From August 29, the capped prices provided by this subscription will be increased by 10 euros. The railway company ensures that this “does not change anything for all our customers who do not have this card”.
The train does not escape inflation. The SNCF Avantage card, which provides access to guaranteed rates for an annual subscription, will soon be less… advantageous, the public company announced on Sunday July 16, justifying the measure by the increase in its costs for more than one year. The capped prices, calculated according to the duration of the journey, will be increased by 10 euros from August 29.
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Sold at 49 euros, this card also allows you to never pay more than 39 euros for journeys of less than 1h30, 59 euros for journeys between 1h30 and 3 hours. Beyond 3 hours, the ceiling is currently set at 79 euros. After August 29, 2023, these ceilings will therefore increase to 49, 69 and 89 euros.
In effect for two years and held by 4.5 million people, this subscription allows 28-59 year olds to benefit from reduced fares of 30% and capped, provided that part of their trip takes place during a weekend. . The SNCF has indicated that the purchase price of the card will remain unchanged.
Rates up 8%
The SNCF had undertaken to limit the increase in its prices despite the galloping inflation of energy prices. Last January, the company had thus increased the price of TGV tickets by 5%, thus evoking a “tariff shield” in the face of real increases in TGV costs (+13% estimated in 2023). According to the consumer price index held by INSEE, the price of trains increased by more than 8% between May 2022 and May 2023.
On Sunday, the SNCF also insisted that the modification of the conditions of the Avantage card “does not change anything for all our customers who do not have this card, nor even for most beneficiaries of the Avantage card, because in most cases they pay less than the ceiling price”.
In this summer period marked by travel, train prices remain at the heart of the debates. On the government side, the Minister of Transport, Clément Beaune, is campaigning for a “pass” for young people by the summer of 2024.