Making reservations to use FIP coupons on TGVs?

[Rave]

Hi all,

Sorry if this is a regular question but I did a quick search and couldn't find an answer. I'm a recently qualified driver in the UK and am keen to start making use of my FIP privileges. I'm trying to get to Lyon in October to go to the Palace Europa League game. So I followed The Man In Seat 61's advice and ordered some FIP coupons for France from RST. He and other sources tell me that I need to pay for seat reservations on the TGV services I want to use. So I bought an international minutes bundle from my mobile provider and rang the SNCF number ( +33 1 84 94 36 35 ). I hit #85 to get through to an English speaker and waited ~25 mins on hold. Eventually a nice lady said that I needed to book with SNCF Connect and put me through to them; there the nice chap said that it wasn't his job and put me through to yet another number which I suspect from the hold music was merely the same service I'd originally called. The final lady I spoke to didn't speak English but via my very broken French I gathered that she was saying that it was not possible to make reservations over the phone any more and that I should buy my reservations at the station.

I'm not all that keen on that idea as I suspect the train will be full of other Palace fans and will potentially sell out- though I went on raileurope.com and it looked as if it was still possible to buy a reservation for an interrail pass holder so hopefully there are some seats currently available. I would much prefer to sort it out before I go rather than chance being stuck in Paris struggling to get to Lyon on the day! If anyone can advice me of the current state of play I'd be very grateful.

Also, as a possible backup plan, is it possible to trundle slowly from Paris to Lyon using local rail services? I arrive at the Gare Du Nord at 0930 or something and kick off is at 1845 so I could potentially just slowly wend my way over. It appears that my final option would be to use my FIP card to prepurchase seats on the same trains my friends are travelling on for a 50% discount on the currently 140 Euro fare...or take the Ouigo on the way out that leaves an hour later for E29...

Incidentally buying the Eurostar tickets for the first leg of the trip was a piece of cake, I just rolled up to the ticket office at St Pancras, handed over my FIP card, told them which trains and seat numbers I wanted, and handed over 69 quid, no hassle whatsoever!

TIA

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 21 Sep 2026 ==

I've finally sorted this after another call to SNCF where I got passed from pillar to post and back again. SNCF Voyageurs initially passed me on to SNCF Connect who denied responsibility and then passed me back. SNCF Voyageurs then did finally accept that they could take the booking after I quoted code CF70 at them and after the operator had a conflab behind the scenes while I was on hold. "But you have to pay for them!" "Yes I know, that's what I'm trying to do!" .

Anyway after all that the trains turned out to be off peak so it was E2 each way, the international minutes bundle cost me 7 quid! Hopefully RST get me the coupons in time, why they wait for 3 weeks before travel before posting them is beyond me, hopefully they'll arrive later this week.

 

[Rab Smith]

So, is the English option for tickets not working anymore? I used it last year with no problems at all and booked several TGV trips. It still showing on the RSTL travel tips for Europe section as an option.
Would be good to know as I'm currently in Switzerland and need to get to Paris on Friday!

 

[Flying Snail]

Typical SNCF behaviour, paying customers also get this treatment.

 

[SHD]

Also, as a possible backup plan, is it possible to trundle slowly from Paris to Lyon using local rail services?

There are indeed direct Paris-Lyon TER services. Notably the daily service departing at 13.35 and arriving at 18.44.
It is also possible to join together shorter hops on the line: Paris-Laroche - Laroche-Dijon - Dijon-Lyon.

https://ter-fiches-horaires.sncf.fr/publish/Fiche_horaires_Lyon_Dijon_Laroche-Migennes_Paris_SA2026.pdf

 

[TheWierdOne]

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So, is the English option for tickets not working anymore? I used it last year with no problems at all and booked several TGV trips. It still showing on the RSTL travel tips for Europe section as an option.
Would be good to know as I'm currently in Switzerland and need to get to Paris on Friday!

I think it’s possibly down to whoever picks up the phone. I had a very helpful lady just a few weeks ago who spoke decent English (although appreciated me speaking fluent French) and did all my TGV and Eurostar tickets on the itinerary I asked for quite promptly. The only difficulty being a rather long hold time and the telephone payment method wouldn’t work so she had to send me a payment link.

 

[Rab Smith]

I went in to the SNCF ticket office in Lyon and 5 minutes later had walked out with reservations on 2 TGV trips, one to Toulon and Toulon Paris the following day. Price, €13 for both because the first train was classed as peak.
I would much rather use the ticket office option as I find the staff much more helpful as you speak face to face with them. She did have a problem with English but called over a colleague who spoke perfect English who translated no problem!
Another quick point with respect to SNCF, if travelling in the Paris area, it is nigh on impossible to get the 'contremarque de passage' paper ticket to work the barriers. Paris suburban stations are increasingly unmanned and the bigger stations i.e Versailles Chantiers when asking for the ticket, you are basically told Non! Not a problem though as a quick flash of your FIP card and free Coupon gets you buzzed through by station staff. Just trying to find one is more of a problem as I found in Montparnasse Station.