TGV travel in France

I think your impression that you must buy iDTGV to get an eTicket is mistaken. We travelled from CDG-TGV to Tours in July with eTickets bought as TGV tickets. I presume you've read Rick's advice about picking a different English-speaking country so that you are not routed to RailEurope. I did have trouble with American Express approving the foreign charge, but that was not related to the type of ticket. I bought non-refundable leisure ("loisir") fares that had a fee to exchange on the day of travel, but you could save even more by getting non-changeable if it's far enough in advance. My tickets were immediately downloadable, once I approved the AmEx charge and re-did the purchase. I had never heard of iDTGV until you posted: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187216-i137-k3457908-IdTGV_OR_TGV_What_is_the_difference-French_Riviera_Cote_d_Azur_Provence.html

Yes, Tim has a good point about calling your credit card company first. I neglected to do this and the first time it did not go. I called my credit card co fraud department and they immediately said "Somebody in France is trying to buy railway tickets on your card!" I explained the situation and they fixed it and said to go ahead and try again. It was also a good opportunity to tell them about my travel dates. So yes, they went through. They sent an email with a "print" button that said "you chose option to print at home, click to print your tickets" I still have all the email confirmation. Use Great Britain as residence country (they don't match it to the credit card address). The site I used was www.TGV-Europe.com

I am heading to France next week, and I have in my possesion TGV tickets for two of the legs of my journdey that I printed at home. The third leg, because it ends outside of France, I will pick up at the station. I have a confirmation number on the confirmation page, which I printed out at the end of the order process. It reads "Retrieve at the station or an SNCF boutique using the bankcard that was used to pay for the travel on line." So having the credit card in your posseion is your ID.

Sam, Thanks for your response. So after you paid for your ticket, you were able to click on a link to print out your tickets? Of did they send you a separate email?

Sam, I forgot to ask...which website did you use to purchase your tickets? Thanks again,
Joyce

As for how far in advance to reserve, there's no "right" answer. The cheapest tickets sell out first, then the next-cheapest, and so on. So, while the top price doesn't change, the price of the cheapest available ticket does. Of course, these cheapest tickets are non-changeable and non-refundable. Meaning, as soon as you know your travel plans for sure, book your tickets. On the other hand, if the cheap tickets are gone for your desired route, you can get them any time. Yes, depending on the ticket type, you can print it at home or pick it up in France (for TGV as well as iDTGV). If it's a print-at-home, you will get an e-mail with a PDF. This can be printed as often as you like; you will have to show your passport to use the ticket, so no one else can use it. If it's a pick-up-in-France, you can pick it up at a station, or else at an SNCF Boutique (storefronts that sell train tickets). I prefer the boutiques; you get to sit, in sort-of air conditioning, and take a number (like they used to do at bakeries). When your number is posted, you go to a desk to complete your transaction. You need the credit card used to purchase the ticket, and the e-mail with the transaction number will speed things up. Be careful not to select the "pick up at a ticket machine," unless you have a chip-and-pin card. The machines do not work with swipe cards. I once could not get the pick up at an office option, because I was trying to buy more than one ticket at a time. When I bought only one ticket at a time, the option to pick up the ticket at an office re-appeared.

iDTGV are special cars attached to the regular train. They are available on only certain routes. This page from the TGV-Europe site gives some information about the routes (although it certainly isn't as useful as it could be) http://special-offers.tgv-europe.com/en/idtgv?rfrr=reserver%20un%20billet%20accueil_footer_idtgv
Paris-Avignon and Lyon-Paris appear to qualify. Book as early as possible since other bargain-hunters will be ready to pounce at first availability.

I booked iDTGV Avignon to Paris 4 months prior to the date of my travel. I found it easy and cheep. I paid 29.90 euro for the one-way fare. TGV can only be booked 30 days in advance and it cost more. iDTGV seems to be geared towards young people on the site, and I was given the choice of a Zen car which I opted for. It's the quieter choice. But I'm not a young person. There were adults in my car and everything went very smoothly. I printed my ticket at home before I left. Does this help you?

You can book regular TGV tickets up to three months in advance, not 30 days. And if you do so as soon as the booking window opens, you can get discount fares that are nearly as low as iDTGV fares.

Thank you everyone. Your advice was very helpful. I have purchased my tickets and printed them out at home. Happy travels