100,000 discounted SNCF train tickets for August go on sale
Flash sale offers discounted fares for TGV INOUI and OUIGO services
The sale comes ahead of the peak August travel period
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SNCF has launched a flash sale, running to Thursday, June 18, offering 100,000 discounted tickets for travel throughout August.
The tickets are priced at €19 for second class (with 67,000 places available) and €29 for first class (33,000 places available), and can be booked for journeys taking place between August 3 to 31. These promotional fares apply to TGV INOUI and OUIGO services.
While the destinations have not been yet fully announced, many are expected to be on busy routes between Paris, Nantes, Nice, Montpellier, Bordeaux, and Avignon.
The initiative forms part of SNCF’s wider effort to make rail travel more accessible during the busy summer season, which the company says is intended to “support passengers’ purchasing power” and encourage train travel over the holiday period.
The sale comes ahead of the peak August travel period, when demand for domestic rail journeys in France typically reaches its highest levels.
Beyond this limited-time offer, SNCF is also preparing a series of additional summer promotions. From June 22, further discounts will be introduced, particularly targeting young travellers through reductions on the Avantage Jeune card, as well as selected OUIGO fares.
SNCF Voyageurs said it expects to release “nearly twice as many promotional tickets as during a typical summer,” with the aim of enabling more passengers to travel by train for holidays or family visits at lower cost.
A dedicated webpage bringing together all summer promotions across its TGV INOUI and OUIGO services.
Note that these promotional tickets are non-exchangeable and non-refundable.
SNCF accused of raising prices unfairly
The flash sale comes as SNCF has been accused by some consumer groups of raising prices unfairly on consumers.
An analysis in March by the consumer association Que Choisir found that the cost of high-speed rail services had been steadily going up, particularly for second-class tickets.
It also noted that the price of tickets could vary dramatically for the same journey, citing the example of second-class TGV INOUI tickets from Paris to Rennes ranging between €36 and €101.
French passenger rights group, the Fédération nationale des associations d'usagers des transports (Fnaut) has been particularly critical of price hikes on OUIGO services, which are designed to be cheaper.
An analysis published last December by Fnaut shows ticket prices for OUIGO going up by more than 73% between 2017 and 2023. Fare rises for INOUI services rose by 4% over the same period.
For its part, SNCF has justified the increases by citing inflation.
