Navigo Decouverte Question (Paris)
 

We have these "Cartes a Puce" from prior trips. However, I just pulled them out for an upcoming trip and the "puce" (chip) seems to be missing from my husband's. Perhaps it's imbedded? (See photo, right side).

We bought them at different times, because on our trip before last, my husband accidentally lost his in the space to the side of the turnstile, so on our last trip he got a new one.

Just need to know if we need to get yet another card for him.

Second question is, can someone remind me how to upload a weekly pass? We'll need to do that as soon as we get off the plane at CDG. I do know where the ticket office is at terminal 2.

TIA!
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3fa2f7ee90.jpg

Using NFC capabilities of your smartphone and with the IDF mobilités app, you should be able to upload a weekly pass. If it doesn't work, it could mean that the card with no chip is not valid anymore. But not sure 100% (I remember having difficulties to upload passes on my card with my phone while it went smoothly with other cards or phones)

Thanks. I thought so.

I can't imagine a card without a chip would be valid. How could it be? the chip is what records you and what you bought.

I don't do apps for metro passes, just load my Navigo at a ticket windows, that's all, or at the machine. Last time I had to go to the window as my Navigo had expired and I couldn't do it at the machine, but it was fairly old. Just try and see what happens at the machine.

You can figure out it if works just by trying to load it.

Christina, I understand a card without a chip would not be valid. But because there was nothing on the card that looked like the chip had fallen off the card, I was questioning whether the chip was simply imbedded within the card and could not be seen. Like a dog being microchipped . . . it's under their skin, but you can't see it! I wondered if the later models were so imbedded.

That said, your advice on just seeing if it works by just trying to load it is very good advice.

I have several cards, valid for different transit systems. Most of the time, the chip is embedded in the card. For Paris, I have 2 navigo cards, a navigo easy and the "regular" navigo used by residents. On the easy, you can see the chip, but not on the other card.

And I didn't say it was necessary to use the app to upload a pass. It is however a good way to beat the queues.

Fantastic, rouelan . . . thanks!

To update everyone, my husband's chip was, in fact, embedded within the cardboard . . . newer version. So at the airport, we could upload both with a weekly pass at the machines and were good to go. BTW, there was a long line at the ticket office, but we were told by staff to just go to the machines, as they had people there who would help us. And she did!

May I tag on here? I've watched a couple of YouTube videos on all of this, and my conclusion was that for a 5 night stay in Paris (actually, 2 nights, then returning for 5), I would just do the Navigo Easy. But is that also good for the RER into and back out of Paris? I may do a day trip out of town, as well - can I use it for this as well? The videos seem to indicate that the Navigo Easy is good for buses, RER and the Metro. Yes? Thanks, and again hope you don't mind this extra question on your thread!

no and no for using it out of town and the RER into/b ack from Paris, but that depends what you buy.

To where? Where you are coming in from and going back to? Are you planning to buy the local two-=zone t+ tickets or ann unlimited all-day pass (you can choose zones on that up to five zones).
The website gives better info.
https://www.iledefrance-mobilites.fr...igo-day-ticket

The inner two zones are for the t+ tickets, which is basically just Paris inside the perhipherique, that's all. It think it covers all metro lines but there are only a few points that go into zone 3 on metro. So if your day trip were to the chateau Vincinnes, yes, it would cover it. These are the rules
https://www.iledefrance-mobilites.fr...sy-travel-card

If you buy an all-day pass for five zones at 21 euro, you can cover a lot of day trips. It just depends where you want to go. And it will cover the airports except it does not cover Orlyval at Orly airport.

All of this depends what days you are talking about going and when. Prices are raised during the Olympiques. And the weekly passes only start on Mondays. this is the weekly ticket, you have to have a photo to personalize it and sign it
https://www.iledefrance-mobilites.fr...te-travel-card

So that is 31 euro a week for all five zones. It would make sense to buy that if you were going to buy two all day Navigo Easy passes. But if you don't use public transport a lot and just are in central Paris, you might want the local t+ tickets and you can't put them on the Navigo Decouverte. It costs 5 euro for the card, the Easy is 2 euro for the card.

If you are only there two days the first time, the weekly pass would probably not make sense.

