Booking fee for FIP travel

Networker1981 · 3 Nov 2018

Hi,

I haven't booked international travel since International Rail introduced the booking fee of £10. I always get my Eurostar tickets at the desk at St Pancras to get the cheaper fare, but I need SNCF tickets this time and am wondering what is the cheapest way to book? Can I do it all at the desk at St Pancras? Or should I use a new booking agency, or just go back to International Rail and suck up the £10 fee?

TIA

RailUK Forums

Craig2601 · 3 Nov 2018

We booked TGV tickets the day before in France, during peak summer season and all we paid was a €1.50 reservation fee for Lyon to Cannes.

CMS · 3 Nov 2018

Craig2601 said:
We booked TGV tickets the day before in France, during peak summer season and all we paid was a €1.50 reservation fee for Lyon to Cannes.

Then you were very lucky as they've charged you the SNCF colleague equivalent of a FIP rate, not the actual FIP international fare. Given how rare it is for ticket office staff to see these (given that most SNCF staff do not use their FIPs internally, and many rail colleagues from neighbouring companies use coupons), they often make errors in selling the correct fare. For most TGVs, the cheapest public fare (Prem's, lead-in fare or TGV POP) is cheaper than the 50% international FIP fare. If you really want the cheapest fares, OUIGO now appears to be the way to do it in France.

Craig2601 · 3 Nov 2018

CMS said:
Then you were very lucky as they've charged you the SNCF colleague equivalent of a FIP rate, not the actual FIP international fare. Given how rare it is for ticket office staff to see these (given that most SNCF staff do not use their FIPs internally, and many rail colleagues from neighbouring companies use coupons), they often make errors in selling the correct fare. For most TGVs, the cheapest public fare (Prem's, lead-in fare or TGV POP) is cheaper than the 50% international FIP fare. If you really want the cheapest fares, OUIGO now appears to be the way to do it in France.

We’ve been incredibly lucky in France then, done Lyon>>Cannes, Marseille>>Lyon and Cannes>>Marseille>>Beziers for the €1.50!

reb0118 · 4 Nov 2018

I seemed to get the €1.50 reservation/supplement quite a lot. The ticket stated SNCF Carte à Présenter or some such.

As an aside it's 75% discount in France with your FIP card (if you're a current active UK staff member or dependent of the same. 50% for UK retirees & foreign wallahs).

davetheguard · 5 Nov 2018

reb0118 said:
I seemed to get the €1.50 reservation/supplement quite a lot. The ticket stated SNCF Carte à Présenter or some such.

As an aside it's 75% discount in France with your FIP card.

Unless you're retired, in which case it's the standard 50%

reb0118 · 5 Nov 2018

davetheguard said:
Unless you're retired, in which case it's the standard 50%

True, and that's getting closer every day. Unfortunately as I'm not safeguarded I get no FIP travel after retirement - unless things change.

calopez · 5 Nov 2018

Surely €1.50 is the TGV off-peak reservation fee if you hold an SNCF coupon? It's what I was charged (by Ffestiniog Travel) for a Thursday afternoon train Paris - Marseille, and by Nice station for a Nice - Avignon TGV (which, of course, barely uses any high-speed lines). Avignon - Paris on a Friday afternoon was somewhat more expensive.

Incidentally, Ffestiniog Travel, while they charge a percentage commission like everyone else these days, have a much lower minimum charge, so are more cost-effective if all you need are a few reservations. At least, that was the case earlier this year when I travelled.

dutchflyer · 5 Nov 2018

Yes, that 1,50 is the fee for just a REServation, assuming you have a valid ticket for the whole trip. you can also do that on all yellow SNCH automatic machines (choose forfait), but ponly for TGV and generally (or that used to be the case) for non-TGV like IC etc. trains (in that case you would need to put in the nr of your SNCF-season, and non existing nrs. would nbe rejected).
Untill a year of 3-4 ago, many InterRail users avoided the costly extra fee or exhausted quota by using such forfaits (well, do did I, to admit)-untill SNCF then introduced the special passholder 10€ fee. Since then SNCF-staff is more strict about it.
BUT to fellow ;;cheminots'' they are usually still very friendly and will often put you in 1st. Ahum-so they also expect more or less you ATOC-staff to do the same whilst they travel on their permits in the UK............. Any mention of it being privatised etc will only lead to giant strikes.

calopez · 5 Nov 2018

Interesting about getting a reservation only from an SNCF ticket machine. I've looked at them on numerous occasions without managing to work out how to do it - I always seem to end up at a screen which asks for some sort of card number, which I don't have!

CMS · 5 Nov 2018

calopez said:
Surely €1.50 is the TGV off-peak reservation fee if you hold an SNCF coupon? It's what I was charged (by Ffestiniog Travel) for a Thursday afternoon train Paris - Marseille, and by Nice station for a Nice - Avignon TGV (which, of course, barely uses any high-speed lines). Avignon - Paris on a Friday afternoon was somewhat more expensive.

Incidentally, Ffestiniog Travel, while they charge a percentage commission like everyone else these days, have a much lower minimum charge, so are more cost-effective if all you need are a few reservations. At least, that was the case earlier this year when I travelled.

