Instructions for Buying PREMs Tickets
May 7th, 2004, 06:26 AM
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Instructions for Buying PREMs Tickets
Since this topic comes up so often and so many people seem to have problems with it, I thought I'd post this.
Here are detailed instructions for buying PREMs tickets online:
(Use the French site)
1. Go to the SNCF website (www.sncf.com)and click on Réserver et Acheter.
2. Look in the upper-left corner of the screen and click on the PREM fare that interests you (e.g., Paris-Bordeaux, Paris-Marseilles).
3. That takes you to the PREMs page. Select your ville de départ (Paris) and your ville d'arrivée (wherever you're going). Fill in the dates using the French date system (day/month/year - xx/xx/xxxx). Fill in no. of passengers, class (1st or 2nd), and smoking or nonsmoking (fumeur/non-fumeur). Click on "Recherchez maintenant." You'll then get your possible outgoing trains. Click on "Choisir cet aller" when you've picked your train. Then you'll get your possible returns. Select one and click on "Choisir ce retour."
4. That brings you to a page with numbers: 1. Confimer votre sélection, 2. Choisissez votre commande (with the subheading "Confirmer votre commande en payant en ligne.....), and 3. Indiquer vos coordonnés pour terminer votre commande. Under no. 2., click on "Imprimer votre billet vous-même..." "(Print out your ticket yourself).Then, under no. 3, fill in Monsieur, Madame, or Mademoiselle (Mr., Mrs., or Miss) under Civilité. Under Nom, fill in your last name. Under Prénom, fill in your first name. Under E-mail fill in your e-mail. Under Format de Réception fill in whether you prefer to download your ticket in HTML or Text format. On the right-hand side, fill in your address (it doesn't matter if it's a U.S. address - just leave FRANCE at the bottom). Be SURE the last little box on the bottom left-hand side is clicked - the one that says "En cochant cette case....." That's where you are agreeing to the conditions of the sale. Click on Valider Votre Commande.
5. Click on the icon of whatever credit card you want to use.
6. Fill in your credit card number and date of expiration.
I can't investigate the site any further, because I'm not actually buying a ticket, but from here it should be a piece of cake. "Imprimer" means "print," and "confirmation" is the same in both languages, so just continue and it should be clear when you have received your printable confirmation number.
Hope this is helpful
Here are detailed instructions for buying PREMs tickets online:
(Use the French site)
1. Go to the SNCF website (www.sncf.com)and click on Réserver et Acheter.
2. Look in the upper-left corner of the screen and click on the PREM fare that interests you (e.g., Paris-Bordeaux, Paris-Marseilles).
3. That takes you to the PREMs page. Select your ville de départ (Paris) and your ville d'arrivée (wherever you're going). Fill in the dates using the French date system (day/month/year - xx/xx/xxxx). Fill in no. of passengers, class (1st or 2nd), and smoking or nonsmoking (fumeur/non-fumeur). Click on "Recherchez maintenant." You'll then get your possible outgoing trains. Click on "Choisir cet aller" when you've picked your train. Then you'll get your possible returns. Select one and click on "Choisir ce retour."
4. That brings you to a page with numbers: 1. Confimer votre sélection, 2. Choisissez votre commande (with the subheading "Confirmer votre commande en payant en ligne.....), and 3. Indiquer vos coordonnés pour terminer votre commande. Under no. 2., click on "Imprimer votre billet vous-même..." "(Print out your ticket yourself).Then, under no. 3, fill in Monsieur, Madame, or Mademoiselle (Mr., Mrs., or Miss) under Civilité. Under Nom, fill in your last name. Under Prénom, fill in your first name. Under E-mail fill in your e-mail. Under Format de Réception fill in whether you prefer to download your ticket in HTML or Text format. On the right-hand side, fill in your address (it doesn't matter if it's a U.S. address - just leave FRANCE at the bottom). Be SURE the last little box on the bottom left-hand side is clicked - the one that says "En cochant cette case....." That's where you are agreeing to the conditions of the sale. Click on Valider Votre Commande.
5. Click on the icon of whatever credit card you want to use.
6. Fill in your credit card number and date of expiration.
I can't investigate the site any further, because I'm not actually buying a ticket, but from here it should be a piece of cake. "Imprimer" means "print," and "confirmation" is the same in both languages, so just continue and it should be clear when you have received your printable confirmation number.
