Most travelers miss this simple tip when reserving their tickets on the SNCF site.
People who are used to taking the train will probably agree that today, even buying a single one can hurt the wallet. It must be said that train ticket prices have experienced a continuous increase in recent years. The prices of the TGV Inoui and Ouigo increased by 5 % in 2023, by 2.6 % in 2024, and still by 1.5 % in 2025. For travelers, it is an additional cost to be expected, especially during periods of strong crowds such as school holidays, or to very popular destinations. Some then give up going on weekends or visiting their loved ones, due to a lack of budget. And yet, there is a simple tip that can change the situation.
It allows you to save real, sometimes until you pay your ticket half cheaper. No, this is not a bad joke or yet another application to download. Everything is done on the SNCF site (SNCF-Connect.com), and it is perfectly authorized. Our colleagues in capital recently investigated the subject in the issue “Cheap holidays: the secrets of the price war“, broadcast on May 11 on M6. They themselves tested this tip, still unknown to most travelers. Everything is played out when reserving your ticket. It is well known, SNCF uses an algorithm of “yield management” to fix its prices: the prices vary in real time according to demand.
What we know less is that certain longer, but less popular journeys can, in the end, cost much cheaper, as our colleagues in capital explain. Let’s take an example: a single one in Paris – Strasbourg in TGV is displayed at 122 euros. However, by digging a little, journalists discover that this train goes to Frankfurt (Frankfurt AM Main HBF), with stops at Karlsruhe HBF and Mannheim HBF, less requested destinations. Result: by reserving to Mannheim HBF, the ticket finally returns to 68 euros. Or 54 euros less! A practice indeed legal. Contacted, the SNCF press service confirmed to us that: “The customer has the possibility of going down to any station between that of departure and that of arrival registered on his e-beillet. In this case, the part of the unrelated journey is non-refundable, because considered as an abandonment of routes due to the customer.”
And this kind of good plan does not only concern Paris – Strasbourg. Capital has published a map of France of malignant journeys, based on the prices recorded on April 3. Example: a Paris – agers cost 89 euros. But by reserving a Paris – Nantes (via Angers), the ticket fell to 70 euros. Same principle for a Paris – Marseille ticket at 109 euros: extending the journey to Toulon allowed only 99 euros to pay. Ditto for a Montpellier – Belfort at 114 euros, replaced by a Montpellier – Strasbourg at 92 euros. Or 22 euros in saved. A significant economy!
