Originally Posted by
ARR72
Farci - thanks so much for mentioning the capitainetrain site, had never heard of it before until today. I was going bananas trying to book through Thalys with no luck (transaction would error put at the end; wouldn't accept my US CC). Anyhow capitainetrain could not have been easier & the price was exactly the same as through Thalys. Learned something new today - thanks!!
FYI I've had similar problems at times with the Thalys site. What I learned is that the credit card processing works different if you are on the French, Belgian, Dutch or German sites. For instance, the Amex option doesn't even show up on the Dutch or Belgian sites. But it works fine on the French site. I recently booked a trip there using a US Amex.
Also if you use an alternative site you won't get points! If you are just a tourist that's no big deal, but for us regular travelers (I have Platinum status), it is a big deal.