Paris Metro Tickets

[Janek]

I have recently realised that for the price of tickets for the Paris Metro is to be vastly inflated for the Olympics.

I and five members of my family will be travelling through Paris twice in July and August, travelling through on the metro each time. I believe it is no longer possible to buy a carnet of 10 paper tickets, but I had wanted to buy carnets on a couple of (new) Navigo cards, to supplement the paper tickets I already have.

Is there a way I can do this in advance, to avoid paying the inflated Olympics prices? As far as Google tells me, I need to buy the Navigo cards in person which means I can't get my carnets until the expensive time.

Is there a way around this?

You’ll still pay the inflated prices, afaik. Only those with a monthly or longer period Navigo will pay the usual fares.

Try to see if you can download the IDF mobilités app on your phone now. If you can do that, you’ll be able to buy carnets of 10 digital tickets now, directly onto your phone via the app, without the need for a Navigo card.

I think you're right. I've tried downloading the app, but you seem to need to link it to a Navigo card before you can do anything else. I could kick myself, I've been meaning to buy Navigo cards for years. But I was put off while I could still get the carnets because the cards can't be shared between a family of four!

I HAVE managed to download the IDF Mobililés app and I WAS able to buy a digital carnet. I am absolutely delighted!

But also confused, because I had tried before to buy tickets without a Navigo card and all any app asked me to do was turn on my NFC so I could link my Navigo card to the app, which obviously I couldn't do. I thought it was new that it was now possible, but I see that this is exactly what you told me to do in the first place!

The irony is that I tend to keep metro tickets in stock, and I have fifteen (!), but there are six of us making three journeys and it really rankled that it was going to cost me €12!!!

Thank you for your advice!

You can also buy metro tickets via your mobile wallet.

Just buy them using your phone wallet. Do 'Add to Wallet' just 'Travel Card' then 'France and you can buy singles, carnets, a daily Navigo pass etc. Super-easy.

I think that's only on Apple phones, not on android.

@Janek sorry to highjack your thread. We're going to the Olympics as a family, and I've seen that they're doubling the transport prices (metro and buses) for the duration.

Am I right that you are saying there's a way to pre buy travel cards now at the lower price?

If so could you explain in idiot proof language how I would do this? I've downloaded the app. We'll be taking buses and metro I think.

Sorry if it's annoying to ask!

If you have an i-phone you can buy a carnet of 10 tickets directly into your wallet (they are called t+ and are valid for the whole of Ile de France, whatever that means!!! You can't use them to get from Charles de Gaulle or to Disneyland Paris, but any other place a tourist might want to go is fine (inc Gare du Nord)).

On android it's more complicated, but I seem to have managed it. I haven't actually been to Paris to check it actually works yet, but I can see the tickets on my phone...

So you need two apps: idf mobilités and my Navigo if you start with idf mobilités it will prompt you to download the my Navigo app. It will ask you to switch on NFC on your phone. You then go to > purchase > on my phone (purchase a ticket) > single tickets

I can't seem to see single tickets/carnets any more - I presume that is because I already have a carnet... The carnet costs about €17, which is already a massive saving on €2.15 per single ticket, but even more of one with the inflated Olympics prices. I would definitely try to do this sooner rather than later. I really hope the electronic carnets haven't already disappeared...

The disadvantage is that you can share a paper carnet between the group, you need a phone/carnet per person for the electronic version. Children pay full fare from the age of ten.

Let me know how you get on!

I've just realised, you're talking about passes, I'm talking about individual tickets. You can buy passes like this too, but only a few days in advance, so you will very likely have to pay inflated prices for these. Might be cheaper to buy the carnets in advance rather than travel cards at the time, if you can.

Just to clarify, the T+ carnet isn’t valid for the whole of IDF (effectively greater Paris including the suburbs). It covers the metro and buses within Paris, and can also be used in IDF as an individual bus ticket.

It won’t take you, for eg, from Saint-Germain-en-Laye into Paris. I have to buy a paper individual ticket from where I live (just 20 mins by RER from Arc de Triomphe) into Paris, and that includes my ongoing metro transfer to whatever stop I want within Paris.

Also remember that you can transfer from one line to another with the metro; the buses do not allow this. You also cannot transfer from metro to bus. So plan your route accordingly.

My station is no longer selling carnets of 10. I can only buy 9 tickets, but with no discount. The carnets of 10 are slowly being phased out, as they encourage everyone to move to Navigo or mobile tickets.

Do not store your paper ticket anywhere near your phone; they demagnetise very easily.

I’ve just checked the IDF app. You can buy your passes on your phone now for the JO, but they’re only valid during those dates and you’ll pay the inflated price. You can’t get round it by buying a much cheaper weekly; they work only from Mon-Sun and can’t be purchased until the Friday of the previous week.

The app does work on android, but is patchy. Mine kept disappearing and when I stupidly deleted and reinstalled the app, I lost the carnet of 10. So personally I wouldn’t risk it on Android.

@Oriunda thanks for returning and clarifying! I've seen Ile de France written for years, but never really needed to know what it meant, hence me getting it wrong before!

I have already risked buying a carnet on my phone, so hopefully it will be fine. I had already heeded the dire warnings about deleting the app and losing my tickets, so will try to avoid that! And I will buy physical Navigo cards as soon as I can, just not during the Olympics.

One thing I did notice when I was fiddling with my phone's settings was that I can turn off Google wallet being the default app when NFC is on. I reckon that might have stopped it working if I hadn't noticed it. We'll see...