs. less corporate regulation?

• Rail Ninja is based out of Birkirkara, Malta
• Omio is based out of Berlin, Germany

My Rail Ninja Nightmare: How I Almost Paid Double for a Ghost Train

I was planning my family’s trip through Spain where we would travel from Seville to Barcelona. Though I’m not always a budget-conscious traveler, planning for my parents and my brother (a family of four) made me pay close attention to costs this time.

Either because I had a long day at work or got lazy, I went straight to Rail Ninja to book my train tickets. Big mistake! I ended up paying $632 over $200 for first-class tickets on a train that didn’t even exist.

Wait. What?

Let me rewind.

I didn’t remember that on previous trips to Spain and Europe, I used Omio for their ease of use and efficiency in paying with PayPal. When I checked prices on Omio, I realized the prices were much, much lower. And it’s not like Omio is a saint in this process, but they do charge a lower service fee compared to Rail Ninja.

But it gets worse.

When I realized my first mistake, I also realized my second mistake was putting this purchase on my JetBlue Plus credit card. While the JetBlue credit card can earn miles, I am not very confident about its dispute process compared to American Express. Now, you might think this is a small issue. However, the American Express dispute process is so efficient it ALONE makes it worth the annual fee.

American Express has a very strong reimbursement policy when it comes to suspicious charges and usually will err on the side of the customer, assuming it was an unjust charge. Unfortunately, in this case, this was my mistake, and I know better for next time.

But, that’s still not the worst part.

Gear Used

Price Gouging on the Rails: Rail Ninja vs. the Competition

I did some digging and discovered that Rail Ninja’s prices are consistently outrageous compared to other booking platforms like Omio and Renfe.

For example, a one-way trip from Seville to Barcelona on Rail Ninja was a whopping 58.4% more expensive than the same trip on Omio!

Seriously, why pay more for the same thing?

Phantom Trains and Frustration: Rail Ninja Reliability Issues

But, let’s get to the real problem!

As if the price gouging wasn’t bad enough, it turns out that Rail Ninja has a nasty habit of listing trains that don’t actually exist. This means you could book a ticket, show up at the station, and… well, there’s no train.

Talk about frustrating!

Side-by-Side Comparison: Rail Ninja vs. Omio

If you take a look above at the side-by-side comparison, you can see that for the “Fastest” section, Omio (right side of image) is charging $264 for a one-way trip from Seville to Barcelona. The same trip on Rail Ninja (left side of image) on the same train is $452. That is a staggering 58.4% increase. For reference, you can book four first-class tickets on Omio for $363.89.

So why pay more?

I’ve used Omio in the past for another AVE ticket going from Barcelona to Madrid and found them to be reliable.

In addition, if you look at the 9.36 AM Train #97467, that train doesn’t even appear on the Omio website or the Renfe website. That’s also the same train that I happened to book initially to get first-class tickets.

As a result, Railninja was unable to book tickets since the train is actually unavailable even on Renfe’s website.

The Convenience of Booking with Omio and Directly with Renfe

You could also book on Renfe’s website, which shows a total of 248.6 Euros, which Omio comes very close to offering.

However, you will have to enter details for each passenger, including passport numbers and telephone numbers. Trust me, after enough travel planning, this stage in the travel process gets annoying. Unless maybe you’ve expedited this process using a Notion template or something. In that case, kudos to you!

Also this can be complicated if you book through different websites like OBB (Austrian railway) when using some American credit cards.

Omio makes this easy (regardless of train carrier) where you just enter the main account holder’s information and phone number and insert the rest of the names and passport information, then you just pay via PayPal where you can get protection security.

From there, you can select your preferred credit card or you can use American Express Platinum through that payment method for extra enhancement.

Comparing Consumer Protection vs. Corporate Protection

Tips, Tricks, and Logistics

Do you prefer booking with a platform located where consumer rights are strongest (Germany), or one headquartered where corporate taxes are lowest (Malta)?

What about what firms can do in Malta that they couldn’t (or wouldn’t bother to) in Germany? Well let’s take a look at the chart below to see where you’re money is going or being funneled through.

Regulatory & Consumer-Protection Snapshot

Issue	Rail Ninja (Birkirkara, Malta)	Omio (Berlin, Germany)
Effective corporate-tax burden	≈ 5 % after shareholder refunds – very tax-efficient	≈ 29–30 % – minimal scope for tax engineering
Supervisory fire-power	Small regulator, fewer staff; slower dispute handling	BaFin + strong consumer bureaus; quick injunctions
Mandatory financial guarantees for travellers	EU baseline only	Often must post a Sicherungsschein (insolvency bond)
Reputation / perception	Malta hosts many gambling, forex & crypto outfits—some travellers worry about recourse	High-trust jurisdiction with strict penalties for unfair T&Cs

What’s Easy in Malta but Tough in Germany

Example practice	Feasible in Malta	Difficult in Germany
Channel profits through Malta then claim a 6⁄7 tax refund → net ≈ 5 %	✔	✖ – no equivalent refund scheme
Operate e-tickets, crypto payments & online casinos under one regulator	✔	✖ – separate licenses, higher capital rules
Use small-claims arbitration clauses that deter foreign consumers	Easier – lower litigation pressure	Hard – German law grants inalienable consumer forum rights
Run a minimal staff “letter-box” HQ	Common practice	Closely scrutinized; risk of being re-taxed locally

Trip Soundtrack

Because every adventure needs a soundtrack, each of my trips comes with a theme song. And for this trip's anthem? Well, it's...

Don’t Get Taken for a Ride: Choose Omio or Renfe for Smooth Train Travel

In a rush? Download your FREE ultimate packing guide as a PDF and get ready for your next remote-work adventure. Click here to grab the PDF now.

So, fellow travelers, learn from my mistakes!

Avoid Rail Ninja like the plague and opt for Omio or Renfe for your train booking needs. Your wallet and your sanity will thank you. And most importantly, make sure to use a card that has a strong dispute charge process. It’s for that reason I strongly recommend an American Express Gold or American Express Platinum (preferred) for travel.

Check out the locations section to find more travel itineraries, including my in-depth guide to Guam and my comparison of VPN services for remote work!

About Homson Travels

At Homson Travels, I share authentic travel experiences, tips, and guides to inspire your next adventure. From bustling cities to hidden gems, join us as we explore the world one destination at a time.