Smilys fare question
 

I found a 32E rate from Amsterdam to Brussels for a roundtrip ticket. The problem is that I only need a one-way ticket. On the SNCF website, the rate is listed with a compulsory return ticket. Will there be any penalty for only using the first half of the ticket and throwing the return tickets away?

None at all.

We recently used the round-trip Smilys fare for our one-way trip Paris- Amsterdam. We threw away the return fare w/o penalty. However, we bought the ticket from a third party (BudgetEurope.com), so our charge card number was not given to, or accessible by, SNCF.
That was intentional, because we had heard rumors that SNCF is aware that people do this and they could start billing your charge card for the full-fare, if they catch you. Seems like a stretch, but you never know. To be safe, I wouldn't charge directly with SNCF.

I don't see how SNCF is going to "catch" you... It isn't like they have a manifesto and they're checking off the names. Plenty of people on this board have done it, including moi, and I did buy directly from SNCF.

but here's a stupid question:
can you buy a ticket originating in <u>Amsterdam</u> on French railsite?
(especially since no travel is taking place inside France).

Of course no &quot;manifesto&quot;. If they scan in the ticket info from a bar code, then they have the capability of knowing whether or not the return train was taken, too. Like I said, they may not be concerned enough about it to investigate, but many, many people do it. It's kind of like airfare when you buy a round-trip, but you really want to return from the mid-point city instead. In the US, you can't do that.

I printed my own Smilys &quot;tickets&quot; on 8x11 paper... I remember 'watermarks' of our names repeated over and over, but I don't remember if there was a bar code or not... and I am almost certain the conductor barely glanced at them, no scanning... I remember that the hard tickets are sometimes &quot;punched&quot; by the conductor... I don't think there is any kind of computerized tracking system since there isn't a formal check-in process.
But it's always good to be aware of the possibility of a problem...

Unfortunately, you can't by a ticket originating in A'dam on the SNCF website. If you will pick up the ticket in Holland, you have to buy from the NS. Tot ziens!

Hi Travelnut
&gt;...can you buy a ticket originating in Amsterdam on French railsite?
(especially since no travel is taking place inside France).&lt;

Amazingly, YES.

Howver, it depends on where you are going.

You can buy Amsterdam to Brussels or Rotterdam, but not to Copenhagen or Berlin.

((I))

Thank you for all of the replies.

I did buy the tickets so hopefully there will be no penalties. I realize that I could have waited and purchased the tickets at Amsterdam Centraal but I'm a plan ahead kind of person.

Thanks again,
Jennifer

Cool! I'm used to the SCNF site so it's good to know... we often start in Amsterdam and end in Paris.