Millions of French people use this means of payment. But they will soon have to change their habits…
Traveling by train for occasional trips or to go on vacation is not for everyone. Train ticket prices are not always accessible to everyone, especially during peak periods such as school holidays or weekends, when prices generally rise quite quickly. From one region to another, prices may vary. For families or people with modest incomes, these factors sometimes make the train less affordable, especially in comparison with other means of transport such as the car or the bus. However, some people, despite their income, find ways to take the train at a lower cost.
Most of the time, users pay for their tickets with cash or their bank card. But it is also possible to use holiday vouchers, distributed to employees by their employers, to pay for their train journeys. In France, holiday vouchers benefit “4.76 million employees, public officials and self-employed workers, or 11 million people including their family members”, indicates the National Agency for Holiday Vouchers (ANCV) in its institutional brochure from June 2023. Suffice to say that it is a boost for millions of French people. Because these checks make it possible to finance a whole host of activities. They are accepted in many establishments, whether for accommodation, restaurants or cultural and sporting activities.
Until now, many beneficiaries used their holiday vouchers in paper format at train stations. But in a few months, this will no longer be possible… In fact, from January 1, 2025, the SNCF will no longer accept holiday vouchers in paper version. The reason? “We have observed for two or three years the explosion in the use of digital holiday vouchers, a very strong trend”explained the French national railway company to our colleagues in Echoes.
However, this does not mean that holiday vouchers will no longer be accepted at all. It will still be possible to use these checks in dematerialized version. “We will continue to accept payment by electronic checks, and anyone who has paper checks will be able to have them scanned”said the railway company. Users will be informed of this new measure in stations using information panels.