SNCF Senior+ Railcard for Trains in France

Kenna,

I'm wondering if this will be a good saving? We will not be making any reservations ahead of time. Buying the ticket when we decide to leave.

Since you've decided not to book your tickets in advance, then getting the Senior + Railwaycard makes sense, however, you need to do the math and see if it will actually save you money, depending on how many times you will be riding the train.

If you change your mind and decide to save more money, then you may want to book your tickets up to 90 days in advance at considerable savings.

As a side note...If you plan to go up the Eiffel Tower, do consider booking your tickets 92 days in advance if you wish to avoid waiting in a long queue.

Happy travels!

If this is the case, then SNCF has changed its scheme. It used to be -25% for everyone 60 and older without buying the card, but -50% with the card, and the card was 100euros. Maybe someone living in France currently can bring us up to date.

This may be the only product that actually promises you a combination of savings and last-minute booking flexibility, "right up to the last available seat." You're pretty sure to recoup the 60-euro investment per person, so it's definitely better than paying full price. But I don't want you to be surprised at the base/flexible fares that the savings will be calculated against. You can get an overview of 2nd-class rates on our map at https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/france-rail-passes, in addition the details at SNCF.

In comparison, a Eurail France pass is a way to pre-pay for more of your travel, but there can be a limited number of seats open for pass holder reservations on the fast trains that require them, and no more senior discount, since management of the pass changed this year.

Bets, the link that Priscilla included is pretty easy reading and the card details match what we have summarized in our publications for a few years. It's still true that some 25% senior discounts don't require the card.

Has anyone tried to buy a SNCF Senior Railcard online recently? At this page I keep getting the message "L'accès à cette page est momentanément indisponible", and words to the effect of "try again later", every time I click on the "Buy your Senior Railcard now" button.

It doesn't seem to be a cookies problem, so I'm wondering if it's because I'm located in Australia. I'd be glad if someone elsewhere tried (without completing purchase, of course) to see if they get the same result.

Try a different browser. Can't hurt. I sometimes get blocked because I'm still using (for technical reasons) an older version of Internet Explorer. Switching to Chrome sometimes solves the problem.

Yes, I tried using Chrome - same error message.
Mark Smith (The Man in Seat 61) suggested buying at www.loco2.com, www.trainline.eu or www.voyages-sncf.com.
But loco2.com (my preferred site for French train bookings) says this

Senior discounts for French trains In France discounted fares can
often be found when searching for senior passengers on Loco2 without a
railcard. Additional senior discounts are available for holders of the
Senior+ Railcard, but unfortunately these railcards cannot be accepted
on Loco2 as this functionality is not made available to us by the
French rail operator (SNCF). Holders of Senior+ railcards must
therefore book elsewhere to obtain discounts.

Having already tried the SNCF site, that left Trainline.eu. That seemed to work. I had to pay in euros, as expected, but there was no information about delivery. A postal address was required so I thought the card would be posted (as the UK Senior Railcard is). Not so. The email I received says

Retrieve your card from a SNCF self-service terminal or from a ticket
counter. To retrieve the card using a self-service terminal, first
select ‘Collection with a file reference number’ and then, ‘File and
electronic ticket collection’. Please bring an ID photo (e.g. passport
photo). You can ask for a self-adhesive at the ticket counter so you
can stick the photo onto your card.
Important: You can retrieve your discount card using a SNCF
self-service terminal, up until the to the start date of the card’s
validity period. You can also retrieve the card up to 60 days
afterwards at a ticket counter. The card can be retrieved using your
reference number (and never by credit card). Please carefully follow
the above instructions.

No good for me as I won't be in France until the beginning of June. Now trying to cancel or at least change the vailidity date. None of this was spelt out on the website before purchase, either on the purchase page itself or in the Help topics.

I hope this will be useful to anyone else who goes down this track.

Edited to add: Trainline has given me a total refund, but I think I struck lucky with the support person who responded very quickly, because there is only a very narrow time limit for cancellation.

It worked for me - just now - using Chrome from England, up to the brink. YMMV

Just an update to my previous post. Thanks to a tip from The Man in Seat 61, I found that if I switched Loco2.com to euros, I could add the SNCF Senior+ railcard to my booking enquiry to see and book the lower fares. I've decided not to buy the card in advance, given that I'd have to collect it at a station in France anyway, but to buy it on arrival at a counter where my required ID photo can be affixed directly in the official manner. Then I shall have it for my first and subsequent train journeys.