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Swiss Half Fare Card

HI,

We are travelling to Switzerland from 3rd June to 10th June ( will be travelling before to Italy and Austria from 17th May). I m thinking of purchasing Swiss Half Fare card online. Do i need a physical copy delivered at my house of the same or i will get a PDF on email which i can use for other bookings? Since the pass takes around 2-3 weeks to reach, we don't have time to wait for the same. I checked https://shop.swissrailways.com/customer.php . It says i can get it online, but at the same time asks for delivery address. Can i buy from
https://www.happyrail.com/en/pass/europe/switzerland/swiss-half-fare-card?utm_source=MySwissAlps&utm_medium=aff&utm_campaign=TRWenMySwissAlps

and get the same on my email?

Posted by
33 posts

Hi, Thank you. We are reaching Zurich on 3rd and same day we are leaving for Lucerne. Was thinking of booking tickets online hence needed the half rate card. Can i get the copy online? or hard copy delivered by mail is needed?

Posted by
7730 posts

When you go to book you do not need to have the half card. All of the trains prices are set at half price by default by sbb, as most people who take trains that live there have the Half Fare Card. The prices don't go up and the trains never sell out.

This is the official site if you want to buy the Half Fare Card. It would come as a PDF in your email
https://www.sbb.ch/en/leisure-holidays/travel-in-switzerland/international-guests/swiss-halffare-card.html

I am flying into Geneva Saturday and buying a Swiss Travel Pass.

Posted by
8889 posts

No need to buy either the tickets or the Half Price card in advance.
When you get to Zürich airport, follow the signs to the station ("Bahn/Railway") and buy the Half Price Cards and your tickets to Luzern at the same time. Tickets are valid on any train that day. You can stop off in Zürich city centre for a few hours, as the route goes via the station in the centre of the city ("Zürich HB").

Or you can buy the Half Price Card online first, and print it out at home: https://www.sbb.ch/en/leisure-holidays/travel-in-switzerland/international-guests/swiss-halffare-card.html
Same price in both cases, CHF 120 for 1 month.

Posted by
4 posts

Regarding the comment by Jazz + Travels, are you sure all train prices shown on the SBB website are the discounted one-half rate? Is the full fare posted anywhere? This makes a big difference trying to estimate my travel costs with the half-fare card.

Posted by
19630 posts

No, it is standard. Look at what it says when it quotes prices. "1× Individual Tickets, Half-Fare travelcard"
So just double that price. You can click through, enter your name and birthdate, then click on "No Discount" and you get the the price you will pay, double the Half Fare price.

Posted by
8889 posts

EJ, The "headline", "from" fare you see listed when you look up train on the SBB website assumes you have a Half Price Card. Sometimes it is a lower discount price for those trains you can buy a saver ticket on (still assuming you have a Half Price Card).

If you click on the price, you get to a page where you can select "No discount" and see the full fare.