Originally Posted by
MorganB
I've used a US credit card on the voyages-sncf.com site more times than I can remember. Its really not that hard. You just need to leave your pick up country as France. If you want to purchase in english go to
http://www.tgv-europe.com and select the UK. Just be sure to select fares that can be printed as I am not 100% sure that you can pick up the tickets in France.
You can definitely pick up your tickets in France. If you have a euro-style credit card with a smart chip embedded in it, you can use the various automatic ticket dispensers located throughout the terminal. If not, you'll have to stand in a ticket line. One caveat- supposedly, you
must have the credit card you used on-line with you when you pick up the tickets.
The main frustration with using SNCF for a vacation is that you cannot plan too far ahead, since you can only get tickets 90 days in advance. The only exception, if I remember correctly, is for ITGV trains, which can be made 120 days in advance.