Hi all!
We need to book tickets for Paris-Amsterdam Thalys train. The problem is that we are not in Europe and have no idea how it works in practice (I mean, how to get the booked tickets at the railway station)
If someone has relevant experience, pls tell us a few words about it (print&go option is not available for this direction and we deffinitely cannot receive the tickets by post)
Thanks a lot!
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5 Comments On booking Thalys tickets via Internet – help needed!
That’s a tough question.
In order to pick up a ticket ordered on the Internet, you need to be able to use the same credit card with which the purchase was done, AND that card has to have a chip like the French credit cards do, but not the American ones. So if you are based in the US, you need to have a friend or some family with a valid French credit card order this for you and have them go to the train station to pick the ticket(s) up.
If you are based in the US, there is a company called Rail Europe that sells these tickets, but the sale is at a premium, AND they cannot reserve a seat more then 3 months before your travel date which is often not practical at all. Nevertheless, they will get you your tickets and a valid reservation and will deliver it to you in the US.
Depending on your dates of travel, the most effective and least expensive way may be to buy the ticket(s) once you are in France.
No, I’m not in the US, so no problem with credit card.
Can I just pick up the tickets at a ticket-office presenting a print-out confirming the payment?
I’ve already used some tickets in France sold on sncf.fr that just need to be printed. Alas it’s usable within France and for a very chosen trip : for on person wich name is printed on the billet, for a trip precise. It’s also cheaper than buying such ticket in stations.
If you’re in Europe your tickets can be sent directly.
Good luck.
Thanks for your help!
I just booked with RailEurope, and I am not happy with the experience.
They can get you tickets within 3 months, mine was within 1 week, but it costs.
The only way it will work for you (to get the best price) is to book the ticket at least 2 weeks in advance, and do it online. They trick you because they insist that they have to email the ticket to you to the tune of 18 dollars (this may or may not be true). If you have to overnight it, be prepared for a 36 dollar charge. A word of advice though: DO NOT call them because that is an extra fee of 15% of the total. That is not budget travel.
To reiterate above, the best bet might be to buy a ticket once in France.