Eurostar Business Premier lounge and Amex Plat – do they check your identity?

[cska]

Travelling with a friend soon on Eurostar and wanted to see if I could get them access into the Eurostar business premier lounge with my supplementary card (which has only my family name on the card). From others’ experience, do they double check the card name against a form of ID and would my friend therefore be denied access?

Thanks!

[Rob]

It depends, is the unhelpful answer.

There is no desk at the London lounge, just a person standing on the door. Sometimes you can wave your Platinum card vaguely in their direction and you can walk on. If its quiet they may want to look at your ticket. It’s a bit risky to be honest.

[PeteM]

The last few times I have been through they have checked the ticket name against the card name.

[pelicanicecoffeeolaf]

PeteM wrote:

The last few times I have been through they have checked the ticket name against the card name.

Same, used it 3 times so far, 2x in London and 1x in Paris, and they’ve checked it against the ticket every time, but so far they’ve never checked the card itself, as in they’ve never checked I’m still paying for the card (although I am).

[John]

… but do they scan the ticket barcode or could you get away with editing the name??

Eurostar itself doesn’t check your name!

[Wiseoldman]

John wrote:

… but do they scan the ticket barcode or could you get away with editing the name??

Eurostar itself doesn’t check your name!

they match the name on the ticket to the name on the card. you can get away with editing if you wanted to. they have no way of checking validity of the amex card

[JDB]

Wiseoldman wrote:

John wrote:

… but do they scan the ticket barcode or could you get away with editing the name??

Eurostar itself doesn’t check your name!

they match the name on the ticket to the name on the card. you can get away with editing if you wanted to. they have no way of checking validity of the amex card

Isn’t “editing” in this instance just a euphemism for forging? All to get into a lounge? Feels like a rather slippery slope…

[mark2]

On the subject of Eurostar, has anyone travelled to Lyon or Avignon and so swapped to a TGV. If so do you stay in a similar class esp. Business Premier?

[elguiri]

Just came back from Paris, London lounge looked at validity of card, and whether personal, then checked name against printed tickets. They did let our 5yo in as well. Pity the french border control computers went down so everybody was an hour delayed in the queue and we had only 5 mins in the lounge to grab some cans.

At Paris when we showed our Amex Plats, were shown a printout by the bouncer which stated that children over 4 were not allowed in via Amex Plat. Multiple families after us were turned down too. The lounge was empty as well – only 2 others in it. We split up and one of us went in, filled up with drinks (smoothie bar was nice) whilst the other waited outside with child, then swapped over. At least the magazine rack outside the lounge had a good selection of reading material.

[NigelHamilton]

mark2 wrote:

On the subject of Eurostar, has anyone travelled to Lyon or Avignon and so swapped to a TGV. If so do you stay in a similar class esp. Business Premier?

I don’t know the answer to whether your through ticket will be in first, I’d be amazed if it wasn’t. What I can say is that first on a TGV is nowhere near the step up in quality such as business premier or even first in the UK. If you were to buy from SNCF, the tickets just cost an extra 10 EUR or so bought in advance, no free food or drink, just a roomier seat and (usually) a quieter carriage.

[zapato1060]

they match the name on the ticket to the name on the card. you can get away with editing if you wanted to. they have no way of checking validity of the amex card

Is this the same case in airports? Do they check validity or just name check with boarding pass?

[Wiseoldman]

zapato1060 wrote:

they match the name on the ticket to the name on the card. you can get away with editing if you wanted to. they have no way of checking validity of the amex card

Is this the same case in airports? Do they check validity or just name check with boarding pass?

No at the airport you show use PRiority Pass which they check/run like a credit card authorization. At Amex Centurion lounge they run and verify the card.

[lordy]

Wiseoldman wrote:

zapato1060 wrote:

they match the name on the ticket to the name on the card. you can get away with editing if you wanted to. they have no way of checking validity of the amex card

Is this the same case in airports? Do they check validity or just name check with boarding pass?

No at the airport you show use PRiority Pass which they check/run like a credit card authorization. At Amex Centurion lounge they run and verify the card.

Yes pretty sure they just physically check at Eurostar / Same at Plaza

[John]

zapato1060 wrote:

they match the name on the ticket to the name on the card. you can get away with editing if you wanted to. they have no way of checking validity of the amex card

Is this the same case in airports? Do they check validity or just name check with boarding pass?

You won’t get away with editing the name on an airplane BP

[mark2]

NigelHamilton wrote:

What I can say is that first on a TGV is nowhere near the step up in quality such as business premier or even first in the UK. If you were to buy from SNCF, the tickets just cost an extra 10 EUR or so bought in advance, no free food or drink, just a roomier seat and (usually) a quieter carriage.

I think that you are referring to TGV OUIGO which may be a misspelling of ennui.
There is also TGV Lyria which has Business 1e which is like Eurostar Business Premium with food etc. but only runs to Switzerland.
In fact she has hanged the plan so we are now going on the Glacier Express instead?
Information is not easy to come by. I asked Eurostar and they said that they would try to answer within 28 days. At that time they asked me to indicate if I still wanted and answer!

[NigelHamilton]

mark2 wrote:

NigelHamilton wrote:

What I can say is that first on a TGV is nowhere near the step up in quality such as business premier or even first in the UK. If you were to buy from SNCF, the tickets just cost an extra 10 EUR or so bought in advance, no free food or drink, just a roomier seat and (usually) a quieter carriage.

I think that you are referring to TGV OUIGO which may be a misspelling of ennui.
There is also TGV Lyria which has Business 1e which is like Eurostar Business Premium with food etc. but only runs to Switzerland.
In fact she has hanged the plan so we are now going on the Glacier Express instead?
Information is not easy to come by. I asked Eurostar and they said that they would try to answer within 28 days. At that time they asked me to indicate if I still wanted and answer!

The Ouigo is a low-cost TGV version, where I have seen tickets for EUR 10 (usually more) but is actually pretty good. The Lyria to Switzerland, as you mention has three classes, including a business premier.

I was referring to the “normal” TGV which runs in most of France and where first class tickets are usually 10 EUR on top of the price for a second class ticket.

My in-laws are travelling first class next week from Paris to Turin on a TGV, then back on the Italian equivalent. Be interested to find out if that is closer to the TGV Lyria or analogous to the normal TGV.

The Glacier express should be amazing!

[Lady London]

Trentalia started running between Paris and Italy via Lyon earlier this year. So far as I know they hsven’t got “5th freedom” rights to just sell between the goldmine Paris and Lyon, you do have to be travelling between countries to use it I think. It runs a different route to the previous TGV route. Prices very reasonable.

If they’re in Business equivalent then if they load the app “Portale Freccia’ this links to entertainment and games etc like on a plane.

The Glacier Express runs in Switzerland and does’t connect to Eurostar as far as I know

[mark2]

I wanted to go on Eurostar using MR points. The Glacier Express is completely different, connected to a Rhine cruise.
We once went from Milan to Stresa on a Swiss train which made Eurostar look very downmarket. I booked on Trenitalia so Italian fare. When we had a couple of drinks and snacks on the train at Swiss prices they cost more than the first class fare! I looked to see how much it cost to upgrade to Excellence on the Glacier Express. It was more than £400 each on top of the first class fare.
Thanks for all the help.

[sloth]

I went on the Bernina express this summer which I really enjoyed, unbelievable views and scenery. The Glacier Express looks great also but will aim to do that one winter I think

Also for anyone going south from Gare de Lyon, make sure to go in the Train Bleu restaurant. Not cheap but a great ‘waiting room’ before your train