The reimbursement of train tickets at the last moment is over. This exceptional system, set up by SNCF to facilitate travel by rail in the midst of a health crisis, ends on Monday, September 13.
Concretely, cancellations and refunds remained possible, up to 1h30 before the departure of Ouigo trains and until the last minute for classic TGVs. The SNCF had inaugurated this system following the introduction of the health pass on August 9.
From Monday, TGV and Intercités tickets may be refunded or exchanged free of charge up to three days before departure. Beyond that, any modification will be invoiced. There will be a penalty of 15 euros for an Inoui TGV and a deduction of 40% of the ticket price, with a maximum ceiling of 12 euros, for an Intercités with compulsory reservation.
Originally designed to avoid penalizing the French who had to take the train but did not yet have a valid health pass, this device was the subject of “abuse” according to Jean-Pierre Farandou, the boss of the SNCF . Guest of the Grand Jury on RTL, Sunday, September 12, he explained that some users “retained 7 or 8 tickets and they only took one. There were sometimes up to five places that remained free until the last moment, it’s a shame ”.
