megw

Is it economical to buy a rail card from sncf like the 12-25 card for students so you can get a discount? Do they expire?

PalQ

oui if you are traveling more than a few times. Info:www.sncf.com

megw

Thanks! Do they expire at all? I will be studying near Nice for 4 months.

TransitBuddie

Absolutely worth it to buy a Carte 12-25 (if you are going to be taking the train several times). They cost about 50 EUR and you will get a 25-50% discount on all French trains.

If you are flying flights from Paris (or from anywhere in France) to the United States, Germany, or Scandinavia, you can get a 12.5-25% discount on United Airlines, SAS, and Lufthansa.

The Carte 12-25 expires after 1 year.

megw

Thanks! How far in advance is it best to book to get cheapest fares? And, with the 12-25 card, is it only good on certain airlines too?

PalQ

I believe that there are ceertain blackout periods where you'd have to pay full price - it's not carte blanche for any train. I may be wrong but i think the red periods (on the SNCF calendar) are busy periods where you can't use the card. this used to be the case anyway. Most periods are not red but Friday afternoons, Sunday afternoons, holiday periods often are.

TransitBuddie

If you book early in advance you will get a 50% percent discount (but it can't be more than 3 months in advance). There are no black-out periods, but when the number of tickets available is low, you can only have a 25% discount.

The Carte 12-25 will only work on United Airlines, SAS, and Lufthansa departing from Paris or anywhere else from France, but you must buy your tickets by calling the French phone number of the airline (or by getting your tickets at the airport). You will be able to have a 12.5% discount on all flights, or 25% discount on Full Y Fare economy, business, or first.

PalQ

TransitBuddy: You obviously have personal knowledge of the carte - let me poser des questions to you:
Do you have to make a reservation when buying your discounted ticket - do you have to take a certain route or can you buy an open-ended ticket good on any train?
Does the carte give discounts on sleeping accommodations on overnight trains?
Is a photo required?

TransitBuddie

A "reservation" is recommended for reserving seats. A reservation indicates that the seat you have reserved is yours and that you have the right to kick someone out if someone is sitting in your seat. Reservations are free and I strongly recommend getting a reservation on trains (except for the TER trains that do not have reserved seats). If you don't have a reservation, you can get onto a full train and hope that someone did not show up to take the train.

With the Carte 12-25 you can travel on any train within France; you cannot use the card on international trains. You can use it on an international train if you get off before you cross the French border. You will get a guaranteed 25% discount, but mostly a 50% discount on the SNCF. I'm pretty sure you can use it on night trains in France.

You will need a photo to put onto the card (passport size, just like the Carte Oranges in Paris).

When booking online or buying tickets through the train station or via telephone, be sure to indicate that you are a Carte 12-25 holder. On the SNCF site, there should be a button that allows you to select the discount cards under Carte de Réduction/Abonnement.

The discounted tickets have the same rules as the Full Unrestricted fare. As long as you don't "composter" the ticket, you can obtain a full refund or take the next available train.

Remember, you have to be 25 years old or younger to buy the card!

PalQ

Great info from TransitBuddie. The www.voyages-sncf.com web site has all the details and seems to say you will get a 25% discount on all international trains, even those in other countries that belong to the RailPlus system - and on non-TGV trains does talk about off-peak travel ('blue periods') and 'white periods' - says no blackouts on TGV trains but indicates there are on regional trains and night trains. Anyway if in France for a while seems a great deal.