Thanks for this. So I'm going from CDG to my hotel near the Luxembourg RER, so that is where I'll get out. When I return from Normandy, I'll take the metro to my new hotel in the 9th, I think, where I'll stay for 5 nights. I like to walk, but I envision using the metro quite a bit. Then, I'll take the metro to Gare du Nord, then RER B back to CDG. I may go to Rouen for a day trip, so that is another metro/train excursion. Oh - I arrive on a Friday, so Friday and Saturday. Then I'm back in Paris on a Saturday-Thursday. Knowing this, please tell me what to get. :(

As your stay is over 2 calendar weeks, you can forget the passes.
also good to know is that RER ticket includes free transfer on metro.
So the only question is should you buy 10 metro tickets (also valid on buses and trams) with a discount or buy tickets whenever you need them. I think it is still possible to buy paper tickets but paper tickets bought by 10 are not discounted (need to get the 2€ card). All in all, the discount will be very low.

If you ride a bus, the ticket is slightly more expensive when bought on board.

I hate to whine, but why can't these passes just be 7 days or 5 days from day of purchase? I guess I should have planned my week around days I can get a metro pass... ;-)
I still am left with no idea what to do. I'd like to have my RER ticket purchased before I leave the states, so I'll have to figure that out. I go directly to Luxembourg; that is my stop, so I don't need a freebie metro 'transfer' ticket on arrival. I don't really care about saving a dollar or two; I just want easy. And I don't feel like faffing about at the station trying to figure this out. Plus I thought I saw that some stations don't accept paper tickets any longer. Is this true? OP - I can start my own thread if this is getting annoying!

Thanks -

I hate to whine, but why can't these passes just be 7 days or 5 days from day of purchase? I guess I should have planned my week around days I can get a metro pass... ;-)
I still am left with no idea what to do. I'd like to have my RER ticket purchased before I leave the states, so I'll have to figure that out. I go directly to Luxembourg; that is my stop, so I don't need a freebie metro 'transfer' ticket on arrival. I don't really care about saving a dollar or two; I just want easy. And I don't feel like faffing about at the station trying to figure this out. Plus I thought I saw that some stations don't accept paper tickets any longer. Is this true? OP - I can start my own thread if this is getting annoying!

Thanks -

No worries!
not possible to buy the RER tkt in advance. Just join the queue at CDG.
free transfer with RER ticket: use it or not, it is the same price; your ticket will show "CDG to Paris" meaning anywhere in Paris (BTW you can also use such a ticket for the return trip).
No idea why weekly passes are only Monday to Sunday.
Paper ticket: they can be used in any station (I have some of them for CDG because of the discount when buying 10; I can use them in any metro station). There are always several gates and only some of them will allow paper tickets. Just spot the right ones. On buses, there are 2 readers, 1 to read passes and the other to punch tickets.
If you don't want to buy a ticket each time you use the metro or bus, just buy a few of them...

Rouelan, this is brilliant. Thank you! Now it clicks. So can I then buy my RER B return ticket at the same time when I arrive at CDG? And will that ticket cover my two metro stops to get to Gare du Nord? I think this is all I needed to know. I'm fine with just buying several single tickets. Thank you so much for this info.

When we were there last month, while we got the weekly pass, our English friend, who arrived Gare du Nord on the Eurostar from London, got the app and just purchased 10 tickets (used to be called a carnet) on his app, which kept him going for the 3 days he was there in Paris. He could also upload single tickets on his app.

https://www.ratp.fr/en/titres-sur-telephone

Sure you can. On your return trip, you will validate your CDG ticket when entering the metro and validate it again when passing through the transfer gates in Gare du Nord.

Option described by Surfergirl would make even more sense if you come to Paris after July 19th. Because there is a drastic fare increase, almost double, during the Olympics, for tickets BOUGHT after that day. The trick is to buy them before that day and use them whenever you want. But again, it only works for metro tickets, you can't buy in advance a CDG ticket if you are not in Paris.

Perfect. Thank you all! I have the app already, but something about having a physical ticket feels better to me. I'll see how it works. And I am traveling in September; I trust the fares will be "normal" again by then?

Fares will not be normal until after September 8.

Paris metro passes were actually developed for residents who are paying the taxes for the system, not to subsidize tourists. Paris metro fares are very reasonable compared to any big city system I have used, much cheaper than some in the US. The goal wasn't to help out tourists to give them cheap transit. So the weekly passes starting on Monday were developed for local residents who use metro a lot for commuting. They didn't want to subsidize tourists. That's also why there is no children's fare (Parisian children have some other longer term pass options). I know it's hard to think that everything isn't designed just for what you personally might want, but that's the way it is. Paris metro has been around decades and that weekly pass system has also been around for decades, I was using it back in the 1980s (Carte Orange weekly or monthly) and it was that same time frame for the weekly one. The system was developed in the mid70s and before that pass, it was very complicated to buy different tickets for different areas etc. In fact, when it was first developed, it was only for workers and you needed employment proof to buy it.