SNCF and Cancellation Insurance
 

Okay, I have read all the threads. (Thanks again MorganB, wherever you are!) It looks like I can get the insurance on Prems and still print online. Has something changed? Will I click the "pay" key and find out (too late) that I can't print?

Also, I wonder if anyone here has ever filed a claim on the insurance. Paperwork in France can be confounding and even though the insurance is ultra cheap, I wonder if it is just throwing away money because collecting on said insurance will be difficult or impossible...

I purchased a round trip prem trip to Strasbourg for June 11 that I could not use. Didn't think to file a claim in the insurance I purchased with it. Does anyone know what it covers? I printed up the policy, but it was all in French...

Leburta, you might try putting the French into Alta Vista Babel Fish to translate it. Or dig around to find someone who can help you navigate the contract-specific jargon which you will likely encounter in the fine print. Good luck.

Unless something has changed, you will be told whether or not printing at home is an option BEFORE you pay. In fact, you'll be told all your options before being asked to pay.

You are saying that you can now take insurance and still print tickets at home?

When did that change?

Dukey, that is what it looks like. For the first set of tickets I purchased, I was a little surprised when the deal was done. Thought I'd have one more chance to look things over. It wasn't a problem, but now I want to make sure before I hit "pay" and can't print.

I am hoping someone who knows will chime in here. Have you ever heard about someone trying to file a claim on the insurance?

These are 154 Euros worth of tickets. Not a heart-stopping amount, but not money I'd like to throw away in case of a change in plans...

You are saying for that first set of tickets you weren't given all the options before you were required to pay for them?

That has never happened to me so I am sorry I am unable to help.

No, I was given all the options, but when I approached the end of the transaction, I had to click on something that said "confirm" or something like that. To me, confirm means "look is all over and then say yes one more time" not "here's goes the money." Just semantics...

That's interesting, I wasn't aware you could print them now with the insurance, but I just tried a test case and it did offer me the option of printing a PREM with the insurance. The "confirm" step isn't the same as paying, just that the information is correct, the last step is paying. That's pretty obvious because you haven't put in any credit card info yet at that point, so you can't be paying. If you have put in CC info, I would assume the confirm is paying.

I just read the insurance contract, at least skimmed it, and first, it isn't SNCF, it's a separate insurance company you have to deal with to get them to pay (Mondial Assistance). However, I read the contract and it really is insurance for unforeseen events, death, illness, terrorism in the place you are going, your employer changing the dates you allowed to take vacation, etc. It doesn't cover someone just changing their mind and deciding not to take that train or a change in plans. So if that's the reason something has for buying it, it is a waste of money as it doesn't cover that. It also covers theft of your identify papers in 48 hrs before your trip and a few things like that. I didn't read all the details, but it seems to cover a car breakdown within 48 hrs before the train if you can prove that and that was they way you were getting there. It doesn't mention plane delays, and since it doesn't, I suspect it won't cover that. YOu do have to prove whatever your reason for claim is (so clearly it is not just for any reason you want or if you just decide not to take that train).

There also seems to be some criteria that to get a refund, you had to have informed SNCF at least one hour or more in advance of the train you had a ticket for that you were not going to be on it so they can resell your seat. I didn't read that part thoroughly, but I think so -- it says you can do that online.

Christina, thank you for going to the trouble to read the Mondial info. The only thing I am worried about is a hurricane back home where our daughter will be staying with grandma. Sounds like that would be covered.

I will try to get the tickets now and see what happens. SNCF was also blocking me from buying yesterday since Amex put a security block on my card for the overseas transactions. We'll see if it works today or if I need to use another card.

Okay, it's official. I was able to buy the insurance AND print my Prems tickets. And the problem with my Amex card seems to have cleared up.

Hi, Amy. I, too, was trying to check this out for you but Christina beat me to it. I think she is right about the covered reasons and it does talk about serious damage to your home. However, here's what bothers me: I clicked on the link "see general conditions for cancellation insurance" which leads you to one of those documents written in legalese, part of which is "definitions." Under that it defines the "insured" as "La / les personnes désignées dans vos Conditions Particulières, à condition que leur domicile fiscal et légal soit situé en Europe." (The person[s] designated in your individual conditions, on condition that their legal and fiscal domicile is situated in Europe.)

