I was perusing the Eurostar site and I noticed it said under "delivery" in France that payment MUST be made using a French credit or debit card, that AM EX cards cannot be used, and that payment must be in euros. Does anybody know about this? In other words, I can't just use a plain old VISA or Mastercard credit card to pick up Eurostar tickets in Gare du Nord?
Can somebody tell me if I misunderstood?
Thanks for the help!

Well - I've always collected my tix at the Waterloo end so can't specifically answer your question. But I might have an idea. If you collect the tickets from a machine at Nord - it is true US issued cards won't work. To use unattended machines (like at petrol stations or in train stations) the credit card must have an imbedded chip and USA cards don't use that technology.

Again, I'm not sure that is the reason in this case - but it is an issue all over France.

I have made at least three Eurostar purchases from the US by phone and made the purchase either by Visa or Mastercard and have picked them up at Gare du Nord with presentation of the same American CC. I never did this by machine and perhaps that 's the catch.

About a week ago, we booked travel on a Eurostar train for March, charged it online to a VISA card, and got an e-ticket. That might be another option.

Woody

ttt

Thanks for the above replies. An e-ticket sounds good. Here's another question: somebody pointed out elsewhere that booking a return ticket is cheaper than a one-way, and it seems to be true. So, when it says under "details" for the options they give you, what do they mean by saying "compulsory return"? How can they compel you to return? Anybody out there who booked a return ticket but didn't return?
Thanks for the help!

I just bought Eurostar tickets from London to Brussels on the Eurostar website and opted to have them delivered by mail to my home. They arrived 4 days after I ordered them. I thought that was pretty impressive.

What price are the Eurostar tickets - currently RailEurope in US often has lower prices than those in either pounds or euros thru European sites - not always but often, depending on day of week, time of day. $90 round trips are available thru RailEurope. To compare prices call BETS (800-441-2387), a RailEurope agent - Linda there is a Eurostar booking whizz who i've found very helpful. They also don't charge some of RailEurope's booking fees. Those under 26 can get $45 one-ways thru Raileurope.

"compulsory return" merely means you have to buy both tickets - out and back - to get the cheap fare. No one will "compel" you to use the second ticket.

Compulsory return- there currently seem to be no controls over whether you return or not - usually the day return fares ($94 thru RailEurope) is where this comes up. But be sure to make sure that by compulsory return doesn't mean that you have to pay twice the fare you're quoted. RailEurope's $90 round trip fare is the same as their $90 one-way fare so there is no need with those tickets. But fare pricing is all different thru sncf or eurostar.co.uk.
If it's a day return ticket it could be very hard to book except on the earliest trains, which bona fide day trippers would be using.
I would be curious to know the fare you're getting.