Yes, that seems right in terms of the reservation fee but that is not a ticket to travel on. In your case, the coupon acts as the ticket so you’re ok but if you don’t have that coupon, you can’t usually travel on the reservation fee alone. However, many SNCF colleagues only travel on reservation fees like this and don’t travel on tickets (using their Carmillons etc), so colleagues either turn the blind eye to be friendly to fellow railway colleagues or simply don’t see enough of this type of ticket to correctly challenge this.

If SNCF simplified their “gamme tarifaire” for rail staff, life would be easier but it would appear they have far more pressing issues at present.

dutchflyer said:
Yes, that 1,50 is the fee for just a REServation, assuming you have a valid ticket for the whole trip. you can also do that on all yellow SNCH automatic machines (choose forfait), but ponly for TGV and generally (or that used to be the case) for non-TGV like IC etc. trains (in that case you would need to put in the nr of your SNCF-season, and non existing nrs. would nbe rejected).
Untill a year of 3-4 ago, many InterRail users avoided the costly extra fee or exhausted quota by using such forfaits (well, do did I, to admit)-untill SNCF then introduced the special passholder 10€ fee. Since then SNCF-staff is more strict about it.
BUT to fellow ;;cheminots'' they are usually still very friendly and will often put you in 1st. Ahum-so they also expect more or less you ATOC-staff to do the same whilst they travel on their permits in the UK............. Any mention of it being privatised etc will only lead to giant strikes.

Yes, this is what I understand too!

I cannot find a publically available document for fares on the routes you have listed but here you can see the fare structure for a similar route which is publically available (Paris/Marseille-Barcelona/Madrid). If you look at say Avignon-Barcelona, FIP ticket prices go from €9 to €64 with it quite vague as to which one is for who and no mention of the price of the reservation. https://benelux.voyages-sncf.eu/sites/vscbenelux/files/Gamme Tarifaire - Marché internationaux 2017.pdf

If you look at this article, which offers a not 100% but decent explanation, a good amount of French rail staff travel free around the network and pay the €1,50 if they need to as part of an allowance - so the FIP can be seen as a way of getting around this. However their appearance is so rare that many ticket sellers in France assume this is someone trying to do a workaround and charge them the minimum reservation or ticket anyway. https://m.lesechos.fr/0301392951882.htm

Craig2601 · 5 Nov 2018

Thought I’d clarify, we used the coupon for the 1.50€ ticket, would the OP not be able to use coupons for their journey?

CMS · 5 Nov 2018

Craig2601 said:
Thought I’d clarify, we used the coupon for the 1.50€ ticket, would the OP not be able to use coupons for their journey?

Ah, that makes sense then! If the OP had a coupon and the requested train had availability, then yes.

Please Explain · 8 Nov 2018

CMS said:
Yes, that seems right in terms of the reservation fee but that is not a ticket to travel on. In your case, the coupon acts as the ticket so you’re ok but if you don’t have that coupon, you can’t usually travel on the reservation fee alone. However, many SNCF colleagues only travel on reservation fees like this and don’t travel on tickets (using their Carmillons etc), so colleagues either turn the blind eye to be friendly to fellow railway colleagues or simply don’t see enough of this type of ticket to correctly challenge this.

If SNCF simplified their “gamme tarifaire” for rail staff, life would be easier but it would appear they have far more pressing issues at present.

Yes, this is what I understand too!

I cannot find a publically available document for fares on the routes you have listed but here you can see the fare structure for a similar route which is publically available (Paris/Marseille-Barcelona/Madrid). If you look at say Avignon-Barcelona, FIP ticket prices go from €9 to €64 with it quite vague as to which one is for who and no mention of the price of the reservation. https://benelux.voyages-sncf.eu/sites/vscbenelux/files/Gamme Tarifaire - Marché internationaux 2017.pdf

If you look at this article, which offers a not 100% but decent explanation, a good amount of French rail staff travel free around the network and pay the €1,50 if they need to as part of an allowance - so the FIP can be seen as a way of getting around this. However their appearance is so rare that many ticket sellers in France assume this is someone trying to do a workaround and charge them the minimum reservation or ticket anyway. https://m.lesechos.fr/0301392951882.htm

That les eschos article made for some very interesting reading indeed, merci beaucoup.

Regarding "des faveurs".. Oui, it certainly is nice when that happens and I for one by all means very much encourage returning it to our fellow cheminots when they are visiting us over here, -(unofficially of course!) :smile:

If memory serves the TGV reservation fee with FIP coupons is actually €1.60. If your desired TGV is full or you find yourself in a hurry and don't have time to q up at the billetterie and your chef de train says "noñ" then don't forget that you can take any TER or -(most) InterCités unrestricted with your coupons and get to just about every corner of France -(and beyond) this way. Indeed it is still possible to travel from the top of the map to the bottom, coast to coast on classic Corail trains -(if your into that sort of thing) in a day this way completely GRATUIS with your coupons, with no reservations required.