I'm not sure what "your individual conditions" refers to but it sounds to me like they could refuse to cover you if you do not live in Europe. Does anyone else read this differently?

In any case, let's hope that you don't need to try to file a claim!

Actually, I reread parts I had skimmed, and think I was wrong on the plane delay thing -- it seems to cover any delay in your method of getting to the train, not just a car breakdown, as it says "retard dans le preacheminement vous faisant manquer votre depart" and the word preacheminement means a general method of sending or directing something towards... whatever. It does go on into how it has to be an accident or breakdown, though (and doesn't mention flights specifically) so I wonder if a plane just being late an hour due to weather or delays in takeoff, if that would count.

I also reread the part about notifying them and it is a little curious in that it appears to say you MUST notify SNCF as soon as possible after you find out you can't make or no later than one hour AFTER the scheduled departure -- and you do that online if you have a printable ticket so it frees up the seat. I'm sure if you don't notify them at all, they will refuse the claim, but that is a little odd that it can be one hour after departure, as they couldn't resell the seat. In any case, this insurance is clearly meant to cover serious circumstances, and people have to notify them and provide documentation, so I know it definitely isn't just a real cheap way of getting a refundable ticket, they couldn't fiscally do that.

I don't have time right now to reread the clause about the weather or home damage, but I'll try later on to see what I think of it. I think Amy bought it now anyway, so that part is moot, but it's good to know. I know their definition of "Europe" is not all of Europe, I think the terms say that really only means the EU or something like that.

I would discourage anyone who doest have a command of the French language to buy this insurance. To request a refund you will have to fill out a form online in French and then mail in various documents proving the reason that you could not complete your trip, all in French. As Betty states, it also appears that it is only for residents of Europe.

I have been trying to buy a prem ticket for about a week and a half. I keep getting a technical error and can't seem to get past this. I have done it before with no problems( thanks to MorganB) but I now need some help...anyone?

Whats the error exactly and when does it occur?

Well, fortunately the insurance cost me a whopping 6 Euros. So, even if I can't use it, I am only down two Grande Lattes or so. ;-) I do not live in Europe, nor am I more than marginally fluent in French.

And the way I look at things, if there is a hurricane or other incident while I am way, necessitating an early departure, the last thing I'm going to be worrying about is a few hundred dollars lost on a train fare.

Susanna, you might get a better answer posting your problems on one of the other SNCF threads since this one is specific to the insurance. Sorry I can't help you.

Thanks everyone for helping out here.

Thanks Morgan B and Amy, I could use any help I can get. I did post this on another thread that someone else was getting the same response a few weeks back, but I didn't get any responses so I figured I am the only one getting it.

I have tried on 3 different computers as well. I put in my cities (paris-brive( date 11/09/2007). The schedual comes up and I pick the 10:11 train which has a prems fare of 40 euros for two. I choose this one to buy my ticket and then get the error:
A technical error has occured. We apologise for any inconvenience.
I have been getting it for over a week, my prem fare has come and gone and fortunately come back, I just can't seem to buy it. I would call the number that St Cirq put up but you said that you couldn't purchase the prem fare only full price.

Thanks for any light you can shed on this.

Hi Susanna,

> I put in my cities (paris-brive( date 11/09/2007).

You usually can buy tickets only 60 days out.

Try using a date within 60 days and see if you get the error message.

If you don't wait until 11/07/07.

((I))

Its actually 90 days, not 60 and 6 months on the iDTGV. I assume that you are giving us the date in the european format? Day, month year...

If that is the case I got to the page that asks for my email address etc without any problem. I suggest trying a different browser or emptying the cache and deleting cookies on the browser you are using.

Yes, european format date! Thanks MorganB, I will try it tonight or tomorrow (I had to work today between posts). FYI, I never get to the email stage, as soon as I pick the train it goes to the error.
Ira, yes, it is 90 days out now, but thanks for trying to figure it out for me.
"I suggest trying a different browser or emptying the cache and deleting cookies on the browser you are using."
y husband is the computer person and I'm sure he will understand this!

Hopefully, I'll be back, with tickets!