MaineGG

Last week I got the email Alert-Résa from Voyages-SNCF that reservations would be open the following day for our Reims-Paris tickets. So I went to the site, chose my train with a low PREM fare, chose seats, filled in all the information including payment with my Cap One card (the same one that sailed through a few days before on the iDTGV site), and got the message that the payment had been refused. I then decided that I should create an account and try again. Same result with the Cap One card, then immediately tried again with two different credit cards (Visa & Amex) with no success.

Frustrated, I decided to send SNCF an email through the "contactez-nous" choice on their home page about the problem.

The next day, no response from SNCF, so I decided to try once more. This time the transaction went right through with the Cap One card and I printed the tickets.

This morning, I got an email from SNCF saying that they had researched the problem and found that the original orders had not gone through (n'ont pas été prises en compte), and that they noted that I had been successful later in validating an order.

The most interesting part of this email, though, was the statement of their policy regarding foreign credit card use to purchase tickets on their site:

"Je tiens à préciser que pour les cartes bancaires émises à
l'étranger, les paiements sont désormais limités à 1 transaction
par tranche de 24 heures pour un total de 300 euros par semaine (150 euros par jour).

A noter qu'en cas d'erreur de saisie et toujours par mesure de sécurité,
votre carte bancaire est bloquée 24 heures."

In brief: Foreign credit card payments are limited to 1 transaction per 24 hours for a total of 300 euros per week (150 euros per day).
Note that in case of an "erreur de saisie" (error of transmission?), for security, your bank card is blocked for 24 hours.

Knowing this may remove some of the mystery, if not frustration, when trying to buy tickets on the voyages-SNCF site.

soundnesss

Maine, thanks for the information. I've been playing the SNCF rejection game this week and this is good to know.

Christine

Christina

That's interesting, I guess they do that for fraud reasons. I've never tried to do more than 1 transaction a day and have never had a problem with my American CCs, not even once.

There is still no explanation why your original order didn't go through. As I said, I've never had a single problem, and I always use my Cap One card, in fact.

PegS

Thanks for this. I've been following the threads since I'm a few days away from making a purchase.

Stupid question...do they send you a file so can print your ticket and/or is it possible to access your account later to re-print if necessary? The reason I ask is because I think the day I buy the tickets I'll be a place where I may not be able to print.

StCirq

They don't send you a file, but you can go back online and reprint it anytime.

MaineGG

soundnesss - Wishing you luck!

Christina - This is the first time I have had any problem, and still don't know exactly the reason why the original order didn't go through. Perhaps just an electronic communication failure (erreur de saisie)? In any event I am pleased that SNCF investigated and responded to my email. It's good to have some light shed on the process.

PegS

Thanks StCirq!

MaineGG

PegS - You should get a confirmation email from SNCF. In that email there's a button "Imprimer" to click for printing your ticket(s). There's also a link "gérer ma réservation" to access your reservation in the system.

soundnesss

Maine, how long does it usually take to get the email from SNCF?

MaineGG

soundnesss - Not really sure how long after the reservation went through that I got the email, but not long. This is the first time I have bought online from the SNCF site, so I'm learning as I go. My other recent purchase was on the iDTGV site and it seemed much easier. On prior trips we bought our tickets in France.

gabrielle4cb

Soundnesss - I made a reservation today on voyages-sncf.com and received the email response with the link to printing the tickets within two minutes.

greg

This morning, I got a promotional email from SNCF that they are starting to use "verified by Visa" and "mastercard securecode" processes. I wonder if the foreign cc quota gets replaced by the new process.

MaineGG

greg, I got the same email. Here's a link to the information:

http://neo.voyages-sncf.com/nl/jsp/m...107_207264_3DS

Not sure whether this means that it will be required, or if it is just an option, or what. Anyway, I googled Verified by Visa and MasterCard Secure Code and it seems simple enough to sign up and receive your "code," which seems to be a PIN you use when making purchases.

Is anyone already signed up and using these systems? What's your experience?

curious_traveler07

Hi,
I am having the same problem from Canada. I tried 7 credit cards to no avail; i have confirmed with my credit card issuer that they are not blocking any purchases. So, it is just a question of trying and trying until it goes through or do I need to wait for 24 hours before trying again.
My son is moving to France to study and I want to book his ticket to Grenoble from here.
Thanks!

MaineGG

As I described in my initial post of this thread, the same thing happened to me on my first attempt. Tried several cards with no success. The next day, the first time I tried it went right through. Don't know what happened. Hope it works for you next time you try after waiting 24 hours.

AnselmAdorne

"<i>Anyway, I googled Verified by Visa and MasterCard Secure Code and it seems simple enough to sign up and receive your "code," which seems to be a PIN you use when making purchases.

Is anyone already signed up and using these systems? What's your experience?</i>"

MaineGG, I have not used the Verified by Visa protocol with SNCF, but I have been using it for several years on the Air Canada web site. It is exactly as you surmise: when I click "purchase", I see a screen that prompts me to put in the code that I have made up. If you do not already have a Verified by Visa code, you can follow the prompts to create one.

I have never had a problem with it, and it only adds a few seconds to the transaction time.

kerouac

"<i>erreur de saisie</i>" = "input error" -- for example, if you type the wrong security code.

MaineGG

Kerouac - Thanks for the translation. I was unable to come up with one for that phrase.

AnselmAdorne - Does Air Canada require you to use the Verified by Visa protocol on their site, or is it just an option for extra security for purchasers? Do you have to use it whenever you use the registered Visa CC for any purchase?

AnselmAdorne

MaineGG, that's a good question. I suspect that the requirement to use Verified by Visa is dictated by the card issuer and is triggered by some combination of dollar threshold and the nature of the purchase. My card is issued by CIBC (a Canadian bank) and my purchases at Air Canada are — unfortunately — often of significant value, as I buy multi-trip flight passes from time to time. It's not something that I set up, but rather it presented itself as a necessity a couple of years ago.

As far as I can recollect, Air Canada is the only merchant that has ever required me to use Verified by Visa.

Ruby99

I'm Canadian too and think that I've only seen the Verified by Visa or MasterCard Secure Code on the Air Canada website also. It's easy to set up and use, as Anselm said. I don't mind it if it is an added security thing.

I booked my rail tickets through the SNCF site earlier this month and didn't have any problems. The amount was just under 100 Euros though... For the tickets, I got immediate confirmation and will print them out at a later date.