Starting January 28, the SNCF is going to start selling more discounted tickets on its website (www.voyages-sncf.com). For departures between 3 and 10 days in the future, there will be a section entitled <b>Les bons plans du net</b> [don't know what the title will be in the English version] dedicated to selling 500,000 tickets discounted between 40% and 60% over the course of a year on the trains that still have plenty of seats available. It's based on the airline principle of &quot;better to have some sitting in a seat than to have the seat remain empty&quot;.

Available only by internet, non exchangeable, non refundable. You must print the tickets yourself.

For those of you who leave room for improvization in your trips, it could save a lot of money.

Always good to know, merci Kerouac.

Thanks K.

Any more info on what trains would and would not be covered?

I am particularly interested in TGV tickets. (We have 4 days to fill between our arrival at CDG from Rome, March 19, and our week-long Paris rental, March 23-30.)

Thanks for posting about this. I like the idea of deciding much closer to the date whether I want to add another train journey.

How will the total prices compare to buying PREMs three months ahead?

They had fairly good articles on this in Le Parisien and Le Figaro last weekend, and I believe they said it would include TGV and Corail trains, and eventually Thalys (the only international one). It wouldn't be for local, TER trains. It also said the first effort would be concentrated on lines going to/from Paris, and later on it would spread out to provincial lines.

If you can read French, here is the article about it in Le Parisien:

http://preview.tinyurl.com/29fb3b

&gt;How will the total prices compare to buying PREMs three months ahead?&lt;
Will you don't need to buy Prems 3 months in advance. They can go fast but not always. For example I can get one from Dijon to Paris on the 20th Feb for 17&euro;.