I arrived at the Gare du Nord train station and proceeded to the Navigo Easy recharging ticket machine. I charged 6 tickets. The card reader showed 6 tickets. When I went to the Metro gate, it refused entry. I went to each of about 8 gates. Each time I was refused.
I went back to the ticket machine and rechecked. Yes, 6 tickets on my card. Back to the gates. Refused. The customer service booths were all backed up. I just happened to have a second card with one ride and it worked. When I arrived at the next Metro station, the card with 6 tickets worked perfectly.
Any ideas? Is there some sort of lag time between reloading the card and using it?
Posted by
3174 posts
I don't know how this might fit into your narrative but there is an approximate 4 hour time delay between using the last airport ticket (14€) on your Easy card and being able to load MTR tickets (métro/train/RER) at 2.55€. There is an approximate 6 - 10 minute time delay between being able to use an Easy card at a turnstile a second time. This precludes someone being mistakenly charged twice for the same ride and it hugely discourages more than one person attempting to travel on the same Easy card.
Other than that, I am unfamiliar with any time delay which could affect using an Easy card.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
16765 posts
Interesting, Rosamunde. Sorry you had a problem.
Tocard, I did not know about the lag time.
Last Fall I had a different issue with the Easy card. I had difficulties loading my old Navigo Easy card at a Metro recharging station. I had 3 rides left from the year before so I thought it was because they were then different prices. I went to the window but the attendant could not figure it out and said to use the 3 rides and then recharge. I went about my day, then that night decided to see what I could do with the IDF Mobilities app. Well, what do you know but I was able to recharge the Easy card with one old ride still remaining on the card so that wasn't it. It worked perfectly the next day.
How many rides do you have left on your card? I might try recharging them at home on the IDF app well before you next travel to Paris which would solve the wait time issue.
Posted by
3174 posts
I had 3 rides left from the year before so I thought it was because they were then different prices.
Might not apply here but, if anyone has the older tickets t+ still on an Easy card, these tickets operate in the same way they did when purchased; they are valid on the métro/bus/funicular/tramway. They may not be used on the RER outside zone 1 or roughly the Paris city limits.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
16765 posts
Thanks for that information. I hope I used up the remaining "old" ride I had on the Easy card as I think I emptied that one and started using a card with rides on it from a friend.
Posted by
Chicago
9527 posts
When I went to use my old Easy card on the last trip, it would not load metro tickets -- I took it to the window (and yes long line, it was at Chatelet and very aggravating as I had waited in line for the machines as well) and they read it and discovered that the card was now defective -- They just gave me a new card loaded with the remaining tickets. NEs are not as stable as the Navigo Decouverte cards and they sometimes simply fail to work and need replacing.