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Re local train tickets and reservations

Posted by (Seattle) on

We have traveled using theTGV in France but for a trip in September we will use TER trains to go Quimper to Rennes and then later Rennes to St. Malo and have a couple of questions I hope someone can share a little knowledge about: 1) Is there a big price advantage to purchasing these tickets early on line like with the TGV tickets ? 2) If I use the SNCF site and enter a third country (liike Papua New Guinea) and print at home to avoid being referred to RailEurope is there any problem then entering a credit card with a US billing address ? and 3) Do print at home tickets need to be validated in the yellow validateur machines ?

Thanks so much

Posted by
33820 posts

1 no 2 no 3 no.

But just get them when you get there. If you get print at home ones you are limited to the train you bought.

Posted by
21143 posts
  1. I'd just buy at the station. Its an unreserved train, there are discounts available if over 59 or under 26, and if you did buy online you would still have to pick up the tickets at the station and validate them.
  2. Not to my knowledge, but in the last year I've had difficulties with the SNCF credit card vetting software, so I buy at www.capitainetrain.com.
  3. See 1. Tickets you can print at home are reserved seat train specific and don't need validation. TER tickets are picked up at the station, but you need to purchase with a PIN&Chip credit card and use the same card to get them from a machine, but you can pick them up from a ticket agent if you used a magstrip card. I'll add that PIN&chip cards are universal in Europe and the magstrip reader the agent uses can malfunction and the agent will have no clue because he/she has never seen one.
Posted by
9 posts

Thank you so very much. Good information that makes things easy. Sounds like stop worrying and just pick up tickets a day or two before is the way to go.

Thanks again.

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