senior TGV tickets
 

I bought train tickets yesterday for Les Arc to Paris through TGV -Europe site - I put in regular age 20 to 59 and got 74E for 2 - I then tried 60+ as we are and got a 6E discount but I was not sure what to check under the age boxes as we had no other senior discount passes etc.. So I stuck with the under 59 - how could have I gotten the senior discount without add'l cards etc..?

no big deal but any little bid helps

Probably not. The Carte Senior costs 57€ per year and should give you at least a 25% reduction.

I dont think you can get the discount, unless you purchase your tickets in France.

Here is some information that I found:

Travelers age 60 and over can buy
the Carte Senior, which grants 25% to 50% reductions on first- or second-class domestic rail travel, depending on the day and time of travel and on how early reservations are made. 25% reductions are also available on train travel to 25 European countries on the RailPlus network. Cards are for sale in France only at railroad stations and at French travel agencies for 56€ and are good for one year. Even without the Carte Senior, travelers age 60 and over are eligible for the Découverte Senior discount—a 25% reduced fare on many TGV trains. Proof of age is required.

Are the "senior" discounts allowed for folks who are not French residents/citizens?

There is a senior discount fare called "découverte senior" that gives seniors 60+ a 25% reduction in the "blue period" (which I take to mean "off peak" times) on Ter and Intercity trains. You must present proof of age to the conductor on the train.

Here are the exact words from a Q&A on the SNCF site:
http://questions.sncf.com/questions/...s-carte-senior

" pour vos voyages ter et intercités, grâce au tarif découverte senior (+ 60 ans), bénéficiez de 25% de réduction en place assise sur vos trajets commencés en période bleue

a bord, présentez votre billet au contrôleur avec une pièce d'identité pour justifier votre âge."

As far as I know, this discount is available to anyone meeting the criteria. I'm not French and I've used it twice with no questions asked. When purchasing tickets, it will be applied automatically when you give your age as 60+ and you are traveling on a Ter or Intercity train during a blue period.

Note that it is not available for TGV or iDTGV trains.

The first senior discount I ever received was on a TGV ticket. I clicked 60+ as you did and bought the ticket. A ticket agent or train attendant might check your age but you will have your passport to prove it.

Thank you, that is very helpful info. I had noticed the "60+" tab but assumed it was available only with one of the French "senior"cards. I checked one of our future TER routes, and the discount automatically appeared for routing during "periode bleu."

We just bought tickets last week for two separate routes and checked the 60+ box and got discounts. You don't have to tick off any other boxes to get the discount - in fact, if you do tick off another box you have to show proof that you've got a carte de fidélité or whatever. But the 60+ discount isn't available only to French citizens. It's just a normal discount.