European Rail Travel - French rail - SNCF - TGV - trains - Rail Europe - online ticket and purchasing

I was looking for a thread that would contain information useful to those who are wanting to purchase their France rail tickets online, and did not really find so much in terms of general purchasing and savings on SNCF / TGV (high speed) and TER (regional).

It is fairly easy to book French rail (SNCF or Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer) TGV and Thalys (high speed rail) tickets online and print them out, just as you would an airline ticket - but your ticket is also your pass to board. And you can elect your seats (site61 helps you with diagrams, photos, etc.) whilst you book after selecting the itinerary and before buying, including upstairs, downstairs, 2 or 4 side by side, facing, etc whatever is offered, in many cases. Seamless. But continue reading...

For TER Regional trains you can also purchase your tickets online, but... to retrieve the tickets you can use a train station automated kiosk as long as you have a "chip-and-PIN" credit card, or go to the ticket windows and recover your ticket (with the same credit card you used to book). The ticket vendors do have a way to use a credit card without a chip and PIN, but the queues can be lengthy so give yourself plenty of time. N.B, Some US credit cards are now available with chip and PIN, but you have to call and inquire; my particular Citi card comes with chip and PIN and zero forex charges, so it's the one i use for tgv-europe purchases.

RER can not be purchased online via the tgv-europe site.com at all.

The Man in Seat Sixty-One has a "Beginner's Guide to Train Travel in France (http://www.seat61.com/France-trains.htm#French train schedules & fares)" - if you are a beginner or merely want to know more, this is your place to start (but read here too, because you will gain some context and other members will undoubtedly add tips and tricks).

First, for context: the SNCF reservations system, including eurostar, RESARAIL, was designed by the (ex-AA) Sabre team, beginning in 1994; it is based on Sabre ELVA. Therefore, it has a lot of our favorite Revenue Management tools built in. :p (Link (http://www.sabre.com/home/about/sabre_history/)to history.)

You can save by purchasing in advance, and there are breaks for people traveling together, seniors (60 and over,) etc. Seats go on sale usually 90 days prior to travel. The cheaper the ticket, the more restrictions - including refundability, ability to change seats, etc. The cheapest, "Prem" are - well, the cheapest, and very restricted, non-refundable tickets; Loisir (leisure) fares are changeable, even the day of departure (though day of departure changes cost EUR 10 and after departure there is no remaining value) and full-fare are fully changeable. Yup, Revenue Management systems! But you can save big money using the tgv-europe site and using the discounts (there is a sidebar with a click on line called "modify other criteria" to click on for adding the ages, number of travellers, etc.)

You may be able to save with a pass, but then again, if you are only going to do say, two long trips in two days and a couple of short trips on TER regional rail on a couple of others, you may find a rail pass is significantly costlier than discounted fares for the routes you will be traveling. seat61.com has a good take on this, and of course you can review the different passes on the SNCF websites.

Rail Europe is merely a SNCF symbiote, a cluster of subsidiaries that charge you a fee to book on the Resarail system, and fail to offer many of the discount opportunities SNCF offers you directly; SNCF tries to boot you to Rail Europe so it pays its way. E.g. if you go to the SNCF site and select "USA" as your country, it will most likely try to boot you to Rail Europe. You probably do not need the "convenience" of paying much more - and paying a fee to do that!

I sometimes use Rail Europe to check schedules, then book on TGV-Europe (the main SNCF site in English).

You can use the referral link on site61, or you can go to the SNCF website and state you are in "Canada" (may still try to "guide" you, but I have been successful with this,) or, say, "Afghanistan" and book on. I have done this and used my US credit card, then merely printing the resultant tickets to a PDF document for future use. ("Mexico" seems to cause "technical failure" messages, and perhaps there are others.)

Beware of popups asking if you wish to be referred to "our local website" and select to click "Continue onto tgv-europe.com"

Link to (http://www.tgv-europe.com/en/?DISTRIBUTED_COUNTRY=CA)SNCF / TGV-Europe English site preset with "Country = Canada"

Link (www.voyages-sncf.com)to SNCF / Voyages SNCF (French)

Link (www.tgv-europe.com) to SNCF / TGV-Europe (English)

Link (www.raileurope.com)to SNCF subsidiaries Rail Europe in several countries (including US, Canada, etc.)

Link (http://www.seat61.com/France.htm)to seat61.com France page

Link (http://www.seat61.com/Pop-up-tgv-europe.htm)to seat61.com how to avoid Rail Europe tricks and traps

Please feel free to add your tips for booking rail in France.

