ILUVPARIS

I'm getting ready to purchase a one way TGV ticket from CDG to Avignon. A big issue we've had in the past is, I've made the reservation online through Voyages SNCF but, when we attempt to check-in via kiosk, it seems that credit cards in the USA don't have some sort of microchip like they do in Europe so, the automated kiosks can't issue our tickets. The result is, we're forced to get into the ridiciously long line to have our ticket issued. We've come so close to missing our train.

I'm wondering if there's anything else we can do? I was thinking Rail Europe?? Is this a good work-around or, is there a better solution?

Thanks!

Christina

There is no other solution if your card doesn't work than to wait in line. If you buy some special discount fares that are nonrefundable, you can print them at home, so that solves the problem. If you are buying a regular fare, that wont' work. Sure, Raileurope might be a solution but it will cost a lot more, I imagine, but if that's not as important as waiting in line, it should work. I think they have a very high delivery fee, but haven't checked lately. It's possible the ticket won't be that big a difference, if it's a regular fare, you can just compare and see what you'd pay for that.

There are places you can buy them other than train stations, such as SNCF boutiques, but if you are at CDG, I don't think that's a solution.

I think a solution is just to allow enough time to get your ticket at CDG (which is what I do), or pay for Raileurope to send you one.

StCirq

You should be looking for a PREM fare so you can print it out and just board the train with it - also because they are often deeply discounted. Otherwise, you stand in line. RailEurope would never be an option for me for a P-t-P ticket for France.

jpie

The tickets Christina is talking about that you print at home are called Prems and there is quite a bit of info about them here on the forums if you search for them. I think I also read here on the forum that they have a bit of a supplemental fee for US cards-but not sure about that, so read the fine print. Even with the fee, I am guessing they will be quite bit cheaper than rail Europe which seems quite a bit more expensive every time I have checked. Also, if you are traveling with someone else they generally have discounted tickets even with only 1 way tickets so be sure to look for that.

StCirq

The SNCF doesn't impose a supplemental fee for US cards.

ILUVPARIS

Okay---good to know about the PREM's because I was unaware that you could just print your own ticket. In my particular case, there wasn't a 2nd class PREM option offered for the train we want to take. We would have had to book 1st class at $75EU per person in order to get a PREM.

I did end up booking with Rail Europe simply because they will mail us the tickets & we can just board the train. The cost for 2 PTP (TGV LOISIR) 2nd class tickets on the Voyages SNCF website was $106EU. The cost via Rail Europe for 2nd class tickets + and delivery was $170USD. Honestly, I know it's a little more but, money well spent IMO.

jpie

Yeah-it might be to you especially if you are arriving from the US-it is nice to have the peace of mind to have the tickets in hand.

St Cirq-was't the issue with the fee having to do if you signed into the SNCF site from the US that it put a cookie on your browser that ended up charging you a supplemental fee somehow? I think the advice was to sign in form the UK or something? Am I dreaming this.....or does anybody else remember reading this here too?

apersuader65

ILUVPARIS, I think that a 10 Euro charge for the delivery of the tickets to the U.S. is a fairly reasonable fee. That is the dollar for euro difference in what you paid. I think paying to avoid waiting in line for a potentially long time and potentially missing my train is worth $13.50.

ILUVPARIS

I felt the same way in terms of exchange rate and mailing fee. We're arriving into CDG at 7:35a and the train departs at 9:25. That certainly doesn't leave time for us to stand in line at the rail station for 3 hours waiting for them to issue our tickets.

Do any of the U.S. credit cards have this "chip"? What exactly does it do?

Christina

<<St Cirq-was't the issue with the fee having to do if you signed into the SNCF site from the US that it put a cookie on your browser that ended up charging you a supplemental fee somehow? I think the advice was to sign in form the UK or something? Am I dreaming this.....>>

You are dreaming this -- or somehow distorting what happened in some way and what people were trying to do and how. I've bought many tickets online from SNCF and I live in the US and have US credit cards and I am never charged any extra fee. I think the issue is if you tell SNCF you live in the US for some strange reason, as they do not ask you, it charges you a fee to mail tickets or something. Now if you claim you live in the UK, it will mail them free to the UK, I believe, but what good does that do if you don't live in the UK.

Oh, if you tell them you live in the US on the alternative website and only want things in English, it may reroute you to Raileurupe which charges you a fee as it's a travel agency. It is obvious you are not on SNCF any more.

The problem is people who can't read French and want to use the site in English and for some reason think the French rail system is going to mail them tickets all the way to the US for free. At least that's my guess as I use the real voyages-sncf.com website all the time from the US and have an account with them and am never charged any extra fee. People who can't read French use a website in English that isn't the same as the regular voyages-sncf.com -- the regular website doesn't ask you where you live if you just want to buy a ticket for pickup or to print. And I know it doesn't charge you any fee just because you live in the US.

Man_in_seat_61

Christina is right.

Click the UK flag for English and it bumps you to their sub-site tgv-europe.com. Admit that you're from the US on this site and it bumps you to their US subsidiary RaiEurope.com, with higher prices, booking fees and postage.

You can try pretending you're British, and opting to collect at the station in France, I think this may well work, but the 100% safe way is to leave it in French and bok at the main voyages-sncf.com site.

I have written step by step instructions for this, even if you don't speakFrench, at www.seat61.com/France-trains.htm