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Swiss Half Fare Card bought through Rick Steves/Rail Europe- activation questions

Posted by (Boston) on

Hi all,
My husband and I purchased two Swiss Half Fare Cards through the Rick Steves/Rail Europe link. The passes arrived as pdf's on an email. The email noted to be sure to follow the activation instructions - not on the email, nor was there a link. I've tried RailEurope's chatbot- the worst. The Rick Steves Train Travel says, as general guidance:
"If you have a printed pass, you'll need to present it in person to a ticket agent at a European train station. The ticket agent (not you) writes in your passport number, and the first and last dates of your travel period, and stamps the activation box on the far right. (Don't write anything on your rail pass before it's been activated.).

I'm seeing other posts talking about on Swiss trains the conductor is scanning a QR code through the SBB mobil app.

  1. Is there a way to add the Swiss Half Fare Card ticket id to the SBB mobile app? It looks like it is only for the Swiss Pass for residents.
  2. Is it correct that with PDF Swiss Half Fare Cards, we need to see an agent to activate them? Or can we simply show our pdf tickets and ID to the train conductor?
  3. We originally tried to buy the Swiss Half Fare Card through swissrailways.com, but gave up as the verification process kept breaking down. They give the option of digital or paper. Is there a way to get a digital card now through Rail Europe? Again, Rail Europe site- not helpful with this question. Thank you!
Posted by
4062 posts

You do not have a traditional printed pass but a digital pass. These normally come already activated for the period you selected when buying.

When you buy the HFC on the SBB site, after creating a login it will appear in the app. If you buy it somewhere else you will have to show the QR code some other way. Showing it on your phone, or a printout both work.

It is only the traditional old fashioned printed passes, issues on security paper (ie. not printed by yourself) that still need to be activated by a station agent.

What verification process kept breaking down on www.swissrailways.com?

Posted by
24 posts

The swissrailway verification kept sending us a link and we were responded nothing happened. At one point, there was a request for a brief video? IDK, it was very odd.

Posted by
23679 posts

This is the information I get from Rail Europe concerning the Swiss Half Fare Card.

Activating and using your Swiss Half Fare Card
Your pass is pre-validated for the start date you choose. Using it is easy:
When you’re ready to travel, purchase your discounted ticket online or via an app before you travel.
Make sure to select the ‘Half Fare’ or ‘50% off’ discount option when purchasing.
Board your train, bus, or boat. When your Swiss train tickets are checked, simply show your Swiss Half Fare Card along with your discounted ticket. It’s a good idea to keep a valid ID with you, as it may be checked along with your pass and ticket

So it sounds like you selected the activation date when you bought it.

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