Booking train tickets on the TGV and French rail system

[jirit]

Has anybody run into issues booking tickets on the TGV.com site?

I tried to book a pair of tickets from Lourdes to Bordeau and another pair of tickets from Bordeau to Paris departing June 23 but my Canadian credit cards (two) were rejected.
(I have used the same cards elsewhere on other European sites without any issues)

I read that you can only book one transaction per day on the TGV site and the daily limit transaction limit is only 150 euro (my transaction includes 2 pairs of tickets totaling less than 140 euro)

Any suggestions?

Thanks

 

[mspath]

Hello Jirit!

Usually you can only book TGV tickets 3 months in advance. Thus you may need to wait until 23 March to do your booking for June.

Another site you might try is http://www.voyages-sncf.com/.

Bon Chance and Buen Camino!

Margaret

 

[jirit]

Hello Jirit!

Usually you can only book TGV tickets 3 months in advance. Thus you may need to wait until 23 March to do your booking for June.

Another site you might try is http://www.voyages-sncf.com/.

Bon Chance and Buen Camino!

Margaret

Hi Margaret

iDTGV tickets can be bought six months in advance, and the Bordeaux to Paris is considered a iDTGV segment.

But maybe they can only be bought by those living in France (ie not by foreigners). For the rest of the world we have to wait until 3 months. No deals for us.

Actually TGV replied and suggested they could not get an authorization from my bank which in turn my bank indicated no such authorization was requested. He said, she said kind of situation.

Not much I can do but wait at least 3 days since they have locked out my credit cards as part of the pre-authorization process and try again using my wife's credit card. Maybe that will work.

I have reserved a car and I might just drive back to Paris and save the trouble of dealing with TVG/SNCF

 

[jirit]

Further update that maybe of interest to others especially those living in Canada or the USA:

Obviously I have not been able to confirm this, however from all indications iDTGV tickets are only for the French. Foreigners can attempt to purchase these types of tickets but really they are not welcomed to purchase them, and the one way SNCF achieves this is by rejecting selected foreign credit cards, thus ensuring only French and selected European nationals are able to purchase tickets types of tickets.

From what I can determine there is no written or published policy that you can find on the website but based on comments and emails received by others that have faced this same situation, there is an internal policy of sorts. I am obviously not the only Canadian to faced this situation it seems - many in the past have experienced the same issue with iDTGV tickets

So bottom line as a foreigner my options are to wait until the 90 day mark and hopefully buy simple TGV tickets, and/or buy them through the expensive Canadian/US Eurail Europe sites which by default jack up the prices by 50-100% while reducing the availability of times and seats

 

[merrellj]

Which site are you using?

The front screen of the tgv-europe.com site attempts to redirect UK users back to their raileurope site in London, but you can decline this option and book direct from the UK in euros or indeed internationally, as explained by this link:

http://www.seat61.com/France-trains.htm ... s-sncf.com

 

[jirit]

Which site are you using?

The front screen of the tgv-europe.com site attempts to redirect UK users back to their raileurope site in London, but you can decline this option and book direct from the UK in euros or indeed internationally, as explained by this link:

http://www.seat61.com/France-trains.htm ... s-sncf.com

I was always using the main TGV site http://www.tgv-europe.com/en/

I am well aware if I select UK I end up at the UK site.
Likewise if you select Canada you end up on the Eurail.ca site.

It seems to be an issue of select iDTGV tickets, normally available for sale 6 months in advance but only for sale for French nationals. Legally France would not be allowed to restrict the sale of these tickets to foreigner under VISA merchant rules but they get around this rule by not accepting selected foreign credit cards, without exactly saying this.

 

[karennz2012]

Hey Jrit

I dont know anything about the 6months- in advance- tickets but you can still get really good deals on line 90days in advance by doing as Merrilj suggests and declining the offer to go to your own country's site and staying on the tgv french site and paying in euros.

good luck
karen

 

[oursonpolaire]

I, too, have spent hours of my life, never to be replaced, on the SNCF board in a vain attempt to buy tickets from Canada. As can be seen from other posters, the experience can be compared to engaging in self-administered dentistry. I have spoken the people at the French tourist office in Montréal on this, and they offered me sympathy and, although the incident was in the past, one employee helfpfully offered to call France to arrange tickets for me. I suggested that a more useful call would be to SNCF to have them get their internet purchase act together.

