There is a trick to booking a ticket on a full train

It’s summer! If you haven’t planned your vacation yet, and you’re planning to travel by train, you really need to book now. Many people book well in advance, so many journeys fill up quickly. But there’s a little-known trick to try to get a seat on a crowded train.

To do this, you need to use a feature available on the SNCF Connect application, called “ Full train alert “As its name suggests, it allows you to receive a notification when a seat becomes available on a crowded train.

Why are all the trains full?

On board TGV INOUI, OUIGO and Intercités, SNCF sells a limited number of tickets, depending on the number of seats available on the train. If demand is high, particularly during certain very popular periods of the year (Christmas, summer, May bank holidays), trains can quickly become full.

Can I ride a full train?

In certain special cases, the SNCF allows passengers to board a train that is already full. The SNCF parle then of “overbooking”.

• It is possible to board a full TER or Intercités train if you have a physical ticket — without a seat guarantee. However, if you have an e-ticket, it is only valid for the TER or Intercités train selected when booking.
• It is not permitted to board a TGV INOUI or OUIGO that is already full.

How to get a seat on a full train?

Here’s how to set up the alert in the SNCF Connect app:

• Once you have completed your train search, click on “ Be notified if a ticket is available “, which is displayed in blue below the trip summary,
• On the next page, check the chosen train, then continue by clicking at the bottom on “ Create this alert » (you will need to authorize notifications from the SNCF Connect app on your phone to validate this step),
• If everything worked well, you will have an “Alert created” confirmation at the bottom of the screen, as well as a “ If a ticket is available, we will let you know. » displayed in green below the information for this train.

You can create alerts on several trains at the same time, which you will find all classified in ” Full train alerts » (go to “Account” then “Available ticket alerts”). Each alert created is associated with your position in a queue (here you are waiting behind the people who, just before you, put an alert on this train).

Note that the feature is only available on the SNCF Connect app. We performed the same train search on the site, but the option to be notified if a seat becomes available is not offered.

What next? If a ticket becomes available and you are next on the waiting list, bingo, you will receive a notification. This is where you need to act very quickly, because SNCF Connect indicates that ” the purchase slot that is then assigned to you has a limited duration “. Also note that ” the closer the departure, the shorter this slot (between 10 minutes and 2 hours) ».

There is also a limitation: this feature is not available for all trains. Demand is such that some full journeys already have a waiting list that is too long, and you can no longer join it. By clicking on the journey, you will then see ” This train and its waiting list are full » (SNCF Connect does not, however, specify how many people can be on the same waiting list at most).

For further

Finally, even if you activate this feature, there is no guarantee that a ticket will be available on the train you are interested in until the fateful date. It therefore seems wise to activate several alerts simultaneously and to be ready to adapt your future journey a little depending on the alerts you receive.

The mobility of the future is also about the little tips that make a difference in everyday life. You will find them in the Watt Else newsletter, sent every Thursday, and always written without jargon.