How come the senior rates are sometimes higher than the prems?
Does anything happen if you buy a regular fare and you are a senior?
|||
PREMs are always the least expensive fares. Anyone, regardless of age, can buy a ticket with a PREMs fare. Nobody will ask you for proof of age or anything of that sort.
The major difference is that PREms tickets are completely non-refundable. Tickets with a senior discount are refundable, at least in part if not entirely.
|||
Does anything happen if you buy a regular fare and you are a senior?
To get senior rates , you must be over 60 and buy a %26quot;senior card%26quot; which costs €53 and is valid for one year.
You get a 50% or 25% discount depending on the day/hour of your train.. You have to show the card AND your ticket in the train.
Most senior tickets are exchangeable/ refundable up to the very last minute before the train leaves the station - not after.
|||
Re senior rates--
When I go on the SNCF site (English version), it just asks age of traveler, and I can%26#39;t see a question about having a senior card. We haven%26#39;t actually tried to book senior-rate tickets on-line yet (have just done the PREMS so far), but if we did, would we be asked to give a senior card number, or would we have to show such a card when we pick up the tickets in France? I somehow missed or overlooked the requirement for purchasing the senior card to get the discount in all the various postings and instructions about SNCF booking.
|||
I%26#39;d have to check this to be absolutely certain, but there are *some* automatic discounts you can get on account of age without having to buy a Carte Senior. I%26#39;m pretty sure of that, in fact but I do not recall the details. In any case the discount is less than it would be if you had a Carte. I suppose you might be asked for proof of age if you had selected a fare with an age-based discount.
The Carte Senior provides an automatic discount on all fares (50% on TGV and Corail Téoz trains, 25% on most others, with some exceptions) but it is probably not worth buying unless you are travelling extensively, and definitely not if you can take advantage of PREMs fares. The main advantage it provides is that you can get the Senior discount even on last minute bookings
I there is a lower fare, provided it is an adult fare, than the fare you would be eligible for as a Senior with or without a Carte, you can certainly travel on that fare.
There is also a more expensive Carte Escapades for those younger than 60 that provides a discount of up to 40% on round-trips longer than 200 km with a Saturday or Sunday overnight. At 85€ however it is probably not useful to most visitors staying only a few weeks.
|||
When I go on the SNCF site (English version), it just asks age of traveler, and I can%26#39;t see a question about having a senior card. We haven%26#39;t actually tried to book senior-rate tickets on-line yet (have just done the PREMS so far), but if we did, would we be asked to give a senior card number, or would we have to show such a card when we pick up the tickets in France? I somehow missed or overlooked the requirement for purchasing the senior card to get the discount in all the various postings and instructions about SNCF booking.
I am on the French version of the SNCF site.
I suppose the reason they do not mention the Senior Card is because few visitors would buy it. You have to make at least one big trip a year (like Paris-Nice and back for instance) to %26quot;get even%26quot;. I do not think you can purchase the senior card on line, it has to be done at the station or SNCF boutiques (photograph required).
You do not have to provide your card number when you order your ticket nor do you have to show your card when you pick up your ticket. They will check BOTH in the train. They ALWAYS do.
Irishr%26#39;ver : I beg to disagree. The Carte Senior does not guarantee automatically a 50% discount on all TGV%26#39;s but a minimum of 25%.on all trains.
They probably have a certain number of seats available with a 50% discount and when they are sold out, you only get 25% off. Sometimes it is worth travelling 1st class at 50% off the price than 2nd class at 25%
|||
So, is the definitive answer: SENIOR FARE RATES ARE ONLY APPLICABLE IF YOU HAVE AN OFFICIAL CARD? It truly is not all that clear on the English version in the SNCF booking site. Instead of askiing for the traveler%26#39;s age, shouldn%26#39;t it read: Are you a holder of a senior card?
|||
%26gt;%26gt;%26gt; Irishr%26#39;ver : I beg to disagree. The Carte Senior does not guarantee automatically a 50% discount on all TGV%26#39;s but a minimum of 25%.on all trains. %26lt;%26lt;%26lt;
Not according to the SNCF site where you will find the following at http://www.senior-sncf.com/carte/avantages/
50 % de réduction
• Dans les TGV et les Corail Téoz ainsi que sur les places couchettes ou sièges inclinables des Corail de nuit et Corail Lunéa, dans la limite des places disponibles pour ce tarif.
• Sur les places assises des Corail et Corail Intercités, les voitures-lits et dans les TER, pour les trajets commencés en période bleue du calendrier voyageurs (calendrier disponible en gare).
25% de réduction
• Dans tous les autres cas!
• Et aussi lors de vos séjours en Europe dans l’un des 27 pays européens adhérents à RAILPLUS : Italie, Espagne, Norvège, République Tchèque… (Offre soumise à conditions).
|||
%26gt;%26gt;%26gt; So, is the definitive answer: SENIOR FARE RATES ARE ONLY APPLICABLE IF YOU HAVE AN OFFICIAL CARD? %26lt;%26lt;%26lt;
No. Just plug in your age. if a senior discount is available — and there are SOME circumstances under which they are REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU HAVE A CARD OR NOT — it will automatically show up in the tabulation of fares for the train(s) you have selected.
|||
Ah, just a moment. I see what you are saying, PVoyageuse. The operative phrase you are referring to is this one, yes? %26quot;dans la limite des places disponibles pour ce tarif.%26quot;
OK, now I think we are in agreement. A 50% reduction IS available on all TGVs but if you are too late in booking you may only be eligible for a lower discount, namely 25%.
My apologies for misunderstanding what you were saying.
|||
Thanks Irish. That%26#39;s what it looked like to me, but the other poster had me confused. It%26#39;s bad enough to be eligible for senior rates, but to be confused on top of that . . .!
No comments:
Post a Comment