The Senior Discount Tourists In France Should Use For Cheap Train Travel

For travelers aged 60 and over, SNCF's Carte Avantage Senior is a one-year rail pass that costs €49 ($56.98 as of July 2025) and can be stored digitally in the SNCF Connect app or printed out if needed. With the card, you get 30% off all second-class tickets on TGV INOUI, Intercités, and TER trains throughout the year (TER varies from 25% to 30%). It works whether you're taking a fast trip from Paris to Lyon or commuting to experience the Paris by Night taxi tour.

The card also sets price limits. SNCF caps one-way tickets at €49 for trips under 1 hour 30 minutes, €69 ($80.24) for trips up to 3 hours, and €89 ($103.49) for longer journeys. It also gives a 60% discount to up to three children aged four to 11 traveling with the cardholder. This means a grandparent and grandkids can travel together for close to the cost of one full-price adult ticket.

You can get the card through the SNCF Connect app or at any station counter, and the discount applies to every ticket you book while the card is active. You can change or cancel tickets you buy for free up to seven days before the train leaves. After that, a €19 ($22.09) fee applies. This gives senior travelers the freedom to adjust plans if they decide to spend more time in a place they enjoy.

Use the card on a busy-season trip from Paris to Nice (a journey of 6 hours 28 minutes) and the savings add up fast. In July 2025, SNCF Connect shows last-minute fares reaching €121 ($141.95) one way, but the senior fare cap brings that down to €89 as it is a trip over three hours, saving you €32. Even the cheapest price at €75 ($87.21), with the card's 30% discount, you pay about €52 ($60.47), well under the €89 limit. This means that whether prices are high or low, the cap keeps your costs in check and gives you the freedom to travel when it suits you.

Mid-range trips offer strong value too. A one-way ticket from Paris to Bordeaux, which takes just over two hours, is capped at €69 ($80.95) with the card, even on busy summer Fridays. That makes a round trip €138 ($160.47). Since the card itself costs €49 ($57.48), one long-distance round trip or two medium trips already cover the cost. SNCF's product page confirms this, stating that the card "pays for itself after the first return journey." The flexible ticket rules also make it easy to plan last-minute outings, whether it's a wine tasting or visit to a French café to try Rick Steves' money saving trick.

You can get a Carte Avantage Senior in three simple ways. The quickest is through the SNCF Connect app or website, and the pass arrives as a PDF with a QR code you can show during your trip. If you're already in France, you can also buy it at any staffed ticket counter or use a self-service kiosk. Just be mindful of your belongings while you are waiting in line; France has one of the European cities you are most likely to get pickpocketed in. For international travelers, the card is available on Trainline, where you can choose either a digital version or a printable one. Add the card to your booking profile once, and every fare search will automatically show the discounted price.

On Trainline, look under "Add a card or subscription" to add it and on SNCF Connect, enter the pass number from your "My Account" profile. Also keep an eye out for flash sales. SNCF Connect sometimes offers the Carte Avantage Senior for half price; €24.50 ($28.74) for 48 hours. The most recent offer ran in late August 2023. To catch these sales in time, turn on alerts in the app by going to Settings, then Notifications, then "Create Alerts." This way, you'll get a push notification as soon as the next sale or last-minute seat deal goes live.