How to get a discount on your French holiday train tickets
The French train operator SNCF has a special discount scheme known as the
billet congé annuel
- annual holiday ticket - a one-off 25 percent discount on train tickets to cover your annual holiday.
It's intended to encourage people to take the train when heading off on holidays, since this is one of the greenest ways to travel.
As the name suggests it can only be used once per year (for a return trip) and it offers 25 percent off tickets for you, plus your spouse/partner and children - or parents if you are single and live with your parents.
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There are, however, a few conditions;
Your trip must be at least 200km long. You can, however, use either the high-speed TGV, or local TER lines, or the Intercité routes including night trains, or a combination of these to take a trip with a connecting train
It can only be used once per calendar year
It cannot be used in conjunction with a railcard - railcards such as the
avantage adulte
or the pensioner/young person cards usually give a 30 percent discount, so people with a railcard may find that it's cheaper to use their regular railcard, depending on the type of train they are taking
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How French railcards work
It must be applied for in advance, either online via the SNCF website
here
or using the paper form which can be downloaded
here
The discount applies to a specific journey, booked in advance
It is only applicable to standard-class tickets
The discount is not limited to French citizens, so is open to foreigners too. It is not explicitly limited to people who are resident in France, but employees will need to get a signature or stamp from their French employer.
Although it's most commonly used for summer holidays, so you will see it advertised at the start of the summer, it can be used at any time of year.
The following groups are eligible for the ticket; employees, craftspeople, agricultural workers, job-seekers, pensioners, early retirees or those receiving an invalidity or war veteran pension (or those receiving a pension as an orphan or widow of a serviceman or woman). People who own their own businesses or work as freelancers are not eligible.
How to apply for the discount
First decide where you're going on holiday and which train you want to take, as this information is required when you make the application.
Then fill in the application form, which asks for your name, the name of any family members you want to add and the details of the train you want to take (outgoing and return journey).
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If you are an employee you will also need your employer to sign to the form, other eligible groups who do not have an employer can self-certify that they qualify for the ticket.
You can either download the form and send it by mail, or make the request online. You will receive confirmation that your request has been accepted, and then you can book the tickets by phone by calling 36 35 between the hours of 8am and 8pm.
READ ALSO
Five ways to save money on French train tickets
If you live in France the government
might help you with the cost of an annual holiday
, although this one is means-tested.
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