Hope this is helpful
May 7th, 2004, 08:15 AM
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Excellent post, StCirq! Just 2 notes:
1) If you purchase BOTH PREM and "normal" tickets in the SAME transaction, your only option is to have the tickets sent by mail, which doesn't work if you live in North America.
So, for such purchases, you will need to complete 2 entirely separate transactions, one to purchase and print out the PREMs and the other to purchase the other tickets with pickup at a SNCF counter in France. Of course, if both transactions are for the same train ride, chances are you will not end up sitting together.
2) You do NOT need to fill in your postal address details when you choose to print out PREMs tickets on your computer or when you purchase normal tickets with pickup in France - those fields are optional. Leave them blank to avoid mistakenly requesting postal delivery instead.
Hope this helps,
Andre
1) If you purchase BOTH PREM and "normal" tickets in the SAME transaction, your only option is to have the tickets sent by mail, which doesn't work if you live in North America.
So, for such purchases, you will need to complete 2 entirely separate transactions, one to purchase and print out the PREMs and the other to purchase the other tickets with pickup at a SNCF counter in France. Of course, if both transactions are for the same train ride, chances are you will not end up sitting together.
2) You do NOT need to fill in your postal address details when you choose to print out PREMs tickets on your computer or when you purchase normal tickets with pickup in France - those fields are optional. Leave them blank to avoid mistakenly requesting postal delivery instead.
Hope this helps,
Andre
May 7th, 2004, 09:00 AM
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Hello, I also posted about this on the other thread going. What I did was purchase both a prem and "normal" ticket on the same transaction. I was faced with supplying an address for mailing to USA. I did this thinking they would not be mailed and I would just pick up at station as in the past. My prem ticket was mailed to me but no sign of the other ticket.
I could NOT find a way to make the mail to option go away and found no place to mark pick up at the station. What did I miss?
Iam waiting for a response to my email explaing that I did not receive one ticket and asking if I can pick it up at CDG station. I am worried that the 2nd ticket is lost in the mail. The crazy address on my envelope shows zip code, city, state and USA on the third line AND France on the last line.
Thanks so I will know in the future.
I could NOT find a way to make the mail to option go away and found no place to mark pick up at the station. What did I miss?
Iam waiting for a response to my email explaing that I did not receive one ticket and asking if I can pick it up at CDG station. I am worried that the 2nd ticket is lost in the mail. The crazy address on my envelope shows zip code, city, state and USA on the third line AND France on the last line.
Thanks so I will know in the future.
May 7th, 2004, 09:09 AM
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Hello, to clarify. I tried what you posted above about leaving the address part blank and the site would not let me go further with the reservation. It kept giving me an error message that the address was blank. I worked on this reservation a couple of hours that day and could never go around the address part. I do know now that I could have printed the prem if I had booked it on a separate transaction.
How did you get the reservation to go past the address when leaving it blank?
How did you get the reservation to go past the address when leaving it blank?
May 7th, 2004, 09:19 AM
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hi gganga,
As explained in point 1 of my post above, you have to complete 2 entirely separate transactions for this.
This is what happens:
- PREM tix can either be printed or mailed,
- Other tix can either be picked up or mailed.
So, when combining these in a single transaction, the only option which can be used for both is mail.
Hope this makes it clear and that your other tickets eventually make it to you.
Andre
As explained in point 1 of my post above, you have to complete 2 entirely separate transactions for this.
This is what happens:
- PREM tix can either be printed or mailed,
- Other tix can either be picked up or mailed.
So, when combining these in a single transaction, the only option which can be used for both is mail.
Hope this makes it clear and that your other tickets eventually make it to you.
Andre
May 7th, 2004, 09:44 AM
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Yes, Like I said in the clarify I did now realize (I got it) that I could have printed the prem part if I had bought separately. I just went to the website today and you can choose mail or pick up but on the day I purchased it was not working. The ony thing that showed up was mail and the dot would not click off. As I now know from the other thread it was probably just a glich that day.
Thank you for your help, especially with the separate purchase part. I never thought of that.
I am sorry this took so many posts. I should have not become frustrated and picked an option that I really did not want. I should have tried another day.
I do hope all of this will help others. If I can't pick up the purchased ticket at the station when I arrive, I will just purchase another.
