Collecting SNCF Tickets

[skyward]

Hi all,

Not long ago I purchased some TGV tickets for collection at a French station with a Visa credit card at voyages-sncf.com (not the UK site as I wanted to be billed in EUR instead of GBP). It appears that I would need the valid, original card to retrieve my tickets, according to this: http://help.en.voyages-sncf.com/en/retrieval-methods/in-sncf-station.

Recently I asked for my card to be replaced as some bloke was literally looking over my shoulder as I made an online purchase, while waiting at the transit lounge (note to self: never ever do that again...). I was given a new card with different card numbers. My worry is that I won't be able to collect my tickets with this new card, but I happen to have my old card unshredded and I was wondering if I could still collect with it.

Does anybody know by any chance if the ticket machines in France will indeed communicate with card issuers to confirm validity, or do the machines merely compare the card details against the booking reference on the spot and release the tickets right away? What seems to be my best course of action here?

A million thanks!

 

[Bletchleyite]

The latter, same as the UK (I believe).

You will do best to contact SNCF in some way, though there is a chance the old card may work.

 

[Panceltic]

Every time I was collecting tickets in France, I had to type in my PIN. Tickets only got printed after the "PIN OK" message was displayed and the card removed.

Many years ago I had a MasterCard with no PIN* and it wouldn't work in the French ticket machines. I had to go to the counter where I got my tickets issued by a ticket clerk. She was most surprised when the tickets appeared out of her printer without me having typed in my PIN before.

So it seems everything depends on the type of your card.

*There was a PIN actually, but it only worked in cash mashines. For purchases, the card worked as chip-and-signature.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Every time I was collecting tickets in France, I had to type in my PIN. Tickets only got printed after the "PIN OK" message was displayed and the card removed.

You can do a PIN challenge-response to the card without going online for authorisation[1], so unless the card has been disabled by being inserted into something after being blocked it might still work. That said, if they do something odd like a EUR 0.01 pre-authorisation to check it (but never claim the sum) it wouldn't work.

I still think the OP is best advised to contact SNCF in the first instance. Or risk having to buy a walk-up - but the risk then is that the train is full, so that is worse than the risk in the UK where the worst case is an Anytime ticket but you will get to travel.

[1] ISTR that if you order online from Screwfix for collection, they bill your card CNP but do exactly that when you collect.

 

[Gordon]

Based on previous experiences: If the new card has different numbers, I would be very worried. I suspect that it will not work in a machine which is expecting the full details of the old card.

 

[skyward]

Thanks so much, everyone.

Took the advice and just had a chat with SNCF using their UK number. I was advised that the delivery method cannot be amended, hence I could not have the tickets posted to me instead. The adviser did mention that if the TVMs wouldn't accept my old card, I would have to visit the ticket office and explain my story there (parlez-vous anglais ? ), showing my old card - no guarantee that they would release my tickets, but if they wouldn't they should be able to refund the tickets.

Given I am not travelling on a relatively busy route (or is it on a Monday evening between Carcassonne and Toulouse?), and there are both TGV and TER trains, I am alright with buying walk-on tickets. Not a great experience, but what else can you do?

Will report back nonetheless!

 

[Gordon]

Indeed there are a number of walk-on regional trains Carcassonne - Toulouse in the evening. No real need to book in advance for such a journey.