Eurostar Brings Back Cheap Snap Ticket
Eurostar has brought back its cheap ‘Snap’ ticket, allowing you to take a high-speed train through the Channel Tunnel at an affordable price.
Although the reintroduction of these Snap fares is great news for budget-conscious travellers with full flexibility in their travel plans, they may not be suitable for everyone.
Eurostar train at London St Pancras station. ©AndyBTravels
What is a Eurostar Snap ticket
A Eurostar Snap ticket is a special, heavily discounted fare for last-minute tickets, though it comes with quite a few strings attached compared to standard tickets.
Instead of choosing a specific train departure, you can only select the day of departure when buying a Snap ticket.
Eurostar will only send your train times and ticket at least 48 hours before your journey, and they will be the ones to decide which departure you are assigned to.
Your departure could be on any train between 05:40 and 20:40 on the selected day of travel.
Example
For example, at the time of writing, a Snap ticket for a Eurostar train between London and Paris two weeks out (30th October) can be booked for just £40.
The cheapest standard fare on the same day of travel costs £97, with many other departures that day costing £149 or £179.
As you can see, buying a Eurostar Snap ticket can therefore save you quite some money.
The catch is that you will only know which train you are on 48 hours before departure, and the departure time may not be the most convenient for you.
You can travel from London to Paris for £40 with a Eurostar Snap ticket. ©Screenshot
A standard fare on the same day would cost more than double the price of a Snap ticket. ©Screenshot
Is the Eurostar Snap ticket a great deal or not?
Although these Eurostar Snap tickets will definitely appeal to budget-conscious travellers, they may not be suitable for everyone.
There is a high chance that you will be booked on a Eurostar train that departs at inconvenient times, such as early in the morning or the last train of the day that arrives late in the evening.
If you do not live in Central London or the centre of one of the other cities served by Eurostar, these tickets will be highly impractical.
For example, if you live in Leeds and want to visit Paris, you might be assigned to the 6am Eurostar train from London, which is impossible to catch with a same-day connection.
This would therefore require you to make a last-minute hotel booking in London, negating the savings from the Snap ticket.
Similarly, those who wish to make a same-day connection to another high-speed train or an overnight sleeper train on the continent cannot rely on a Snap ticket, as you do not know whether you will have enough time to make your connection in Paris or Brussels.
In such cases, it is best to buy a standard ticket for the time you actually need to travel.
When Eurostar Snap tickets were last made available to the public (2016-2017), you could specify whether you wanted a morning, afternoon, or evening departure, and with this extra booking option now removed, the Snap tickets have certainly lost some of their usefulness.
You can use a Snap ticket to travel with Eurostar from London to Paris, Brussels, or Amsterdam. ©AndyBTravels
The fine print
Eurostar Snap tickets can be booked a maximum of 14 days in advance and typically offer a 50% discount on the cheapest standard fare for that day.
You can only book a Eurostar Snap ticket as a one-way fare, as return Snap fares are not available.
You cannot select your preferred seat when travelling on a Snap ticket, and Eurostar cannot guarantee that you will be seated together if you are travelling as a group.
Eurostar Snap tickets are non-exchangeable, non-refundable, non-transferable and non-cancellable.
You can earn Club Eurostar points and bonus points while travelling on a Snap ticket, and you will still have access to Eurostar Lounges and priority ticket gates if your club tier permits, although the flexible travel perks for Avantage, Carte Blanche, and Étoile members do not apply to Eurostar Snap bookings, and you can’t use class upgrade benefits.
Destinations & booking
Eurostar Snap tickets are available for travel in any direction between London and Paris, London and Brussels, Paris and Brussels, Paris and Cologne, and Paris and Amsterdam.
While Snap tickets are available for travel from London to Amsterdam, they are currently not offered for the return journey from Amsterdam to London.
You can book Snap tickets on the dedicated Eurostar Snap website.
