greg

I thought I figured out how to do ticketless at www.voyages-sncf.com. Two days ago, I bought PREM tickets and printed them on my computer. Today when I used the same card at www.voyages-sncf.com to buy Thalys SMOOVE tickets after choosing print yourself option while making sure I rejected insurances, I got "your card was refused" using two different cards. When I called both credit card customer service, there wasn't even an attempt to charge cards from SNCF. I sure hope SNCF has not started behaving like Trenitalia with U.S. credit cards. Using "pick up tickets at a station or a boutique" option was not successful, either.

Sarastro

1. Wait 24 hours (once a card is rejected or the SNCF thinks it was rejected, any sooner purchase attempts are blocked).

2. Either find a different computer or erase your cookies and all temporary directories of both your operating system and browser.

3. Make another attempt.

If you can use the French website www.voyages-sncf.com, you might try establishing a <i>compte client</i>. My booking problems ended once I was able to sign in under my account and then make purchases.

greg

Ok, I am still getting cc refused.

1. waited 24hrs
2. new computer
3. cleared cookies, history
4. created new account,attached new email address
5. used my 3rd CC never used at SNCF

The www.thalys.com gives the same price, but it gives the exactly same payment window layout and I think also the same merchant ID, so I am thinking it would even worsens the temporary blockout, if any.

I am interested hearing from others successful in buying SMOOVE tickets from sncf.com or thalys.com since June 1.

StuDudley

About the same thing happened to me about 1 month ago. I tried to purchase tickets on SNCF and it was refused because my CC company refused the charge (CC company admitted that they had made a "mistake"). After my CC company "fixed" things, I tried again & received the same message that it was refused. My CC company said that they did not receive this second transaction from SNCF, so I concluded SNCF refused it. I waited 24 hours - not one day, but 24 hrs from the second refusal. Worked fine. I think this is what Sarastro is suggesting. I did not us a different computer or clear cookies - I assume that SNCF "remembers" the transaction with my CC number.

Did you wait 24 hours, or just till the next day?

Stu Dudley

Christina

I've never had a problem using mine on SNCF and mine are US-issued, but of course, I don't do it more than a couple times a year.

I don't understand your complaint about SNCF since you admit your first purchase went through but your second one did not. So how could it be the fact that your card is from the US. It seems to me the issue might be that you are buying THALYS tickets, not SNCF tickets. You also don't say where your trip originated, if it is in Belgium that could possibly be the problem.

greg

I finally got my Paris-Amsterdam Thalys printable SMOOVE tickets at www.voyages-sncf.com, but the way turned out is still puzzling.

I did waiting 24hrs, waiting 72hrs, using different cards, using different account, clearing cookies, using different computer and all that and still got "card was refused."

I was trying to buy 2 1st class SMOOVE tickets. Tonight, it got rejected again. So I tried booking 2nd class SMOOVE right after (meaning within a minute) the card was refused by clicking "supprime" then booked 2nd class on same train using the same credit card, and voila, I got thank you for purchasing and got links to 2 PDF ticket files.

So what does this mean? Was there a maximum allowed online total charge limit per purchase? As I mentioned before, it was not my bank preventing the purchase. The bank claimed there wasn't even an attempt to charge my cards.

JudyC

really odd.

farrermog

And the people experiencing problems are not necessarily rookies. A few months ago I had a problem with the Rail Europe Australia website not accepting my credit card - they admitted the problem was at their end and couriered hard copy tickets at no extra charge. About time the companies involved got their acts together and started being more user friendly/ stopped playing silly buggers with non European or American customers. It can't be that difficult, surely.