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The SNCF Advantage card, allowing 28-59 year olds to access guaranteed capped rates against an annual subscription will soon be less generous, the public company announced on Sunday July 16, justifying the measure by the increase in its costs. In force for two years and held by 4.5 million people, the Avantage card allows for 49 euros per year to benefit from reduced fares of 30% and capped, on condition that part of their journey is made during a weekend. .
These ceilings were 39 euros for journeys of less than an hour and a half (approximately 25% of journeys), 59 euros for journeys lasting between one and a half and three hours (50%) and 79 euros for longer journeys ( 25%).
After August 29, they will be increased by 10 euros, thus increasing respectively to 49, 69 and 89 euros maximum. The purchase price of the card remains unchanged, underlined the SNCF in a statement sent to Agence France-Presse, confirming information previously communicated to the Parisian.
“Tariff Shield”
The device had emerged unscathed from the last SNCF price increase which entered into force on January 10, which had seen main line tickets increase by 5%. The railway company had presented this device as a “tariff shield” against a backdrop of a sharp rise in its costs (+13% for the TGV in 2023) induced by inflation and the jump in electricity prices.
As for raising the ceilings of the Avantage card, it “is well within the limitation of the tariff increase to 5% on average in 2023, which is therefore not called into question”, insisted the SNCF. She also argued that “It doesn’t change anything for everyone (THE) 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”.
The SNCF makes this announcement less than ten days after the Minister Delegate for Transport, Clément Beaune, announced that the company was going to offer for this summer tickets at 19 euros for journeys in Intercités, i.e. its main lines excluding TGV, a device financed by the State which subsidizes the Intercités unlike the TGV.
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