Example routing; Calais>Boulogne-sur-Mer>Paris Nord>RER D/Metro>Bercy>Lyon>Marseille-Saint-Charles

The above example should be very cheap with your FIP card alone too if you find yourself out of coupon quota for the year. Just buy on the day, but make sure you stress that your entitled to the 75% discount as were neighbours!
I've had to politely point this out a number of times when they have attempted to sell me a ticket with the standard 50% reduction for agents of non-neighbouring administrations. 8-)

SNCF coupons can also get you beyond the borders of France to la Gare de Bâle SNCF -(French station in Basel, Corail TER200 from Strasbourg), Genève-Cornavin, Portbou, Irun, Kehl Gr, and Ventimiglia.

Geogregor · 18 Jul 2019

I plan to catch TGV from Paris Montparnasse to Henday on the Spanish border. Do I need to book a seat or can I just board the train with my coupon filled?
Can one book seat online in advance for use with the coupons?

Mag_seven · 18 Jul 2019

Geogregor said:
I plan to catch TGV from Paris Montparnasse to Henday on the Spanish border. Do I need to book a seat or can I just board the train with my coupon filled?
Can one book seat online in advance for use with the coupons?

Reservations for travel on TGV's are compulsory I'm afraid and as far as I'm aware there is no direct on-line booking facility for FIP coupons holders to obtain seat reservations. You can only do it via a booking office in France or by using an outlets such as https://www.bookmyrst.co.uk/ (they have an online form which is the closest you will get to direct online facility).

Geogregor · 18 Jul 2019

I kind of expected that. Someone mentioned that you can make reservation in the ticket machine at the station. Is that true?

Mag_seven said:
Reservations for travel on TGV's are compulsory I'm afraid and as far as I'm aware there is no direct on-line booking facility for FIP coupons holders to obtain seat reservations. You can only do it via a booking office in France or by using an outlets such as https://www.bookmyrst.co.uk/ (they have an online form which is the closest you will get to direct online facility).

Mag_seven · 18 Jul 2019

Geogregor said:
Someone mentioned that you can make reservation in the ticket machine at the station. Is that true?

I don't know as I've never tried it.

387star · 21 Jan 2020

Has it always been a £10 booking fee.?

387star · 21 Jan 2020

Networker1981 said:
Hi,

I haven't booked international travel since International Rail introduced the booking fee of £10. I always get my Eurostar tickets at the desk at St Pancras to get the cheaper fare, but I need SNCF tickets this time and am wondering what is the cheapest way to book? Can I do it all at the desk at St Pancras? Or should I use a new booking agency, or just go back to International Rail and suck up the £10 fee?

TIA

Eurostar have a £10 fee for using their ticket offices to book tickets

Mag_seven · 21 Jan 2020

387star said:
Has it always been a £10 booking fee.?

I'm sure that came in when Rail Staff Travel's "preferred" supplier for FIP bookings became International Rail Ltd as opposed to DB previously.

185 · 23 Jan 2020

Just to further clarify, in France, those *not* on coupons with UK / IE / NIE / SNCB's FIP cards buying tickets, guichet staff should locate discount code CF77 to apply the 75% discount.

Many seem to struggle to locate it, with one at SNCF Hendaye (France/Spain border) being shown it, but refusing to sell it, claiming it was only 50% - this was later refunded by lovely staff at La Rochelle. I am told the code was changed in recent years with staff often looking for the old code.

Bungle965 · 24 Jan 2020

387star said:
Eurostar have a £10 fee for using their ticket offices to book tickets

Really? I was under the impression that when you book FIP tickets with them they didn't bother with the fee?
Sam

reb0118 · 24 Jan 2020

Correct, no fee for FIP (or staff travel card) purchases at Eurostar booking offices.

Mag_seven · 25 Jan 2020

387star said:
Eurostar have a £10 fee for using their ticket offices to book tickets

Bungle965 said:
Really? I was under the impression that when you book FIP tickets with them they didn't bother with the fee?
Sam

reb0118 said:
Correct, no fee for FIP (or staff travel card) purchases at Eurostar booking offices.

I can verify there is no charge as I recently purchased E* tickets to Paris with a staff travel card at St Pancras.

SlimJim1694 · 30 Jan 2020

185 said:
Just to further clarify, in France, those *not* on coupons with UK / IE / NIE / SNCB's FIP cards buying tickets, guichet staff should locate discount code CF77 to apply the 75% discount.

Many seem to struggle to locate it, with one at SNCF Hendaye (France/Spain border) being shown it, but refusing to sell it, claiming it was only 50% - this was later refunded by lovely staff at La Rochelle. I am told the code was changed in recent years with staff often looking for the old code.

They've recently stopped booking SNCF altogether at Rail Staff Travel. I had to phone SNCF myself to make TGV reservations, which to be fair was pretty straightforward. My experience of dealing with Rail Staff Travel is that they don't bend over backwards to help you and it's sometimes cheaper to book tickets using advance public fares directly from the national carrier concerned if you are not using coupons.

Trisha · 24 Feb 2020

Not read the Rail Delivery Group web page for a while, but was disappointed to see Eurostar have ceased allowing upgrading of seating unless you hold 1st class Fip facilities.

Booking fee for FIP travel

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