FYI - Starting 16 June, you can book your iDTGV tickets( from € 19) for your trips after September 10 until April 2, 2016!

Always good to know for penny pinchers, but frankly once the main summer season has ended, it is not very difficult to find excellent fares without jumping on them 6 months in advance. And of course, iDTGV routes do not cover all of France, which it is also important to know.

And can the idTGV tickets be refunded or changed - six months is a long time - stuff could happen and you'd be out - take kerouac's advice and hold off till much later. Good info though from debitNM - merci

Tickets are non-refundable but exchangeable with a fee and possible fare differential.
Here's the info:

http://www.idtgv.com/en/frequently-a...s#question-751

With a lot of tickets available for €19 when sales first open, it's not a huge risk to buy one even if things don't work out. If you wait until closer to the date of travel, the fares will be much higher.

There's a lot of good information in English on the iDTGV site. Kerouac pointed out that iDTGV routes are limited which is true. For a map and list of destinations:

http://www.idtgv.com/en/destination-map

Thanks, DebitNM, for the alert. Hope SNCF will follow soon with opening more dates for TGV sales.

Yes, you can have change in plans. In my case, I will have been in France for awhile, not just arriving. So for me, I know when I want to leave, dates and approximate time. I know that things can happen i.e. strikes etc but for me, this is either I am in France and taking the train or the whole trip didn't happen and that's what insurance is form.

I won't say that I have done this several times and so far, so good - for feat it will jinx it!

Well yes 19 euros ain't too much to risk I guess if plans change.

Topping as time nears....

Done! @11:45 pm MDT; 2 tickets, 19 € each and seats selected. I had called Chase earlier in the day to alert them of the forthcoming French charge online and purchase went through smooth as French Yogurt.