2023-08-11 10:48:49
The long-awaited solution was launched on the sly in the heart of summer. The SNCF, in partnership with the start-up Alma, allows travelers to pay for their train ticket in three installments, since Tuesday August 8, as spotted by the site MoneyVox the same day. Neither the railway company nor the fintech have communicated on the commissioning of the payment solution, no doubt for the sake of avoiding bad publicity in the event of bugs. “We have the assurance that everything is working. The system is ready to use! we are reassured at Alma.
For the moment, only tickets – whether for a TGV, Intercités, TER, OUIGO or even a bus (FlixBus, BlaBlaBus) – whose price exceeds 150 euros are eligible. The service is reserved for holders of a Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Visa Electron, Maestro or Bancontact bank card, valid for at least three months after the date of purchase. Once the split payment has been chosen, the user is redirected to the Alma site, where he must fill in his contact details (telephone number, address, etc.).
1.5% fee
The service is chargeable and payable by the customer. If the individual chooses to spread the payment of his ticket, he must pay a fee of 1.5% of the total value. Then, the direct debits are made thirty days and sixty days after the date of purchase. Thus, if a traveler chooses to pay in three instalments for a round trip of 176 euros on Friday August 11, he is debited the same day for 59.55 euros, then the same amount on September 11 and October 11. Or 178.65 euros, including 2.65 euros in costs.
“In the launch phase”, we specify at SNCF Connect, the payment solution is intended to evolve in the coming weeks. A first assessment will first be carried out “between mid-September and early October”. “It’s only been in service for four days, we don’t have enough perspective to learn lessons”, we confide to the SNCF. It must be said that with a number of trains already full for the summer period, few travelers should take advantage of payment in installments immediately.
Depending on the uses observed, changes should appear. According to our information, the SNCF and Alma will allow payment in more than three times. The minimum amount should, in the medium term, also decrease. These new features should, a priori, come into force “in the last quarter of 2023”. The announcement – this time with great fanfare – could come around the opening of Christmas sales, scheduled for October 3.
Split payment is becoming more and more popular
This new payment facility aims to allow everyone to be able to travel by train, in particular at times when prices reach peaks, such as during the weekends of major departures or during the end of year celebrations. Especially at a time when critics fuse against the high rates of the SNCF. The railway company decided, at the beginning of the year, on an average increase of 5%, to cope with its cost increases, particularly related to energy prices. The limits of the Avantage card will also increase by 10 euros each, from September 1.
By offering – finally – the possibility of paying in installments, the SNCF is catching up with many tourism players. The solution has already been available for several years at Air France, Lastminute, Lidl Voyages or TUI… “It allows the French to go on vacation, underlines a player in the sector. We know that, even in times of crisis, it is a budget that they preserve. »
In the midst of a purchasing power crisis, split payment is becoming more and more popular with the French, even beyond the travel sector. Whether for purchases in household appliances, high-tech or furniture. According to the Kantar Institute, nearly one in two French people have already used it.
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