I have tried 3 times to book via voyages-sncf.com, avignon to paris, been offered idtgv but unable to do so.
Reply says IMPORTANT : the bank transaction has failed

there is nothing wrong with my visa bank card.

Any suggestions. Thank you

Americans routinely have trouble making purchases on this website. Try a different credit card. I used my Amex card last year for purchase on the SNCF website and it worked the first time. This year, I first tried one Visa card on the SNCF website and it was declined; a different Visa card worked the first time, but that credit union Visa is routinely used overseas, so they are used to international transactions.

If you don't have another Visa, call the bank and explain the issue, see if they are blocking the transaction.

It is usually one of the two:

1. The transaction approval is sent to your bank, but your bank freud department thinks it is an unauthorized charge coming from a unusual location.
2. SNCF rejects your card outright without even bothering to contact your bank.

You have not stated whether you have contacted your bank, so I am not sure which one of the issue you are having. If it is the second case, use an alternate site:

https://www.capitainetrain.com/

If it is the first case, tell your bank you will be using your card for an international transaction with a French company.

There are many threads on this subject:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...cf-from-us.cfm
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...in-english.cfm
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...oking-site.cfm
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...cf-tickets.cfm

Hi kiwinz

I've also heard there are no problems using American credit cards on this site:

https://www.capitainetrain.com/en

It has the same fares as SNCF.

Have fun as you plan!

s

This isn't about which card you use, or whether you use voyages-sncf.com or capitainetrain.com, both of which normally happily accept all overseas cards for most non-iDTGV bookings including regular TGVs.

This is about this being an iDTGV booking.

All DTGV bookings have to go through iDTGV's OWN special payment processing system, even if booked on a site such as Capitainetrain which otherwise accepts all cards for other bookings.

iDTGV's system rejects (by my guestimate) 90% of non-French (or at least, non-European) cards.

You therefore need to use the workaround explained here: http://www.seat61.com/voyages-sncf.htm#iDTGV

The Man_in_seat_61 is THE man!

Thanks.

A supplementary detail I discovered somewhere online though I can no longer verify the info:

If the SNCF site rejects your card 3 times, the site then blocks that card forever.

So those who experience a setback on the SNCF site should avoid re trying multiple times. Give up and try one of the alternative approaches above.

cargo13, as is disscussed endlessly here and on TA and every other travel site, Rail Europe is a terrible place to book train tickets. They don't show all the trains and they charge a good deal more than tickets available directly from national railroads. Your travel agent is clueless and giving you very bad information.

Thanks for all the comments, still not solved but working on it.