In brief: SNCF is making progress on its BNPL offer

Announced several months ago, the SNCF's positioning on the fractional payment market seems to be taking shape today. The transport group has just taken a new step and has confirmed that it will launch its offer next summer.

Passengers will therefore normally be able to pay for their train tickets in several instalments with SNCF from summer 2023. However, the offer will be limited and will only concern certain mainline trains and certain amounts.

Following a call for tenders, the SNCF is expected to choose its partner, a financial company in the split payment market, in the next few days. A first version of its fractional payment solution will then be tested by the end of 2022.

What is the SNCF's objective? To facilitate access to its services and above all to democratise train travel. This is necessary because more than 22 million tickets have been booked for July and August this year (10% more than in 2019), in the middle of a call for energy sobriety. However, according to INSEE, train ticket prices rose by an average of 14.6% between April 2021 and April 2022.