French Train and Automatic Ticket Machines?
 

My husband daughter & I are late in buying train tickets to go from France to Souillac.

In pp, a fodorite recommended buying tickets online from SNCF and then getting the hardcopy ticket from a ticket window. This is what SNCF is saying:

"Collect your ticket from an automatic ticket machine or from station ticket office or Boutiques (in France only)."

Right now our train leaves at about 10PM and I imagine asking questions at that point will be difficult. Are station ticket offices still open at 10PM? Has anyone used the automatic ticket machine? Does it require French bank cards, or will my Visa or Mastercard work?

Thank you!!

Duh, I meant from PARIS to Souillac.

I'm not sure about receiving prebooked reservations from a ticket machine in France, but I can tell you that our US credit cards would not work in the automatic ticket machines in Monte Carlo, Nice, or Paris. We were told once again it is because our cards don't have "smart chips". We had to stand in line to buy tickets instead.

austerlitz station will be open at 10pm and the ATM-like retrieval machines accessible - likely will also be manned ticket windows at that hour. Do you need to put the same credit card in the machine that you used to buy the ticket? That's the only scenario where potentially the ATM wouldn't work for you but it seems this is only when people actually buy tickets in them?
Is there some reason you can't get to the station until 10pm - and i think you can retrieve them at any station in France, need not be Austerlitz (not 100% sure of this).

Any train station in France can issue the ticket once you have your reference code.

You must be taking the 22:56 from Austerlitz. The station itself is open til midnight, the left-luggage service closes at 11PM - I'd bet a baguette that the ticket window will be open until your train departs at least.

But are you getting into Paris at the last minute? Can't you go to a station - any SNCF station or boutique - before or earlier on the evening of your departure?

Take the exact same credit card that you used online, and the email confirmation SNCF will send you, and you get your ticket(s) from any window.

WK

Much appreciate everyone's input.

I bought a ticket through raileurope, mostly because the price was the same, but I could have the tickets sent to me Overnight. But raileurope says the following about my order:

"We find that the contents of your order will require further review. Please DO NOT resubmit your order, we will contact you by email within 2 business days to advise of your order status. No credit card charges have been made at this time . We appreciate your patience!"

Um HELLO. Has anyone else experienced this?

There is an SNCF boutique office at CDG where you could have picked up tickets.

Have you called RailEurope to find out what the problem is?

You cant use the automatic ticket machines with an american credit card so do be sure and go to the window if you end up purchasing from the SNCF. You can also pick up your tickets any time prior to travel at any station or SNCF boutique as another poster mentioned. Take your reservation number and credit card used at the time of booking with you. You will NOT be given your tickets without them.

Raileurope is probably going to write you and say there was a pricing error and that the price has gone up.

Hope it all works out. Enjoy your trip.

"...Raileurope is probably going to write you and say there was a pricing error and that the price has gone up..."

That was my RE experience - they will give you an option to buy more expensive tickets or cancel the order. If you see availability of good tickets on SNCF.com, cancel RE and order from SNCF.com Leave country as "France" and don't buy the insurance - this will give you the option to pick up at a station or boutique. You can do that at any time or day prior to your train.

Thanks so much for all your help. I'll cancel RE and buy from SNCF.

RailEurope did indeed raise prices on tickets in France and Italy recently and there was a few day period when they would not process orders until the new pricing came online. If you had paid for the ticket before - which RE would not let you i understand, then the price would have been guaranteed. But now even prices on RailEurope.com vary with what is on their site agents use to book - and often higher but not always. A snafu more than a scam i suspect. But whereas RE and French and italian tickets a few weeks ago were relatively the same (full fare tickets) now with the increase RE's are significantly higher.

My experience related to an attempt to buy the "Smilys" type tickets (discounted fares). RE showed them on their system, I ordered, then the email came that those seats were no longer available but full-fare tickets were...

SNCF.com works fine for me, have used it several times now.