Buy Tickets Paris Metro

Ticket Machines – Buy Tickets Paris Metro

Within a Paris Metro station, Paris Metro tickets (but not all pass cards) can always be purchased from automated vending Metro ticket machines.  You can buy Paris Metro cards / day / week passes from any Metro station ticket window, but only a few multiday Paris Metro cards can be bought through Paris Metro ticket machines such as the Paris Visite card and Ticket Mobilis day ticket.

Metro Ticket Machine Payment Methods

Paris Metro ticket machines all accept Euro coins (for purchases up to 30€) and European debit cards (with smart chip) as payment.  Credit cards are most often not accepted at Paris Metro ticket machines (but credit cards can be used at ticket windows).  Some combined Metro/RER/Transilien ticket machines (one example pictured below) at major train stations (Gare du Nord, Gare de Lyon, etc.) and airports such as CDG Airport train station or Orly Airport, accept Euro coins, Visa Mastercard credit cards, French and foreign chip debit cards, but Paris Metro station ticket machines inside of central Paris Metro stations usually do not accept cash notes for payment.
Here is a photo of a combined Paris Metro/RER/Transilien ticket machine which accepts Visa/Mastercard credit cards, Carte Bleu (French debit card), foreign chip-enabled debit cards, and Euro coins (2€, 1€, 0.50, 0.25, 0.10, 0.05 Euro coin denominations).

See Paris Metro ticket machines for step-by-step details on buying Paris Metro tickets from automated ticket vending machines inside central Paris or combined Metro/RER/Transilien ticket machines for buying Paris transportation tickets/passes from machines found at major Paris train stations and Paris airports.
If you need to use a credit card to buy Paris Metro tickets or Paris Metro pass card and the automated ticket machine doesn’t show a Visa or Mastercard symbol, then visit a ticket window to buy Metro tickets & Metro pass cards where you’ll be able to use a credit card for the purchase.

Ticket Windows – Buy Tickets Paris Metro

You can also buy Paris Metro tickets from personnel staffed ticket windows at any Paris Metro station.  Keep in mind that Paris Metro stations often have several entrances and a manned ticket office is usually only open at one of those entrances at any given time.  The other Metro station entrances will have ticket machines and fare gates / turnstiles for pass card & ticket holders to enter without human staff nearby to help.
The basic Paris Metro ticket is the Ticket t+.  When buying single Metro tickets you would ask: “Un ticket Metro” [ungh-teekay-mehtro].  This ticket is good for a single ride anywhere on the Paris Metro system, including transfers between Metro lines without zone limitations (or RER lines within Paris Zone 1), within 2 hours of validating the Paris Metro ticket using a turnstile or fare-gate.  Paris Metro tickets can be bought one day and used at any time in the future as they are validated / activated upon use (in a turnstile or fare-gate), not upon purchase.  See Paris Metro ticket t+ for detailed information on the basic Paris Metro ticket, costs, how to use it, etc.

Buy Paris Metro Tickets Online

To buy Paris Metro tickets online, you can visit the website of the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau
The online Paris Metro ticket sales are sold in booklets of 10 Metro tickets. The price of online Paris Metro tickets is 16,40€ for adults and 8,20€ for children age 4-9, per booklet of 10 tickets, as of March 2019.  Online purchased Metro tickets are 10% more expensive than at Paris transport ticket windows in the city.  Paris Metro tickets can be used at any time in the future.  There are no expiry dates on Paris Metro tickets so they are essentially good for use at any time in the future after purchase.
The Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau online Paris Metro ticket sales have a delivery fee which is substantial.  As of March 2019 the delivery fee for online Paris Metro tickets is 12€ for delivery to a hotel in Paris.  Delivery fees for online Paris Metro tickets to cities outside of Paris by DHL courier cost a minimum 14,50€ to 22€ for EU countries and 24€ for USA/Canada/Australia and other countries to which delivery is possible.
Here is a complete list of countries & delivery fees that online purchased Paris Metro tickets can be delivered to:
Zone 1…………………………………………….€14.50
Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain (except Canary Islands), Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Turkey and United Kingdom.
Zone 2…………………………………………………€22
Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Hungary, Poland, Dem. Czech, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.
Zone 3…………………………………………………€24
Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Emirates, Guadeloupe, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Martinique, Mexico, New Zealand, Oman, Philippines, Qatar, Reunion, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand, Uruguay, USA and Venezuela.
If your country is not on the list above, unfortunately you cannot buy Paris Metro tickets online for home delivery from the Paris Convention & Visitor’s Bureau.
There is an option of picking up online purchased Paris Metro tickets, but the pickup location is within central Paris at the Convention & Visitor’s Bureau offices (29 rue de Rivoli 75004 Paris or Gare du Nord at 18 rue de Dunkerque 75010 Paris) which must be done between the hours of 10 AM and 6 PM and not on December 25/Christmas day.  Keep in mind that if you buy Paris Metro tickets online from the Bureau, the Paris Metro tickets are not available for pickup at CDG Airport nor Orly Airport.  In other words, it doesn’t make much sense to purchase Paris Metro tickets online, fly into Paris and then have to pick up Metro tickets in Central Paris which would require you to visit a Paris public transportation ticket office beforehand where you could buy the exact same Metro tickets for 10% cheaper than you can online.

Share this: