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Buying youth (12-25 yr) train passes

I posted this on the transporation board a few days ago, but since it didn't get any replies, I thought it might be more relevant here... I'm under 25, and when I'm looking to buy a point-to-point ticket for France on SNCF's website, it asks if the traveler is a youth (12-25) or an adult (26-59). Then there's a second drop down box asking if the traveler has any sort of card or season ticket. To be able to purchase a youth ticket instead of an adult one, do I also have to purchase the Youth Eurail pass or the 12-25 card that is sold on the SNCF website? If not, will I be asked to show ID to prove that I'm under 25 when traveling? For some of my trip I will be traveling with someone who is 27, and I want to make sure it's ok to purchase one adult ticket and one youth ticket when we are traveling together without me having a youth pass or card, or if we need to have 2 adult tickets. Thanks!

Posted by
8700 posts

I did a dummy booking giving my age as 24. I was given the choice of PREM'S (discount), Discovery (youth), or standard fare tickets. I did not need to show that I had either a eurail pass or a youth card. I imagine that you might be asked to verify your age if the conductor thinks you look older than you are.

Posted by
31 posts

Thanks, Tim. I realize I wouldn't need to show a card/pass to make the booking itself, but I wanted to confirm that I wouldn't need to have one in conjunction with my youth ticket by the time I was traveling either. I know the SNCF website offers a number of reduced fare cards (senior, child, etc), including a 12-25 pass for 49 Euros, and I couldn't find an explanation for what the pass was for, so I thought I might have needed to purchase one of those to be allowed to purchase youth tickets.