So at the advise of some of you (very helpful by the way), I went to the TGV site (www.tgv-europe.com) using 'Great Britan' as my country to avoid being routed to the RailEurope site which has much higher prices. As I got ready to pay for my tickets, I ed to pick them up at a Paris train station. The issue is that the choices with which I can use my credit card state clearly that I will not be able to pick up the tickets unless I have a PIN number, and if getting the tickets from the automatic machines, my Credit Card has to have the famous chip, which mine does not have. I called my credit card bank and the PIN they usually assigned is DIFFERENT than what the French expect at the time of ticket pick up. How do I purchase my tickets then? What PIN are they referring to? On the other hand, if I go through Swiss rail (www.sbb.ch/en/index.htm) I can purchase them and print them at home, but the ticket pricing is higher, so this is why my heart is set on TGV. Any ideas on how to proceed?
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
32735 posts
I expect the PIN they will want will be the identification number of your reservation - otherwise they wouldn't be able to know which one you want to pull up. If you can't get the kiosk to work you could use a manned window.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
Here is a quote from the tgv-europe site in reference to the PIN requirement: "Warning: you will be asked to provide the bank card that was used to pay for the ticket as well as its secret code in order to retrieve your ticket." To me that sounds like the PIN your credit card company will issue you if you wish to be able to use your card to get cash from ATMs, not something directly connected with your ticket reservation. I suggest that you talk to your credit card provider again. You also could click on the "contact us" link and then on the "home delivery/retrieving tickets" link on the tgv-europe site and send them an e-mail.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
When you get the answer, please post it on this thread. Like Nigel, I've always assumed that all you need to retrieve a ticket from an agent at the window is the card you used when booking it plus the confirmation number sent to you by e-mail. If the PIN referred to on the tgv-europe site is something other than a confirmation code, lots of people are going to be in trouble when they try to pick up their tickets. Not everyone, me included, has asked a credit card provider to assign a PIN.
Posted by
OP
Houston, Texas, USA
17 posts
I have not been able to find out for sure. What I ended up doing was go to the Swiss Rail site SBB and booked my trip there - it wasn't that much more $ and they allow you to print your tickets. HOWEVER - The issue is that there was a system glitch then I did it and I was charged on my CC yet I did not get the PDF with the tickets. I did raise a claim with SBB and they came back to me assuring me they don't charge unless the tickets are issued, so it may just be the bank 'reserving' the money and it will back out eventually (I pray). I took screen shots of the issue and sent them to SBB and am awaiting a response. The SBB website is state of the art though. I work in computers and I tell you, it's impressive.