Am i understanding the Saver Day Pass correctly :) ??

SBB defaults to Half Fare Card pricing, so I think you miscalculated some of your figures. It’s around 90-100 chf full price to get from Murren to the Zurich airport, so when you see it saying “tickets from chf 48.30” that’s the Half Fare Card pricing. Where are you seeing Saver Day Passes for 29 chf? I’m seeing Saver Day Passes for around 40-50 chf in July. You don’t take 50% off that price with the HFC. Again, they default to pricing assuming you have the HFC.

I read this online

"With the Saver Day Pass you can travel throughout Switzerland for a day on all routes in the GA area from as little as CHF 29 with a Half-Fare travelcard and from CHF 52 without a Half-Fare travelcard. The earlier you book, the cheaper you travel."

Ah ah ok I see 90chf point to point so you are totally right. I must have seen the price with the half fare card. So if the discounted price is 45chf (let's say that), it would be a good option to buy a 29chf saver day pass, in that specific occasion, if ever it exists lolll?

The 29 chf is unlikely. I picked some random dates in July and saw 39-44 chf.

So I'd rather not rely on that maybe.. Or could it be a good option for the scenario I was talking about, i.e, several trips in 1 day that woud be expensive even with the Half Fare Card..

(But I would have to be 100% sure we stick to the plan, if ever I buy this day pass as its not flexible at all)

You have to be solid on the dates you're going to be using the trains a lot before buying Saver Day Passes. I was able to get a CHF 52 Saver Day Pass for August 29, but I think I bought it the day that day's passes went on sale. I saw a bunch of earlier dates with the same price, but that was over a week ago.

Oh ok I see :( So for now, it will only be the Half Fare card and if its available: the saver day pass (on the day I have several $$ trips planned) :)

Thanks a lot Maureen. So my understanding is right?

If I do multiple trips in a day, its worth it.

Exemple:

ONE FULL DAY OF TRANSPORTATION
Train Zermatt Thun 41chf full price
Boat Thun to Interlaken West 51ch full price
Train Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen 7.80chf
Total is 100chf full price / 50 chf with the Swiss Half-Fare card

If I am lucky I can get a 29chf pass 6 months in advance for this day

Am i right? :)

Thanks again Maureen :)

Oh and another question that might looks stupid but the day I manage to get the 29chf saver day pass, do I have to initially create a detailed itinerary and follow it at destination or can it be used for any trips any villages on that specific day? Not easy to explain that in English. I hope it's clear lollll. Thanks a lot

on a Saver Day Pass you can go anywhere the GA allows, no pre-planning required.

YES you very much misunderstand how this works! They are not 29CHF tickets, they are for as little as 29CHF.

For instance for tomorrow the price is 69CHF and the day after is 59CHF. You're chances of getting a lot of 29CHF tickets is very low.

I think I'd rather buy the Half-fare card + the BO pass (half price then) and not worry about getting a Saver Day then lolllllllllll!

Reminder (and for others reading for their own learning too) - the Berner Oberland pass is not half price with the Half Fare Card. You get a discounted rate on it, but it’s not half off.

Yes you are right!! Not half price but a good discount :)

Hello Maureen

Yes you are right. I then realized SBB quoted half-fare price by default :)

Nice! That's exactly what I thought: if the Saver Day pass is between 29 and 59chf (I will have the Swiss Half fare card) that would be a good opportunity/day to use it :)

I might buy the Berner Oberland Pass too so that would cover the section

Boat Thun - Interlaken 25.50
Interlaken West - Lauterbrunnen 5.40 with HFC

One day i will understand the Swiss passes. I'm getting better at it ah ah! Thanks a lot :)

I was going through the same calculations as you! I spent months studying TrenItalia and Deutsch Bahn and I for some reason SBB is the most confusing to me in terms of prices, ha! It seems to me that if you know the days you are traveling, the Saver Day Pass makes a lot of sense if you buy it ahead of time. For my family, I will have to see if it includes children.

I think the half-fare card is the best option in many situations. Then you only need to combine it with another pass, if necessary :)

With the Half Fare Card, you can get the free Family Card, then the children (under 16) are always free no matter what when they are traveling with you. You also get a lower price on the Saver Day Passes. The children don't need Saver Day Passes, they are free.

" SBB is the most confusing to me in terms of prices"

The reason is that SBB is actually very popular. Attracting passengers is the least of their problems. And most of their passengers are Swiss...

Generally speaking public transit is priced in Switzerland with the intention to punish people who keep their car (and thus only use it occasionally) and reward people who ditch their car and do everything with public transport. Hence lots of "all you can eat" passes, that do require a significant up front investment. Just like car would, basically...

I bought the Saver Day Pass for the two days we travel to/from Zurich to Wengen. Before purchasing, I examined the Validity Map and understood that some (not all) of the rail/bus/cableway transportation in the Bernder Oberland region would be covered with the Saver Day Pass. I'm looking at the [Validity Map][1] now, and it seems like you also need the Half Fare Travelcard, in combination with the Saver Day pass, in order for that to be true? Map legend says "Information applies to these products: Half Fare Travelcard in combination with a Saver Day Pass / Special Day Pass / Municipal Saver Day Pass."

If that were the case, why could I buy the Saver Day Pass at full price (i.e. w/o the half fare card)?

The Saver Day Pass will cover all public transport in the Berner Oberland. On other lines you pay fuil price, unless you also have the Half Fare Card. With the HFC the Saver Day Pass is further reduced in price.

Now I am more confused :)
Isnt the Berner Oberland pass better than the saver day pass? Or does it depend on the number of days we are staying?

The Saver Day Pass will not help much because it only covers transportation in the GA area. so it does not include the Schilthornbahn above Muerren, the Wengneralpbahn above Wengen, or any of the cable lifts, or any of the cable lifts or trains above Grindelwald. These are all covered by the Berner Oberland Pass, except the Jungfraujochbahn above Eigergletcher, but you get a reduced price, and the Schilthornbahn above Muerren, where you get half fare.

I'm looking at the [Validity Map][1] now, and it seems like you also need the Half Fare Travelcard, in combination with the Saver Day pass, in order for that to be true?

@ailaaltman

On the map showing the area of validity - the box with the text you are referring to can be expanded. Click on the downward arrow to see the next block of text that includes:

"Saver Day Pass"

You can click on this block of text

The map will now update to display the valid travel areas for anyone with a Saver Day Pass. While the Saver Day Pass covers all regions where people live in Switzerland, it does not extend to higher-altitude recreational areas.

A Half Fare Card (HFC) offers a 50% discount on many transportation options to these recreational areas. This is why there is a distinction between the map for those with only a Saver Day Pass and those with both a Saver Day Pass and an HFC.