The launch of a new pricing policy at the SNCF had been long announced. It was unveiled in June, just before the summer season. This should make leisure travellers - who are the first to be affected by this change - want to get back on the train again, at a price that has been rethought. "AvantageS" is the name of this new strategy. one of the key points of which is to tackle the nebulous nature of fares, with their unclear subscription programmes and a maze of different prices. Another of the rail company's aims is to correct a distorted perception of its high-speed offer, namely high fares, whereas according to the company, the average price has been on a downward trend for several years and no increase has been announced since 2015.
In the end, this new 'AvantageS' offer includes seven key measures, notably a streamlined fare structure with three different fares per day and per class, and the end of certain aberrations such as first class at prices lower than second class. But the main new feature is the launch of a new Avantage. A single card, it now covers all leisure customers, compared with the four formulas previously available (Avantage Famille, Avantage Week-end, Avantage Senior and Avantage Jeune). Still priced at 49 euros and offering 30 % of discount as before, it comes with another new feature: the capping of fares, making last-minute bookings and days of major departures more accessible.
So, at the weekend, adult cardholders will pay a maximum of 39 euros on InOui TGV journeys of less than 1 hour 30 minutesThe new price will be €59 for journeys of up to 3 hours, and €79 for journeys of more than 3 hours. This measure also applies to TGVs within Europe, but not to Ouigo low-cost TGVs. At the same time, SCNF is working on a coherent pricing policy for its two high-speed services, which should be presented in 2022. To support this policy and give a clearer idea of the prices on offer, SNCF will be introducing an indicator giving the minimum and maximum fares per day, initially on its oui.sncf website in mid-June, before making it available on its app at the beginning of July. Another new facility, which extends a policy established during the health crisis, is free exchange and refund up to three days before departure.
While these changes are aimed primarily at leisure travellers, three other measures have a more direct impact on business travellers. The first, aimed at senior citizens, will have a knock-on effect on professionals over the age of 60. At the beginning of 2022, the SNCF will be launching a TGVMax Senior with an unlimited number of weekday TGV journeys for 79 euros per month. Young working people under 28 already had this option.
While the SNCF is currently working on a recovery plan for business travel which will be unveiled in the autumn and which should take into account the new expectations of business travellers who say they want to travel less but better, the company is also taking into account the major business trend which emerged with the health crisis: the "business traveller". teleworking.
From the start of the autumn, SNCF will be offering a new season ticket aimed at those new nomadic employees who have moved away from Paris and work from home for part of the week, while making regular return trips to Paris. Called My Annual Telework PackageThis package is 40% less than the classic Mon Forfait Annuel pass. Valid from Monday to Thursday, it covers 250 journeys per year on the TGV INOUI and Intercités in France, which corresponds to two to three days teleworking per week. In the example presented by the SNCF, it costs 311 euros per month for a teleworker living in Le Mans and travelling regularly to Paris, compared with 519 euros with the Mon Forfait Annuel package.
While very frequent travellers will see their Carte Liberté formula remain unchanged, another measure will affect regular train travellers, with a new Carte Liberté. loyalty programme reform. Here too, the SNCF is simplifying its offer: from September 2021, there will only be two statuses, and they will be offered by invitation to those who travel most frequently on SNCF lines, i.e. more than 600,000 customers. Customers will be invited to join the programme once they have spent a certain amount. All TGV INOUI, Intercités and OUIGO journeys will be taken into account, as well as the purchase of Avantage cards.
The new programme will give access to a wide range of benefits and rewards, including the accumulation of Reward Points for free journeys and discounts on TGV INOUI services, a dedicated customer service including an "Express Access" to simplify the journey to the station, as well as special offers from Avis, EFFIA, Delsey and Center Parcs... The most frequent travellers will have access to Grand Voyageur Le Club status, which opens the doors to Grand Voyageur TGV INOUI lounges in stations.
