To have low prices, you will have to get up early! SNCF has set the opening of sales for the summer holidays this Wednesday at 6 a.m. The first iNOUI, Intercités and Ouigo TGV tickets between July 8 and September 3 will thus be available. For the Ouigo, the low-cost offer of the railway company, the period extends until December 9th. “For TGV iNOUI and Intercités traffic from June 1 to July 7, 2023, sales are gradually open over 4 rolling months from February 1 to March 7, 2023”, specifies the SNCF on its website. This explains why some train tickets running before July 8 are not yet available.
To protect yourself from very high prices, you should book your tickets in advance. The closer the holidays are, the more the prices will increase, according to the principle of “yield management”, used by the SNCF. A tariff system governed by supply and demand. As the train fills up, the fares go up. As the SNCF reminds us, there are many advantages to buying tickets in advance. Travelers are assured of getting the best prices, the most comfortable schedules and “traveling together when you are in a group”. Especially since the demand is likely to be very high. Last summer, 23 million people traveled by train, 10% more than in 2019.
These sales come after the average 5% price increase applied by the SNCF since the beginning of the year, despite its record profits of 2.4 billion euros. The surge in fares can exceed these 5%, depending on the routes and dates most in demand… such as summer holidays, of course. This increase decided by the transport company aims to amortize the additional energy cost in 2023, estimated at 13%.
The only guarantee: holders of the Avantage card (49 euros for purchase), a real “anti-inflation” weapon for the consumer, will always benefit from prices capped according to the distance at 39 euros, 59 euros and 79 euros, on TGVs iNOUI and Intercities. This will, perhaps, be the last major holiday they will be in effect since they are blocked until September only. Then, the railway group reserves the right to modify the various ceilings and the conditions of eligibility.