Navigation Decouverte cards never expire; right? Wrong!
 

I have read many times on this and other Forums that the Navigo card will not expire, and can be reloaded indefinitely, even though it originally had a ten year expiration date. That is no longer correct, I found out today. When we arrived in Paris we placed our ten year+ cards on the reader on the ticket machine, and the screen told us to see an attendant.

The clerk in the ticket booth told us our cards were no longer reloadable, and we needed new ones. My wife, being more cautious than I had brought a new picture for the card, but I did not have one. The agent very kindly assembled our cards for us and even took the trouble to tear my picture from the old card and paste it on the new card. What service!

In truth, he did me a real favor, as I now have a photo on my card of a relitvely young and extremely handsome chap, rather than the shakey old fart I actually am now. ��

That happened to me 2 weeks ago. I jumped into the photo booth at the metro station and it produced the most horrific image of me that I've ever seen!! I didn't have correct change to do over so bought the new card and, on my return home, trashed old and new Navigos.....will start over next trip.

We stayed in a hotel for a few nights before meeting family in an apartment and twice tried to discard the expired Navigo....both times housekeeping retrieved it and left it on the desk.

BTW, the card now has a new look. Instead of the blue and yellow of the old card it is an uniform grey on both sides, and in a different plastic sleeve that does not expose the electronic chip.

Does anyone ever look at your navigo card? I don't think I care what my picture looks like, do I?

One of my favorite Erma Bomback lines; When you look like your passport picture it's time to go home.

Uh Oh. Thanks for the heads up. I will be in Paris in a week and will bring a photo. I hope I get a kind agent who will use my current picture.

Belinda, two or three times the Metro police have stopped me and looked closely at my picture and at me.

You can take your Navigo Decouverte card out of the hard plastic sleeve it came in and put it in your wallet where it can still be read easily.
I keep mine in a soft plastic pouch with a leather cord attached to it, so I don't lose it.
It is true that Navigo Decouverte cards are no good after 10 years, and must be traded in.