Thanks for a really great post, JDiver. I don't use French trains very often since we rent a car but, when I do, I'm always daunted buying the ticket, finding the correct car, etc.

Bobette

Great post.

Seat 61 is a magnificent website and I have used it to buy tickets and plan train travel in many countries. It has never let me down.

please continue to follow this thread in our european rail forum :)

regards,

chrissxb
co-moderator
europe forum

I recently purchased TGV tickets (Basel -Paris/Paris-Geneva) on the Swiss SBB website. In the past, the SBB office in Brig would send me paper tickets via post.

However, I am very happy to report that the TGV tickets are immediately available for download and can be printed from my computer. :)

Rail Europe is merely a SNCF symbiote, a cluster of subsidiaries that charge you a fee to book on the Resarail system, and fail to offer many of the discount opportunities SNCF offers you directly; SNCF tries to boot you to Rail Europe so it pays its way. E.g. if you go to the SNCF site and select "USA" as your country, it will most likely try to boot you to Rail Europe. You do not need the "convenience" of paying much more - and paying a fee to do that!

I sometimes use Rail Europe to check schedules, then book on TGV-Europe (the main SNCF site in English).

You can use the referral link on site61, or you can go to the SNCF website and state you are in "Canada" (may still try to "guide" you, but I have been successful with this,) or, say, "Afghanistan" and book on. I have done this and used my US credit card, then merely printing the resultant tickets to a PDF document for future use. ("Mexico" seems to cause "technical failure" messages, and perhaps there are others.)


Let me just add that I did this successfully a couple of weeks ago, charging the tickets to a Chase VISA. However, I did need to call Chase for the transaction to go through. On my first attempt, the CC was rejected. I called Chase and the representative stayed on the line with me while I tried again. She was able to see the request in real-time and approved it.

Ironically, my purchases with Citi have worked - or not, forcing me to call and have a chat with fraud prevention to reactivate the card. There seems to be little consistency with this - sometimes they allow, sometimes they do not. When I called Citi yesterday, as you, I was able to get a release and continue with my purchase immediately.

I also had them send me new cards with chip and PIN functionality so I can use them more easily in Europe, etc. Finally! ^ some US cards are offering chip and PIN - but I don't think many are openly advertising that fact.

Let me just add that I did this successfully a couple of weeks ago, charging the tickets to a Chase VISA. However, I did need to call Chase for the transaction to go through. On my first attempt, the CC was rejected. I called Chase and the representative stayed on the line with me while I tried again. She was able to see the request in real-time and approved it.

Yeah, Rail Europe is known for overcharging. I remember pricing some tickets in the Baltics some years ago, and their price quote was off the wall. I waited and bought them at the train station when I arrived and paid about 10% of the rip off price wanted by Rail Europe.

Just to follow up, we had no issues using our home-printed tickets on the TGV, and using our Diners (MasterCard branding) card with EMV Chip-and-PIN card at Lyon Part Dieu, retrieved our tickets to Chalon-sur-Saône on the TER without any difficulty at all. (However, we were not able to retrieve the Chalon-sur-Saône TER tickets from the machines at Charles de Gaulle - Roissy TGV station). And we saved a pile of money buy purchasing on tgv-europe with senior and advance purchase discounts.

Ironically, my purchases with Citi have worked - or not, forcing me to call and have a chat with fraud prevention to reactivate the card. There seems to be little consistency with this - sometimes they allow, sometimes they do not. When I called Citi yesterday, as you, I was able to get a release and continue with my purchase immediately.

I also had them send me new cards with chip and PIN functionality so I can use them more easily in Europe, etc. Finally! ^ some US cards are offering chip and PIN - but I don't think many are openly advertising that fact.

Citibank cc's allow you to create a "virtual account" linked to your regular account (you set a maximum amount and expiration date). Had you done this with your current purchase, would that have avoided being routed to the fraud prevention department?

I do use virtual cards and virtual accounts - but nothing seems to be foolproof with Citi, IMO. Of course, neither would work for the EMV chip kiosks or where one must present the booking card for TER or local pickup tickets.

Note: Citi now does not allow the use of Virtual Account numbers with some of their cards (e.g. my Citi executive Aadvantage MasterCard, which has an EMV chip and makes no forex charges :mad:.)

