I'm trying to buy train tickets on line at SNCF. I input all the correct information and it says:
"Check the order of the data entered (DD/MM/YYYY) or change the age of the passengers so that the fare selected will still be valid at the date of travel."
I don't know what to do because the dates are all correct and the age of the passengers is reflected correctly. Does anyone know what corrections I'm suppose to make so the purchases will go through?
Ok, so I did figure it out. I put the date then month then year rather than month, date and year. I thought I checked that!
New problem I need help with. Now it won't accept my credit card. I tried two different cards and it won't seem to accept either. Any ideas?
My guess is the same as George's. Have you called your credit card to tell them you are trying to buy train tickets from a French website? They might be blocking international purchases because they don't know you are doing it. On the Spanish train site, you also have to have your card registered with Verified by Visa. What type of card are you trying to use?
I'm using a Capital One credit card that I have used for other purchases in Europe like a deposit on an apartment in Paris and recent Eiffel Tower tickets, although I have not called them yet to alert them. Then I tried an AmEx card, same result. I will call Capital One and see if that is it.
Could it be anything else? I sure hope to get these tickets before the price goes up.
After calling cap1 and no joy, try www.capitainetrain.com. You get the same tickets at the same price, but fewer credit card verification glitches. In fact, while on the line to cap1, tell them you might also be trying the transaction on Capitaine train. Works for me.
It may be the good ol' credit card problem. If you have a PayPal account, that should go through with no problem.
I ran into this problem 2 years ago and it turned out that SCNF had a limit (dollar) on how much we could purchase at one time. It had nothing to do with my credit card. We had to purchase on 2 separate days to get in under the amount. Not sure what else might be going on.
Thanks for all the good advice. I will give all your suggestions a try!
I just now called Cap One and they said the CC was fine and it should not be a problem. So, I went to http://www.capitainetrain.com/ as Sam suggested and my transaction went through easily. It was the "verification" process where it was denied, yet the screen came up with the same verification process (I think) on the capitainetrain web site as the SNCF site, but capitainetrain accepted and SNCF denied. Oh well. I got my tickets!
Thanks for all the help! What would I do without all of you??
Sam, will I get a chance to print my tickets? They say I will get an email in several hours confirming my transaction. I would prefer to print rather than have to pick up at the station. Do you know?
