7-day Vélib’ ticket

I read on their website that one can buy a 1 or 7 day temporary card at certain stations. Does this work for tourists? If so where are these stations and how does it work. I will be in Paris for 3 weeks on August and would like to use these bikes.

Thanks so much for any advice.

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Hi;

Here is the website for the Velib:

www.en.velib.paris.fr/comment_ca_marche

A good deal of it is in English.

You can buy the daily or 7 day pass at any of the bike stations. More and more of them are accepting all credit cards.

You can also buy your pass on the website.

The main issue that is that not only do you need a subscription but you need to use a credit card so that a 150euro hold can be placed on the card in the event that you do not return the bike.

I%26#39;ve run into stations that do take North American style credit cards, those with the strip, but have also run into ones that reject them some days and accept them on others.

Velib is working hard making the system available to all. There are RATP offices in some of the major metro stations, FRanklin Roosevelt, for example where you can get personal help...

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Thanks for the info. That is the website I used to find out about the temporary card. So I think you are telling me that I have to go to an RATP station to talk to a person about how to get the temporary card because at the bike stations it is all automated and it is possible that my card will not work. Is that the case? Are you also telling me that even with the temporary card I need to use my credit card and without the chip on it, it might not work and I could be looking for a pick-up or drop-off station that does.

Thanks again for all your advise and help.

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Hi

When you go to a bike station you can buy a 7 day card. The machine will then ask you for a credit card and will put a 150 euro hold on your card.

After the 7 days, assuming the bike has been returned, the 150 euro hold will drop from your credit card.

That is the way it works for everyone. The problem arises if and when the bike station doesn%26#39;t accept your credit card.

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Thanks Craigmore. I will try to use the machine and if that does not work I will go to a RATP office like you suggested and talk with a person.

1 more question - if I do get my card to work when I buy the 7 day card and pick up a bike then when I return it do you have to swipe your card again and then it might not work?

Thanks again!

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hi;

Once you get your 7 day pass you are set. You won%26#39;t have to swipe your credit card again. You simply swipe the 7 day card, which will have a chip imbedded in it...

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Another question about the card...

Does a 7 day card work like the Carte Orange/Navigo weekly pass where it only works from Sunday to Saturday (or whatever it is), or is it for 7 days from the day you buy it? I%26#39;m doing a Wednesday to Wednesday trip this summer and it would be cool to use the Velibs if the card if flexible enough.

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And wanted to mention that I checked the website and didn%26#39;t see the information there, so it would be great if someone knows the answer!

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I think the above explanation can be misleading. I haven%26#39;t heard that the RATP is in anyway involved in the management of Velib or that you can buy a pass from them.

I don%26#39;t think it is possible to rent a velib without a credit card and as i don%26#39;t think i%26#39;ve ever seen a machine that takes credit cards without a chip, they must be quite rare!

To return the velib you simply put it back in the stand at any station (you don%26#39;t have to take it back where you got it from) and then wait until the light changes from red to green **very important**. No card swiping is involved.

If the light doesn%26#39;t turn green the system doesn%26#39;t register your bike as returned. This happens occassionally and if the next day you try to rent a bike and the display says %26quot;location en cours%26quot; or something like that [meaning you already have a bike rented]. It means that the light stayed red when you returned it and they think you still have it. In that case you must call them from the stand and give them the number on your ticket or the name of the station where you rented it. Then they can reset your card and you won%26#39;t be charged.

If you go to the link below and click on the text %26quot;General Conditions%26quot;, you can download a pdf with a very detailed explanation of how to rent a velib as well as the costs

…paris.fr/abonnements_tarifs/abonnement_cour… (that is the link, no .html at the end)

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OK, now I really am confused. So it seems that unless I have a %26quot;chip%26quot; credit card I am out of luck since there does not seem be an %26quot;office%26quot; I can go to to buy the 7 day card. Am I wrong? Also the previous question about is the 7 day card only good from say Sat to Sat or 7 days from the day you buy it.

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Bring an AMEX, I have experience that those are the one chip-less card that is accepted.

From my reading of the 7 day pass is it is just 7 days, not like the Carte Orange. You get a ticket when you do the 7 day subscription (from the site).

RATP has to be involved a bit as my Navigo pass has my Velib subscription. You might get more knowledgable staff in ratp and Velib from the larger stations especially those near tourist attractions.