Citibank cc's allow you to create a "virtual account" linked to your regular account (you set a maximum amount and expiration date). Had you done this with your current purchase, would that have avoided being routed to the fraud prevention department?

Yes, I've been quoted over $400 for my planned upcoming itinerary by my travel agent, whereas it seems like the SCNF website will mean a grand saving of $$. All the better for nicer hotels and meals!

Although, my first trip is in late June, and I still haven't booked anything yet. Life's been busy, I need to get on top of that!

One question, however. It seems there are some nice discounts if one has the discount card called the "Carte 12-25". Apparently its available to everyone, no matter what age/nationality/residence. However, when I went to buy it online, on the Carte 12-25 website (en français, mind you) I was not able to select my home country (Australia) and it told me to go to Raileurope.com.au to get one. I tried this, but there does not seem to be a way of getting one of these on the RailEurope website.

Any idea how I can purchase one of these cards before I go (I'm 20, so apparently eligible)? Or would it be safe to select the option that I do have one of these cards, upon booking my travels on the SNCF website, and then buy one over the counter in France, before I get on the train? Thanks!

Any idea how I can purchase one of these cards before I go (I'm 20, so apparently eligible)? Or would it be safe to select the option that I do have one of these cards, upon booking my travels on the SNCF website, and then buy one over the counter in France, before I get on the train? Thanks!

Used to be able to purchase at any SNCF train station with one's passport and an extra picture. I would just purchase train tickets assuming you have the card and buy it before you get on any of the trains.

I am trying to book on TGV-Europe using Canada and Afghanistan as the home country and payment is being refused.Any other suggestions?

I've got about 14 mins to connect at Bordeaux St Jean, from the TGV to the Intercités. Will this be enough time do you think?

Arriving at 14:53pm, on the TGV #9802 direct from Brussels. Then leaving on the Intercités #4665 at 15:08pm to Toulouse.

Any tips/advice for making this connection smoother? I know there's probably no lifts, but I'm young and fit and can carry my bag if need be (even if it is 25kgs! :D). I just think trying to find out the right platform will be the thing slowing me down a lot. Is there a train timetable-board on every platform like in Italy, for example, with all the numbers and times, listing the various departing platforms?

I've got about 14 mins to connect at Bordeaux St Jean, from the TGV to the Intercités. Will this be enough time do you think?

Arriving at 14:53pm, on the TGV #9802 direct from Brussels. Then leaving on the Intercités #4665 at 15:08pm to Toulouse.

Any tips/advice for making this connection smoother? I know there's probably no lifts, but I'm young and fit and can carry my bag if need be (even if it is 25kgs! :D). I just think trying to find out the right platform will be the thing slowing me down a lot. Is there a train timetable-board on every platform like in Italy, for example, with all the numbers and times, listing the various departing platforms?

I wouldn't worry too much. You'll find departure screens in the rail station and on your platform. and if you're lucky, they will even announce connecting trains on arrival ... if you miss it, just contact SNCF stuff and get on the next train. but as I said: don't worry, you'll probably make it.

Have a stupid question about French rail...I bought a ticket to Paris from Frankfurt airport station, connecting in Karlsruhe to TGV train to Gare De L'est. My ticket is all on Deutsch Bahn Ticket paper...will that cause any problem? Or will I just present my German ticket in Karlsruhe and be allowed onto the train? First time taking an international train like this.

Have a stupid question about French rail...I bought a ticket to Paris from Frankfurt airport station, connecting in Karlsruhe to TGV train to Gare De L'est. My ticket is all on Deutsch Bahn Ticket paper...will that cause any problem? Or will I just present my German ticket in Karlsruhe and be allowed onto the train? First time taking an international train like this.

no problem, ticket good for the whole trip. just make sure you take the seat you booked on the TGV (should be written on the ticket) and all will be fine.
the TGV between Germany and France have german and french staff onboard.

(german) online tickets require the credit card, you used for booking - be aware of this!!

no problem, ticket good for the whole trip. just make sure you take the seat you booked on the TGV (should be written on the ticket) and all will be fine.
the TGV between Germany and France have german and french staff onboard.

(german) online tickets require the credit card, you used for booking - be aware of this!!

Thanks! One less thing to worry about for this trip.

It's amazing how relatively easy it is to use rail tickets in (at least Western) Europe.

Just a note to state Citi no longer allows the use of Virtual Account numbers for some of their cards, making it a nonstarter for some of us to use that card with the extra protections.

