Rick Steve's Eurail refund policy

Call the Rick Steve's office and ASK !!!

I've left a message and sent an email. I need to buy the ticket today to get the 10% discount that is being offered, so I thought I'd ask here, too. :)

Is this for use in Switzerland? Usually, the Swiss Travel Pass, half-fare card, or regional pass make more sense for travel in Switzerland.

We are starting in Florence, then Switzerland, ending in Germany. We have 4 days in Lauterbrunnen and one in Zurich.

Technically I don't believe Rick actually sells the pass, it's from the Eurail company (Rail Europe?) so your answer should not come from Rick's office.

Also keep in mind, I recall seeing big signs in the Interlaken station saying YOUR EURAIL PASS IS NOT GOOD PAST THIS POINT

Recently rail passes have provided more convenience than savings. Probably too late to ask if you really need the pass. In Italy you will need to reserve and pay for a seat reservation on all trains except Regionale.

As of a few years ago, passes bought on sale were not refundable. That policy could have changed, but be sure you're getting the straight scoop on this. It's not terribly uncommon for people to buy a Eurail Pass on sale and later realize it was not a good purchase for them. Quite a few such people showed up here after buying a Eurail Pass on sale, and they were stuck.

I, too, wonder whether the pass will really save you money when compared to buying point-to-point tickets in Germany and Italy and using some sort of Swiss pass or the half-fare card in Switzerland.

From what I've read Eurail used to be the best (and only) pass in Europe so everyone defaults to it. But nowadays each country offers their own passes which often work better. And don't forget to check those little maps Rick puts in his guides with average fares so you can do some math and decide if you're really saving anything.

The fares shown on Rick's maps are the full fares you would pay for a walk-up ticket on or near the day of travel (as of the date of publication, of course; I'd expect a bit of upward creep). Those fares can often be beaten, sometimes by a wide margin, with a bit of advance planning.

Thanks for all the responses. I am only buying a 4 day pass for the longer train trips, so cost-wise, it worked out after I did the math. I’m planning to break up the journeys on those days, so it wouldn’t be as cheap as a point-to-point ticket would be.
Also, Rick Steves sells the passes at a price point a little higher than the Eurail site, with a service fee on top, so I wondered if that was how R Steve's is able to offer a 100% refund on unused passes.

Update: I got a call from the website and talked to a representative named Ben who told me if the fine print says it is 100% refundable, then it should be, but to take a screen shot of it, just in case.

It was our experience having bought a eurail pass last year with a discount, it was worthwhile, but NOT in Italy. You will also pay a reservation fee and it is cheaper and easier to simply book directly with trentalia. You may want to shave off a day for the Italy portion of train travel.