Questions about making train reservations using Capitaine Train website!
 

4 of us will be traveling from Avignon to Paris in October. I would like to make our one way first class reservations using Capitaine. We live in USA.

1. Any issues with charging on a US credit card?
2. Will they send me a confirming email with tickets attached so I can print out prior to travels. (they mention printing on A4 paper whatever that means)
3. I presume I should make names on the reservation exactly as shown in passports.
4. Some trains have the observation deck. Will there be a place for me to request this car?

Appreciate your feedback. Any other issues I should be aware of? I have never used these folks before. Thanks for help!

I just used the website for the first time, and I booked two separate train journeys with them.
1. No issues with my CC - it appeared there exactly the amount I figured (Capital One no conversion fee).
2. My confirming email did NOT have printable tickets, for some reason both my reservations have tickets that must be retrieved at the station before boarding, using the Reference number they provided. According to the website, most tickets can be printed at home (do NOT lose!), but not in my case for some unknown reason.
3. Don't know...do they check ID when you board a train - I have the same question, is it serious like an airport, or like boarding a subway where nobody cares who you are?
4. I requested two seats ("together facing forward") but I have no idea whether this request was honored, until I get my tickets I guess...

Sure seemed easy enough!

1. No
2. Yes
3. Yes
4. Don't know, but you have the option of emailing or calling them.

PS - 1st class is fine if you want it, but not much different from 2nd and really not necessary. And know that the cheapest fares become available 3 months out from your date of travel.

Exactly what St Cirq said. I did have Capital One call me immediately upon making the charge but there was no issue in using the card on the website. We did have printed tickets and also bar code passes on the capita one train app on our iPhones...the conductors seemed to prefer the printed ones. We were asked for our passports en route, not on boarding, and it just makes sense to have the ticket names match your passport.

I pre-registered with capitaine train.
I pre-warned my credit card of my upcoming purchase.(no problem)
I had to show the tickes to the conductor.(after the train left the station)
I was asked once for my passport, when I pointed to my carry-on luggage he said 'forget it'.

1. Capitainetrain has no problems with US or other overseas credit cards, UNLESS you choose to book a special type of TGV branded 'iDTGV' (as opposed to normal 'TGV') when non-EU cards usually fail so you need the workaround here: http://www.seat61.com/voyages-sncf.htm#iDTGV

2. Most tickets are print-at-home, the blurb says they need to be printed on A4 paper - the normal everyday size of paper used worldwide, I think, including in my own printer here in the UK, except in the USA where everything has to be different ;0) - but printing on what I think you call 'Letter' size paper is absolutely fine.

3. Yes, names as per passports. Although on trains they're not OCD about it, so if your passport says Patrick Smith and you put Pat Smith that's fine. Indeed, if you put the name the wrong way round, as often people do, that's probably fine too.

4. There is no observation deck. Or gymnasium or swimming pool. But most trains on the Paris-Avignon route are double-deck TGV Duplex, and you do indeed get a better view from the top deck, so I always always book that. With www.capitainetrain.com or en.voyages-sncf.com you can select upper deck, with sites such as raileurope.com you aren't given the choice.