I recently purchased TGV tickets (Basel -Paris/Paris-Geneva) on the Swiss SBB website. In the past, the SBB office in Brig would send me paper tickets via post. However, I am very happy to report that the TGV tickets are immediately available for download and can be printed from my computer. :)

I just had a frustrating day buying TGV from the US, but in the end, SBB saved the day.

Last two Piccolo seats on Paris-Geneva. On TGV-Europe.com (set to "other Europe") I tried all 4 cards (2 credit, 2 debit), encountering Verified by Visa every time, yet they all fail. Finally tried PayPal, which initially went through (+4% conversion premium), but TGV-Europe.com immediately rejected (e-mail from PayPal indicating reversal). Two days later, card activity listed 4 transactions: (1) PayPal TGV Europe, (2) FX fee, (3) PayPal TGV Europe reverse, (4) FX fee refund. I suspect the rejection/cancellation occurred when SNCF detected through PayPal it was a US customer.

So I went over to SBB.com and succeeded on the 2nd card (needed to do Verified too). However, the e-tickets need to be printed on A4, not something readily available in the US. SBB emphasizes the printed PDF cannot be "scaled", and a casual non-scaled printout (on US 8.5"x11") would have the top chopped off.

I happen to have someone flying into the US to bring some A4 paper, otherwise I'd have to do some manual cutting of 11"x17". Rail Europe US, however, gives you e-ticket PDFs ready to print on 8.5"x11" paper.

I just tried to book a ticket on the French SNCF site using my US Capital One Visa. The transaction was declined so I called C1 and they said the transaction never got as far as their system. Problem is SNCF use 'verified by visa' and C1 don't so it was being thrown out by 'verified by visa' before it got to C1. I re-did the booking using Amex and it went thru OK.

I just tried to book a ticket on the French SNCF site using my US Capital One Visa. The transaction was declined so I called C1 and they said the transaction never got as far as their system. Problem is SNCF use 'verified by visa' and C1 don't so it was being thrown out by 'verified by visa' before it got to C1. I re-did the booking using Amex and it went thru OK.
I had this problem with my Chase Sapphire Preferred, but re-tried the purchase using my CapitalOne Mastercard (using whatever MC's equivalent of 'verified by visa' is called) and it went through fine. There are definitely some issues with buying tickets on tgv-europe.com with certain cards, but trial and error seems to result in success.

On another night, I purchase Thalys tickets for June from tgv-europe.com and saved the 9 euro admin fee that thalys.com would've charged me. For those in the market for Thalys tickets, you may save yourself a few euros by comparing with tgv-europe before buying on thalys.com.

Just to follow up, we had no issues using our home-printed tickets on the TGV
In light of HkCaGu's comment above regarding scaling of PDF print-at-home tickets, I was just wondering if your printed-at-home tickets were scaled on normal American 8.5x11 paper, or if you printed at full-scale?

I have a similar problem with a ticket I just purchased. To be on the safe side, I just ordered a pack of A4 paper from Amazon for $7. Not sure I want to take the risk, plus I can use that paper for future travel as well...

I have a similar problem with a ticket I just purchased. To be on the safe side, I just ordered a pack of A4 paper from Amazon for $7. Not sure I want to take the risk, plus I can use that paper for future travel as well...

If you have a chopping block you can always chop out a piece of 11x17 or Legal (8.5x14) to A4. You can also feed a piece of Legal and configure your printer accordingly. (Legal is larger than A4 on both dimensions, so at 100%, everything will fit.)

If you have a chopping block you can always chop out a piece of 11x17 or Legal (8.5x14) to A4. You can also feed a piece of Legal and configure your printer accordingly. (Legal is larger than A4 on both dimensions, so at 100%, everything will fit.)
I tried printing my tickets at 100% on regular 8.5x11 paper, and it only chopped off the very edge of the ticket, which contains no useful information. It's barely perceptible. Wondering if there's even an issue here.

I tried printing my tickets at 100% on regular 8.5x11 paper, and it only chopped off the very edge of the ticket, which contains no useful information. It's barely perceptible. Wondering if there's even an issue here.

Finally tried printing my SBB tickets after the new cartridge arrived--on both Letter and A4. Somehow it worked--the top remains the top and the bottom ad doesn't even reach the Letter's bottom. I set my PDF viewer to "choose paper source by PDF page size and it comes out to be 7.91" x 10.87"--able to fit either Letter or A4 at 100%.