end announced “cashback” offers on the rail carrier’s website

2023-10-16 17:19:04

The SNCF has decided to put an end to the criticized practice of « cashback »i.e. the possibility of obtaining reductions on the purchase of train tickets for a monthly subscription, announced the railway group on Monday October 16

“Although this service has been used by some of our customers for several years, we have decided to end our collaboration with WebLoyalty”indicated SNCF Connect, confirming information from BFMTV.

SNCF Connect had in fact entered into a contract with WebLoyalty to offer this commercial offer. For users of the online store, this resulted in the appearance of an advertisement just after purchasing a train ticket offering a refund of €16.87.

A subscription at €18 per month

But the « pop-up » actually referred to a separate SNCF commercial site which required a subscription of €18 per month to be able to benefit from the offer.

Last year, the deputy for Vendée Philippe Latombe (Renaissance) questioned the Minister for Transport Clément Beaune on this practice, “which could be similar to phishing”.

“Cashback is a legal practice regulated by law, very common for an e-retailer and well known by consumers”, insists the SNCF for its part. The railway group has until now always assumed this partnership, a source of income for it, despite criticism.

In July, Philippe Latombe reported having obtained a guarantee from Clément Beaune that the latter would make an official request to the SNCF to put an end to this system.