Comments on: France Train Tickets: How to book tickets on the SNCF website (in French!)

By: Mandeep

Mandeep — Mon, 19 Jun 2023 00:25:20 +0000

I dnt have last name on my passport, what to enter in last name while making a booking?

By: Rosana F Zomignani

Rosana F Zomignani — Fri, 14 Jun 2019 12:57:33 +0000

I was robbed in Paris subway and the robber stole all my credit cards and bought over 20 SNCF tickets on May 25, 2019. I’d like to know if it is necessary to have a passcode to buy your tickets in the stations or anywhere else.
The credit cards had chips and I believe the robber couldn’t know my passcodes but he managed to buy all these tickets and now the bank doesn’t want to pay me because they say a passcode was used. He couldn’t have known my passcode and also my mother’s passcode but anyway he bought tickets on my cards and on hers, too.
Please, just inform me if it’s possible to buy your tickets without using any passcode, just using the physical card and the security code behind it.
PS: The case was registered in Paris police the next day, May 26.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Sun, 03 May 2015 06:45:20 +0000

Hi there! I’m having the same problem at the moment… I booked a couple of tickets on th sncf website but was never asked for the passenger info.. did yours go through ok?

Jenny

By: jule

jule — Fri, 31 May 2013 08:53:00 +0000

Hi,

this is a great post to tell non-French speakers how to make the best use of the French sncf website. I found this post during an online search for the problem me and i my partner are experiencing right now. I speak French though, so at least that was not an obstacle.

We tried to purchase tickets for August and secure a Leisure prem price. It all worked fine until the payment moment ($121), when we got rejected. I tried once with my US credit card, and checked with my bank – they did not block it from their end and say the problem must be at sncf’s side. My partner tried six times with his US cc to no avail, his bank informed and authorising the purchase from their end as well.

So while we were trying to figure out how to get our tickets instead, we notice that “SNCF INTERNET” has put holds on our accounts, $121 in my case and $726 in his! How is that even possible? Refusing the payment but still holding the money on our accounts?

I tried the purchase on Tue May 28 and the hold is still intact today Fri May 31. My partner tried the purchases on Wed. We both send email complaints thru their website on Wed, until now no response.

This is one of the most frustrating experiences i have ever made and i am curious as to when the credit holds will finally be lifted as we need our accounts for other bills, too, and we do not have tickets in hand either.

Has anyone ever experienced SNCF credit holds after rejected purchases and if so, when were they finally lifted?

Thanks for any info!
jule

By: nagaraj

nagaraj — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 10:13:24 +0000

Hi,
I wanted to go from belfort to strasbourg , so wentto station and the ticket vending machine was only i french.. which i dont understand
i have taken help of the local french guy and he helped me to take 2 tickets, using my visa cerdit card

In the ticket it was mention valid from 30 March to 29 th may… is this means i can travel in any of this date?

I got two tickets,, but in both tickets it is mentioned Belfort to Strassbourg, i asked the french guy he said this is for return..
I am little confused since on both the tickets it is only mentioned from BELFORT to STRASSBOURG… Can any one help me is it right that i can also use the another ticket for my return journey

Last question how can i cancel the ticket if i dont want to travel?

need help as all the SNCF website are in french.. which i cant understand
Regards

By: George Raymond

George Raymond — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 10:01:17 +0000

The SNCF site seems to be working fine to me. Maybe you should try it with the computer of someone else who regularly books travel on line. If it works there, then something must be wrong (maybe the security settings?) with yours.

George

By: Ana Marija

Ana Marija — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 09:17:44 +0000

but the thing is that I can’t even get to that stage where I could pay for ticket. Even step one is different now on their page http://www.voyages-sncf.com/ – after you fill in the datails about your travel and click search (rechercher) it just doesn’t work, unavailable :'(

By: George Raymond

George Raymond — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 21:16:12 +0000

Ana Marija,

I don’t know if this applies in your case, but in the past I have sometimes had trouble when using a non-French credit card on the SNCF site. I also recall seeing a limit of something like two or three transactions per day with a non-French card. Maybe you could nicely ask your e-mail contact at SNCF under what circumstances non-French card may have problems – and post what you learn here.

George

By: Ana Marija

Ana Marija — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 09:57:59 +0000

What’s happening with sncf.com page right now?? When you try to make a reservation and buy a ticket it says it’s currently unavailable and it’s unavailable all the time. I’ve contacted them and they directed me to http://www.tgv-europe.com site. This site is also unavailable for make reservation – at the end of “booking” proces it just gives you e-mail to contact some people (it depends on in which country you’re living).

Now I have arranged over that e-mail contact pearson to find ticket which I want to buy, but price is increased for 10€ fee. And they want me to send them all my credit card details by e-mail, so they could charge it.

This really seems stupid to me, I mean it’s not normal..

Does anyone has some other option to propose? (The ticket should be Marseille-Lyon/Saint Etienne, so http://www.idtgv.com site won’t work..)

By: anthony

anthony — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 09:14:16 +0000

just go directly to http://www.idtgv.com and book your tickets