Swiss Travel Card or Half price pass? Get train tickets in advance?

Do you book in advance for the Gornergrat train?

Nope. In fact, in ski season it serves as a ski lift.

Thinking we need train tickets from Lucern to Genoa in advance?

Probably, because at least the train from Milan to Genoa is an Italian IC train that requires reservations, which are included with the ticket price.

If you get the STP, it serves as your ticket. In most instances, you don’t need to purchase any other ticket. You just board any train going where you want to go. The exceptions are for trains that have panoramic cars, you can reserve seats. But for most trips, reservations are not even available.

If you decide on the Half Fare Card, you need to buy a ticket each time. This can be done using the SBB Mobile app. The price shown ASSUMES you have the HFC (so it is already showing you the discounted fare). You would buy the ticket paying the price you see. If a conductor asks to see your ticket, you would show it in the app, along with the HFC (either paper or digital form).

Many of the scenic routes (like Glacier Express) have the panoramic train cars that you can reserve in advance. But the same exact route is travelled by regular trains as well, with no reservations. If the panoramic trains are booked, you can take a regional train and see the same scenery.

For the journey from Lucern to Genoa, if you have the STP, you just need to buy your ticket from the last station in Switzerland to Genoa on that route.

Thank you for your help.
I did get the Swiss Half pass for my husband and I on my sbb account. I can see my pass in the SBB app but cannot see his. I do see the QR codes for both the tickets in my email. I set up a SBB mobile app for my husband on his phone. How do I get his pass on his phone so he can put it in his Apple wallet? We have iPhones.

Thanks for your help
victoria

I am a little confused that you say you have seat reservations on the Glacier Express, which goes from Zermatt to St Moritz. Then you say you are traveling from Zermatt to Luzern on Sept 30. Are you going part way, like to Andermatt, then to Luzern?

Sorry for the confusion. I was saying that the Glacier Express was already booked when we tried to get tickets.
We figured out the half fare pass was best for us. Thank you.
I have received some good tips about getting a train from Lucerne to Genoa. I'm going to try to book from two sites; SBB then from Italian site Milan to Genoa and see what happens as I have been having trouble booking the complete trip from SBB.

Any other tips appreciated.
Thanks, Victoria

I can see my pass in the SBB app but cannot see his

Did you try swiping left to see the second QR code? That is how it is on my app for our two tickets and passes. Or you can show the codes in the email to the conductor,

Finally figures that out earlier this evening. :-)

Thanks!