SNCF printing problems
 

I want to go from Paris to Marsailles on June 17, and return to Paris on June 21. I can't get a PREM fare. I just got all the way through the system, but the option to print the tickets doesn't come up. Could someone look into it for me? Could it be because I am using the English site?
Also, I need a ticket from Marsailles to Aix. Do I just do a whole separate ticket for that?
Thanks.

PREM's fare tickets can be booked only between 14days - 2months ahead. It's too late to book 14June with PREM fare. You have to book with other fares and that can't be printed by yourself, as I understand. The calendar on the site shows the PREM bookable dates (eg. today you can book for 23June till 10Aug.)

Kappa's right.

Seats with PREM fares are limited in number and sell out quickly.

Not all reservations permit printing out tickets.

You will get a confirmation number to bring with you to the train station, along with the **same credit card** that you used to book the seat.

Does anyone know if it is a simple process to pick-up the pre-ordered tickets at the train station? Is it done at a machine?
Also, I have seen from the website that if you are ordering tickets you can't choose the US as "home country" on the dropdown menu, because SNCF has an exclusive distribution aggrement with RailEurope in the US. So, I think you just choose France as "home country" instead. Can someone confirm this?

cruisinred: Yes, just leave France as your home country and indicate you will pick up "retirer" the tickets there.
I wouldn't fuss with the machines at the station. Leave enough time to go to the counter and show your preprinted confirmation number to the person at the window. Be sure to have the same credit card you used to make the online transaction.
And dont forget to punch (composte) your ticket in the orange composteur,

help!
I never put in a credit card number, but today I got a confirmation email. It says if the ticket isn't picked up 6 days ahead of time, the reservation will cancel. I won't be in France yet. I think I should go back to the website and re-issue the tickets- the old ones will cancel automatically, and I won't be double booked, right?

Hi, it sounds like you just "reserved" your tickets. It's one of the options offered by the SNCF site - you can book seats and they'll be held for a week. If you don't pay for your tickets within this period, the reservation will cancel.

If you go back to the website and enter your confirmation reference number (quoted in the confirmation email) you'll be able to pay for your tickets online. Once the tix are paid for, you don't have to pick them up till you arrive in France. If you don't pay for them the reservation will automatically be cancelled.

yes, they won't allow anybody to just reserve tickets online without paying for them and not picking them up for ages. They'd never get anything done that way.

I've tried the machine to retrieve tickets, but it never worked. Just going to a ticket clerk in the train station is a lot easier, but sometimes there can be long lines. It could take up to an hour or so.

topping