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On January 22, SNCF’s booking service opened for rail travel in spring – a period which not only includes the Easter school holidays, but also two long weekends at the start of May. As well

as jostling for a seat, would-be travellers will have to contend with a fare hike unveiled by SNCF at the start of the year. It came into effect on January 8 and amounts to paying an extra

1.5% on average for TGV Inoui and Ouigo trains. Those looking to bag an affordable fare could benefit from the following suggestions… CHOOSE THE LOW-COST TRAIN  Before you book a ticket on

France’s high-speed TGV, check if its low-budget cousin, the Ouigo, goes to your destination. Ouigo trains have one class (second) but tickets start from as little as €10 for adults and €5

for children.  Regional Intercités and TER trains are also worth investigating – they cost 30% less than the TGV.  BOOK IN ADVANCE Booking in advance will generally ensure you secure cheaper

tickets. Rail operator SNCF urges passengers to “get into the habit of checking the openings of ticket sales to benefit from the best prices”.  Tickets become available on average three

months before the date of travel, usually at around 6:00 French time.  If you want to provisionally reserve a cheap ticket, maybe because you are unsure of your travel dates, the SNCF

Connect website lets you "lock" a fare for seven days, for free, reserving the current price. To do this, select 'poser une option' when paying. You will then have seven

days to pay, change or cancel the reservation. After seven days, the seat is no longer reserved and will be made available to buy again. This option is available for TGV InOui, Intercités

and TGV Lyria trains.  Read more: New way for travellers to show identity now accepted on some French trains NOTE THE TICKET RELEASE PERIOD SNCF organises 'release dates' for

specific periods, usually the summer, winter, Christmas and autumn holidays. They are announced well in advance, so people can get the date in the diary to buy their tickets as early as

possible. And usually the earlier you book, the cheaper the ticket.  The release date for spring was in January. Other holiday periods are usually: * Christmas holiday tickets - released in

October  * Winter holiday (February) tickets - November * Summer holiday (June-August) tickets - March * Autumn holiday (October) tickets - June SET UP LOW-FARE ALERTS SNCF has a reminder

tool allowing you to input your dates of travel and be notified as soon as tickets are available.  You can also set an alert for low-price tickets and receive a message when the tickets are

on sale.  Learn how to set up SNCF ticket alerts. BUY A RAILCARD  Frequent travellers can make decent savings if they buy a railcard.  If you can, wait until there are special offers to buy

your railcard. There are regular promotions that could give a sizeable discount.  There are several railcard options available from SNCF. They include: Carte Avantage: This is available in

adult (27-59 years old), young person (12-27) and senior (60-plus) versions and costs €49.  It offers discounts on TGV InOui and Intercités.  It gives users capped prices on second-class

seats, as well as 30% off trips, 60% off tickets for up to three children travelling with you, and free ticket exchanges and refunds up to seven days before departure.  SNCF says the card

pays for itself after one return trip.  Carte Liberté: Designed for frequent travellers, the Carte Liberté (€399) gives users 45% off Business Première class, discounts on first and second

class tickets and the ability to exchange tickets up to 30 minutes after a train has departed.  Max Jeune/Max Senior: These young persons (16-27) and senior (60-plus) railcards are designed

for travellers who can be flexible and do not necessarily need to book in advance.  For €79 per month, it gives travellers access to €0 tickets, free cancellation up to departure, up to six

advance bookings (the rest of the journeys you cannot book in advance), and 30% off tickets in first and second class if there are no €0 tickets available.  Compare cards and season tickets

using SNCF Connect website. Read more: SNCF looks to introduce new luxury first class on some TGVs BUY AN INTERRAIL PASS  If you are travelling beyond France, an Interrail pass could be a

good investment. The Interrail Global Pass can be used in 33 countries and, unlike its ‘gap year’ image, can be used by people of all ages.  You can customise your pass, choosing the number

of countries, start date and duration (from four days to six months). Up to two children under the age of 12 go free when accompanied by an adult.  CHECK FOR FLASH SALES  French train

operators regularly offer discounts and flash sales, so it is worth following Ouigo, TGV and SNCF on social media, or signing up to the SNCF newsletter, to see all the latest offers.  Big

promotions tend to come ahead of holiday periods eg. the summer or Christmas breaks.  SNCF also regularly has Black Friday offers in late November.  USE YOUR ANNUAL DISCOUNT  Residents of

France are entitled to a 25% reduction on a return trip of over 200km for their holidays, known as the billet de congé annuel. The offer is valid on TGV, TER and Intercités trains.  It must

be used during traditional holiday periods.  The offer can also be used by your partner, children or parents if you are single if you are travelling together.   TRAVEL AS A CHILDREN’S

CHAPERONE  Passengers can travel for free or at a reduced rate if they offer to accompany children travelling alone. The website kidygo.fr connects parents looking for someone to watch their

child while they are travelling by train, bus or plane with fellow passengers.  They will pay for part or all of your ticket in return for you accompanying their child.  AVOID BUYING A

TICKET ON THE TRAIN Do not buy your ticket on board the train unless it is an absolute emergency. If you do, you will be charged €10 more than the ticket price for a journey of 25km and €60

more than the ticket price for a trip of over 151km.  TRAVEL AS A GROUP SNCF offers discounts on train journeys on TGV InOui, Intercités, and TER trains to select destinations for groups of

at least 10 people. So if a big group of you are travelling, book the tickets together to get a discount.