Can I buy train tickets in any train station - using machines?

Frances,

In the same situation, I'd just visit one of the SNCF Boutiques after arrival in Paris, and buy tickets there. You could also buy at any of the larger train stations.

Since they are regional trains, there is really no point of buying in advance. Most trains just run between Paris St Lazare and Rouen. If you have a PIN&Chip credit card, you could buy out of a machine, but otherwise at stations and boutiques.

I'm not familiar with this specific route, but looking at Capitaine Train, it appears to be a commuter route with local trains running often. In similar situations, I've not had issues buying tickets at the station right before hopping on. I usually make sure I have the fare in cash so I can use a machine (I don't have a chip and pin card), but St. Lazare is a large enough station (that is to say, quite large) to have customer service reps as well.

Thank you all for your quick responses - we really appreciate it.

in my experience most distance trains like the one to Vernon do not have machines that take Euros but require credit cards and do not take US credit cards. We have always had to purchase these tickets at the window and the day we chose for Giverny, the line was over an hour long -- so we missed our train and decided to go the next day.

The previous poster is not quite correct. The French rail system (SNCF) ticket machines will take a US credit card if it is a true chip-and-PIN card. I've done it many times myself. However, most of the new US credit cards with a chip are chip-and-signature cards, which usually will NOT work in SNCF machines. If you want to be certain your card will buy French rail tickets, get a chip-and-PIN card from a credit union such as Andrews Federal Credit Union. For an up-to-date list, see this Google docs file.
In most cases, you can join a non-profit organization and qualify to be the credit union member.

yes some chip and pin cards from the US will work. The card has to be in their system and most US credit cards will not work; chip and signature is worthless -- it is not more usable in European machines than the magnetic strip cards.

The only disadvantage to buying tickets for the regional trains at the station is standing in line for an agent, which may (or may not) take a long time. You can use any station for the purchase, not just the departure terminal.

Will the Schwab Visa Debit card that I used online for my train tickets from SNCF allow me to collect these tickets from the machines and not have to wait at a counter? Honestly, in all this confusion I cannot figure out if the chip in this card is sufficent for their system.

I am thinking it would because it has a chip with the gold contact points and a 4 digit PIN. Give it a try. If it doesn't work, get in line.

Thanks. Have you tried to make sense of the description of this card when you Google "Schwab Chip and Pin"? In spite of what the CSR told me last week, I cannot tell what I have based on these descriptions...

My advice is don't assume, and don't necessarily trust someone on the phone because they don't really understand chip and PIN. Do some Google, there are articles that list banks/credit unions that issue true chip and PIN cards. Like Andrews FCU. Anyone can join, there's just a little rigamarole you have to go through.