Eurostar relaunches website that gives up to 50% off tickets

It includes London – Paris trains. The catch? You only know the time of your train two days before travel

Rail operator Eurostar is relaunching its ‘Snap’ service for passengers on the London-Paris route, which can see ticket prices drop to half of their usual prices.

The service, which was first used between 2016 and 2019, allows travellers to book discounted tickets for a date of their choice – but not a time. 

A similar service called ‘Lastminutedeals’ was in place this summer for travel to Brussels from London and Paris, but did not include the London to Paris line. 

It has now been replaced by Snap, used for all main Eurostar terminals.

“With Snap, Eurostar is making a simple promise: travellers choose their date, we choose the time, and they can get up to 50% off the price of unbooked Eurostar seats, ensuring that no seat is lost,” said commercial director François Le Doze in a press conference.

The company is looking to reduce the number of unused tickets on trains, whilst spreading travellers across all services including off-peak trains.

The tickets can be purchased on the new ‘Snap’ Eurostar website.

Read more: Eurostar threatens to suspend Amsterdam – London and Paris services in 2025

How do the tickets work?

The ‘snap’ tickets can be purchased for trains anywhere between two weeks and one day before the departure date (provided seats are available). 

You can purchase return tickets, but not a same-day return.

At least 48 hours before the departure date, ticket holders are told of their travel time (or told of their train time after booking, if there is less than 48 hours to go).

Unlike the previous version of the service, passengers cannot choose either ‘morning’ or ‘afternoon’ slots, but can be put on any service throughout the day.

The Snap website states trains can be from anytime between 05:40 and 20:40. 

The tickets cannot be refunded or exchanged after purchase (usual terms and conditions on reimbursement due to problems on Eurostar’s side still remain). 

Those with a Club Eurostar account can still earn bonuses and points from the tickets. 

The Connexion ran a simulation on the website for a hypothetical journey between London and Paris, from Wednesday October 30 to Friday November 1. 

The cheapest tickets on the standard Eurostar website for this date were €244, for trains leaving at 07:01 from London and 19:32 from Paris. 

Using Eurostar snap, tickets for a journey on the same days would cost €110. 

Read more: Eurostar and air travel will soon be available with a single ticket