TGV, Ouigo and Intercités tickets for the Christmas holidays have been on sale since this morning, on the SNCF website and booking application. A sale expected by many users. But to take advantage of the best price, when should you book your train ticket? We take stock.
This Wednesday, October 5, from 6 a.m., the SNCF has opened the online sale of its train tickets (TGV, Ouigo and Intercités) for the end of year celebrations. A period which extends for the railway company from Sunday December 11 to Monday January 2. In total, 9 million tickets are offered from today to travelers. Compared to last year, one million more tickets are available, said The Parisian. A sale that was eagerly awaited, since between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m., thousands of train tickets have already been sold, “30 tickets per second, the equivalent of 3 TGV every minute”, said the SNCF. This has occasionally caused some technical bugs on the SNCF Connect site and application. For the occasion this year, the SNCF has decided to strengthen its offer in certain regions, in particular on the Intercités Nantes-Lyon line, where the frequency of trains will soon increase. Twelve new Ouigo destinations will also open in December, including Brest, La Rochelle and Perpignan. For travelers and families, it’s time to make reservations for the Christmas holidays. But still need to know when to book tickets? We can be part of the team “I book as soon as possible” or say “I’ll see a few days before”. In any case, to take advantage of the best SNCF fares, a few tricks are to be known. Details.
When to take your train ticket to pay less?
To get train tickets at the best price, you must book as soon as possible. It is from the opening of ticket sales that we can hope to have the best prices. The model is simple, it is based on supply and demand. Thus, as tickets sell out, the prices of the last places on board the trains will increase, especially at the time of the departure weekend for the Christmas holidays. So if you want to be sure to have your ticket at the right price, it is better to buy it now. You can always exchange it if the dates no longer suit you. For TGV INOUI, ticket exchanges and refunds are free, up to three days before departure.
Note that for TGV trips to Spain, train tickets will be on sale only from October 18.
Besides booking in advance, you can benefit from the advantages of an SNCF subscription, such as the Carte Avantage. For 49 euros a year, it provides 30% reduction on TGV and Intercités for the holder and an accompanying person, and up to 60% for accompanying children. In addition, ticket prices are capped with this subscription, depending on the distance of the journey: less than 1h30 = €39 max, between 1h30 and 3h = €59 max, and for your journeys of more than 3h = €79 max.
What is the cheapest day to buy a ticket?
To pay less for your ticket, you have to know how to be flexible on the day and time you choose for your trip. Indeed, you have certainly already noticed that the price of a train ticket can easily double, if you leave in the afternoon around 4 p.m., at the end of the day, or on Friday before the weekend. . These times correspond to peak hours (return from work, school, etc.), they are more popular than the others. In general, trains that depart very early in the morning, very late or in the middle of the night are often cheaper. Knowing this, it is better prefer to leave by train on a day in the middle of the week, in the morning or in the evening. Also on weekends, Saturday morning is often the best time to go.
Bus tickets under 20 euros
Still in this idea of saving money to go find your loved ones for Christmas, you can opt for bus tickets. By taking them in advance, they are much cheaper than train tickets. Although the journey time is often longer by bus than by train, the prices are sometimes unbeatable. On the Flixbus site, for example, a Paris-Nancy bus trip will cost you 18.98 euros on Saturday December 17, leaving at 10:10 a.m.