A lesson learned.
Thank you for your help, especially with the separate purchase part. I never thought of that.
I am sorry this took so many posts. I should have not become frustrated and picked an option that I really did not want. I should have tried another day.
I do hope all of this will help others. If I can't pick up the purchased ticket at the station when I arrive, I will just purchase another.
A lesson learned.
May 7th, 2004, 09:49 AM
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As I wrote in the detailed instructions above, don't leave the address blank - fill it in, with your own address or anything. It doesn't matter, as you're just going to print the ticket.
When I ordered PREMs tickets last year, I left the address blank and it worked fine. I think they've developed the site a bit since introducing the PREMs fares and it's more complex now.
I think I did post earlier this week to leave the address blank - that does NOT seem to work anymore. Before posting THIS post today, I did a trial run on the site to make sure what worked and what did not, so THIS post has the up-to-date information as far as I know it. Sorry for any confusion.
As for purchasing both a PREM fare and a regular fare, I think that would be too complicated for me to try in a single transaction. It's NOT an easy website to master.
When I ordered PREMs tickets last year, I left the address blank and it worked fine. I think they've developed the site a bit since introducing the PREMs fares and it's more complex now.
I think I did post earlier this week to leave the address blank - that does NOT seem to work anymore. Before posting THIS post today, I did a trial run on the site to make sure what worked and what did not, so THIS post has the up-to-date information as far as I know it. Sorry for any confusion.
As for purchasing both a PREM fare and a regular fare, I think that would be too complicated for me to try in a single transaction. It's NOT an easy website to master.
May 7th, 2004, 09:52 AM
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André,I just re-read your post and you say you don't need to fill in the address - well, I can't get past that point if I don't.
Do you think the SNCF knows where your computer is
?? This site really is perplexing!
Do you think the SNCF knows where your computer is
?? This site really is perplexing!
May 7th, 2004, 10:02 AM
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Maybe, StCirq
In any event, it works for me... Are absolutely sure you didn't have several ticket types in your order? The SNCF site places cookies on your computer, so even if you interrupt your purchase and then come back to the site a bit later it will leave the earlier selection in your shopping basket unless you manually remove it.
That said, on another thread someone posted about not being able to print out PREMS for Paris to Luxembourg and sure enough I was unable to do that as well - also tried Paris to Augsburg and that didn't work either, so there's either a glitch for international PREMs or this is intentional. Time will tell...
Hope this helps,
Andre
In any event, it works for me... Are absolutely sure you didn't have several ticket types in your order? The SNCF site places cookies on your computer, so even if you interrupt your purchase and then come back to the site a bit later it will leave the earlier selection in your shopping basket unless you manually remove it.
That said, on another thread someone posted about not being able to print out PREMS for Paris to Luxembourg and sure enough I was unable to do that as well - also tried Paris to Augsburg and that didn't work either, so there's either a glitch for international PREMs or this is intentional. Time will tell...
Hope this helps,
Andre
May 7th, 2004, 02:24 PM
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perhaps... but I don't think he's around any more. Well, this was useful as I had no trouble on the web site, but I wasn't mixing two different ticket types (and wasn't trying to buy a PREM), so that explains it. I've never had any trouble ordering regular tickets on the site for pickup.
Jul 28th, 2004, 06:51 PM
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Message: In response to various message re buying SNCF tickets on line. I just purchased 4 round trip tickets from CDG Airport to Bordeaux on the TGV and it worked perfectly. 1) Use the PREM'S on voyages-sncf. 2) enter number of passengers and click the button for print your own tickets, 3) enter name and email address of the person named on the credit card you will be using. Ignore address fields. 4) then, after you have purchased on credit card it will automatically load a page with spaces for you to enter the name and date of birth of each passenger. You must have the name and date of birth as appearing on the passport. 5) wait for confirming email if you want - it comes quickly. It will ask if you want to print now or later. Triple check your information before printing. 6) you must have adobe acrobat and a good color jet printer - follow instructions and a page will come up where you click one at a time to download and print 2 tickets for each person (outbound and return). So, for example, I printed 8 tickets for 4 people. I got the discount price of 30 E outbound and 25 E return, per person for a Sept 4th trip. Take the time and follow the instructions carefully and it works great! Good luck.
