lyndarosenbaum

I have spent two frustrating days trying to book on-line train tickets from Paris to Eperrnay and am getting conflicting information. Can't book on line because I have a US credit card with no chip. If I use my daughter's credit card, I was informed by some sites that I would need the card in my possession to retrieve the tickets in Paris. Rail Europe told me that I would only need the confirmation number to get the tickets in Paris. At this point, I don't know what to believe. Can the tickets be retrieved without the credit card used for their purchase from a machine or an agent? I am trying to avoid paying the extra cost by going to London to get the tickets from the RailEurope office.

Thanks for any help. Please e-mail me at [email protected] or post reply on line.

Ackislander

In my experience (I think two years ago), you cannot retrieve the tickets from the machine, but the nice person at the window in the station will be happy to print them for you if you have the confirmation number.

If this has changed, I hope someone will correct me because I am planning on it continuing to work this way.

kerouac

You must use the same card to get the tickets out of a machine; that is a certainty. Don't know about the ticket window.

Christina

I don't know why someone isn't questioniong the whole idea that you can't book online because you don't have a credit card with a chip. Where did you get that info, I've done it many times, including just a few weeks ago, and I don't have any chips in my cards, which are US-issued. I buy from SNCF online, not Raileurope, though, but I can't imagine they would require a card with a chip.

ira

Hi L,

If you check the train schedule at www.voyages-sncf.com, you will see that a train leaves every hour on the :35.

Show up at Paris Est at :15 and buy a ticket(s) from the ticket agent. 20.6E each way.

>I am trying to avoid paying the extra cost by going to London to get the tickets from the RailEurope office.<

That's odd. Won't RailEurope mail you the tickets?

Christina

oh, BTW, I wouldn't even bother to book those tickets ahead of time, anyway. It's just a local TER train, they have many all day. YOu aren't going to get any deals on that ticket by booking ahead, and I don't think they take seat reservatons, either, but I might be wrong on that.

lyndarosenbaum

Thanks everyone for your speedy replies. The difficulty in booking online was that I couldn't use my US credit card because the site required the address to which the credit card was issued and it would only accept a UK address. If I booked using my daughter's card, I received conflicting advice as to whether I would need to have her card in my possession to claim the ticket in Paris for the trip to Epernay.

I especially wanted to book in advance (I know you can't get assigned seats) because I wanted to go at a specific time to meet up with my family.

I tried the sncf site but was redirected to raileurope whose US site won't open on my daughter's UK computer. I got on to the sncf French language site as was proceeding to buy the tickets but then I got chicken because my high school French is quickly escaping from my long-term memory and I couldn't get a translation.

I may just go to London and buy the tickets from Rail Europe and pay the booking charge unless someone knows for sure that if I book on line using my daughter's credit card, I will be able to get the tickets in Paris from an agent if not from a machine.

Once again, thanks all.

Lynda

TimS

Lynda,

There is no advantage to booking tickets for regional trains in advance. Not only are there no seat reservations, a ticket is good for any regional train traveling from Paris to Epernay. It's first come, first served for seating. If all the seats are taken (highly unlikely), you are allowed to stand.

TimS

To further clarify, the ticket is an open ticket. There is no travel date or departure time on it. All you do is insert it in the "composteur" (ticket validating machine) to be stamped and then jump on the train.

ira

Hi L,

>I especially wanted to book in advance (I know you can't get assigned seats) because I wanted to go at a specific time to meet up with my family.<

Any ticket is good on any train on that route for about 6 mos.
At most, show up 1/2 hr early.

kerouac

The track number won't even be listed until 20 minutes before departure. This is true for every single main line train leaving Paris.

Travelnut

I have read this spring on another forum that someone planned to pick up their tickets but didn't have the same credit card used in the booking (b/c it had been lost, I believe). They had to buy new tickets. The agent treats the credit card somewhat as a part of the confirmation - it will tell you in the email confirmation to bring both the email and the same credit card.

For frequent regional trains, just do as advised and buy your ticket at the station in Paris. You could buy one a day or two ahead of time, if that would make you feel better about it.

Sarastro

Several observations:

1. For a TER train, there is no advantage in pre-purchasing tickets. In fact if you use the Rail Europe site for Americans, you might even pay more than the walk up fare.

2. When using www.voyages-sncf.com or another of the SNCF websites, never select your country as USA because you will be directed to the Rail Europe site which has the highest fare structure offered anywhere. PREM fares or iDTGV trains will not be available to you.

3. Those from the US should select UK or Canada or some other English speaking country when using these sites (or simply proceed in French if you can) and pick up tickets in France at any SNCF boutique or service window.

4. SNCF ticket kiosks accept only EMV credit cards (cards with chips). US credit card holders may claim tickets at either a SNCF boutique or service window.

5. The SNCF agent will identify you as the correct ticket holder by two means:

a. you must have the reservation number

b. you must have in your possession the same credit card used in the on line transaction. The agent compares the account numbers used in the purchase with those of the card you present. If your credit card has been reissued with any change to these numbers (regardless of the reason) the agent will not issue tickets.

6. If you lose your credit card or have your account numbers changed, you can ask that the ticket be refunded (unless it's a PREM or other non refundable ticket). The SNCF will refund to the same credit card account as was used in the original purchase. Your bank will resolve the number differences.

7. TER trains have no reduced fares available to my knowledge. However, other regional trains servicing the same route segments with the same basic fare structures, such as the Corail Intercite or Corail Teoz, do offer reduced pricing. It can be very cost advantageous to understand the difference.

kerouac

Sarastro gives wise advice.

ambage

I booked via the French version of the sncf site (just copy and paste the phrases into Google Translator if you get stuck). You should be able to print out your tickets yourself. I did this for Avignon-Paris.

However, the print functionality was down when I was trying to book my Paris-Strasbourg tickets. Assuming I would have no problems with my US credit card, I selected the option to retrieve via the ticket machine.

Once I found out there were problems with US cards, I simply phoned the sncf ticket office, and they graciously mailed my tickets to me free of charge. I received them within 4-5 days.

The other option is to just take the same card you used to book them and go to a ticket window when you get there.

Travelnut

... and you can also pick up tickets at any SNCF 'boutique' around Paris, not just at a train station.