However, I found that in September and October (admittedly not the high-volume travelling period), I had absolutely no problem in getting tickets by presenting myself at the SNCF station at Charles de Gaulle airport. While I speak French, I observed staff members operating in English without any trouble.

 

[KiwiNomad06]

[quote="oursonpolaire" However, I found that in September and October (admittedly not the high-volume travelling period), I had absolutely no problem in getting tickets by presenting myself at the SNCF station at Charles de Gaulle airport. [/quote]
I have travelled (in a pre-pilgrim life) quite a bit on French trains and have generally found I can get a ticket/seat at short notice. Unless you are travelling around a holiday weekend, there are usually seats available. You just won't get any advance purchase discounts that might be going...
Margaret

 

[jirit]

Thanks All for your kind feedback and comments

I have come the conclusion that the route cause of my issues was my attempt to buy a certain type of train ticket - the iDTGV ticket which normally goes on sales at a deep discount six months prior, unlike the normal TGV ticket which goes on sales 3 months prior.

iDTGV is the deep discount sub of SNCF, and was set up to offer discount prices to French nationals. Since the average French citizen is heavily supporting the train service in France, I suspect there is an internal policy in place to ensure only French nationals and select European nationals access to these types of tickets. Since there is no effective to restrict online ticket sales by address or nationality during the selection process, the most effective and alternate way is to ensure that iDTGV can only process French national credit cards. One assumes that you must be a French national in order to have a French credit card. No French credit card, no iDTVG ticket - Voila!

I will wait a few more weeks, and that same ticket should now be sold via TGV (and not iDTGV) and then I should be able to purchase the tickets. Hopefully?

If the train ticket prices for this section get much higher, I will use the rental car and drive back to Paris

As they say in France - c'est la vie

 

[gaulsdog]

I do think you can buy IDTGV tickets up to 6 months in advance, but the times for travelling is only one or 2 trains a day between most cities.

I always just go to http://www.sncf.fr and use the french language site and also saying I live in france then when the purchase is completed just use the option to print your tickets.

That last one I purchased only cost 40 euros for a first class single trip between Paris and Handay

 

[WanderingChristian]

40 euro for first class? That sounds almost too good to be true. I tried to arrange TGV tickets from Montparnasse to SJPdP via Bordeaux or Bayonne, and the going rate was 190USD for 1st class. I dont speak French very well, so using the French TGV site is out. Little help?

De Colores y Buen Camino,
WanderingChristian:arrow:

 

[jirit]

I do think you can buy IDTGV tickets up to 6 months in advance, but the times for travelling is only one or 2 trains a day between most cities.

I always just go to http://www.sncf.fr and use the french language site and also saying I live in france then when the purchase is completed just use the option to print your tickets.

That last one I purchased only cost 40 euros for a first class single trip between Paris and Handay

Hi Gaulsdog

Tried this method too - tried telling I live in the UK, France and Canada but each time when it came time to process my Canadian Visa card - nada.

What type of credit card did you use and from where?

Neville

 

[gaulsdog]

I have purchased them from London UK

I have either used a visa from uk bank or master card from Bank of America never a problem.

Try http://www.raileurope.com some friends of mine from the states have purchase them from this site but I dont think you can print the tickets out on the spot or the price is not as good .

Cant see how the credit card makes a difference unless your bank is rejecting the sale associating it with fraud, I have had purchaases from RENFE rejected several times by the UK credit card company but I rerun the purchase using the American card and it always went through.

Good luck

 

[jirit]

I have purchased them from London UK

I have either used a visa from uk bank or master card from Bank of America never a problem.

Try http://www.raileurope.com some friends of mine from the states have purchase them from this site but I dont think you can print the tickets out on the spot or the price is not as good .

Cant see how the credit card makes a difference unless your bank is rejecting the sale associating it with fraud, I have had purchaases from RENFE rejected several times by the UK credit card company but I rerun the purchase using the American card and it always went through.

Good luck

What I discovered that for the iDTGV tickets they accept French, UK and selected US credit cards. Otherwise they reject all other cards in order to allow others to get the deep discount tickets.

My bank told me that they never tried to authorize the transaction.

My assumption come next week, is I should be able to purchase the regular TGV tickets (different sub or company under the SNCF organization) once these become available for sale. Lets hope.

 

[jirit]

I was finally able to book the tickets!

The issue was it appears my attempt the book the iDTVG tickets instead of the TGV Prem tickets.

The good news is the new tickets are now 10 euros cheaper than before!

All in for two people Lourdes to Paris - 114 euros