The SNCF wants to make the TGV more accessible. Given the numerous criticisms about ticket prices, even more so in a context of inflation, a solution to spread payments over several months should be available by next summer, according to information from the Parisian.
If, therefore, a price reduction is not foreseen, the SNCF wants to provide a solution to those who cannot pay for their ticket in one go. “From the 20th of each month, the first reason for refusal of payment is ‘insufficient funds’. Payment in installments would allow, for example, these customers to still be able to buy their tickets,” SNCF Voyageurs explains daily.
An online offer
This possibility should be available in mid-2023 at the latest, to be operational during the summer holidays. A call for tenders was launched last spring, and some companies in the installment payment sector are still in the running, according to the parisianthat does not reveal names.
To obtain the possibility of paying in installments, it will be necessary to book online, and not at the station, up to 5 minutes before the departure of the train. It should be noted that TER tickets should not be affected by the new SNCF offer.
It remains to be seen whether this will really be enough to reduce criticism of the prices of train travel in France. In May, the INSEE said that prices shot up 15% in a year. A figure, however, refuted by the SNCF, which speaks of a fall of 7%.
Source: BFM TV
