I could sure use some helpful advice. I have been trying to purchase a Swiss travel flex pass for 15 days for my husband and myself and all goes well till payment. It wont except any credit card or Apple Pay. I did book our Glacier Express and Golden Express reservations and my credit card was excepted on these sites. Interesting..right. I used the official SBB web shop and Swiss Railway websites to try and book the Flex pass. Any suggestions on how to bypass the Euro 3D security with our USA credit cards?? We leave August 9 and I still do not have this in place and Im stressing a bit.. I really would prefer not to stand in line at the train station and work this out. Plus if my credit card doesn’t work with them from here will it work once im there?? Big question. Im sure it will all work out but im truly frustrated. Sincerely. Corinne
Posted by
Wengen
4091 posts
SBB is picky when it comes to US CC. However you will have less problems at the ticket office, as the rules for "Cardholder present" transactions are different then those for "Cardholder not Presdent". If you buy the Flex pass at the station you may also get a paper pass.
However why the Flex pass? It is rarely a good value. If you are getting this because you won't be travelling every day then be aware that on those non travel days you may still want to ride cable cars etc... And you need to activate a travel day if you want ot have the 50% reduction.
Usually the best options are either the full Swiss Travel Pass for convenience, or the Half Fare Card, and just get tickets as you go.
Posted by
Green Bay
23706 posts
Yes, you can buy it with your credit card when you arrive. The 3D security is required by some entities, especially official or semi-official ones (like SBB) for on-line transactions, but not for in-person transactions.
If you have an American Express card, you might try that, as it is considered a "travel" card, not a "bank" card. I know that is seems like a silly distinction, but it can make all the difference.
Posted by
Chicago
4513 posts
My Swiss Alps recommends a few different websites to try for purchasing the Swiss Travel Pass:
Buy the Swiss Travel Pass from these shops Here’s my list of favorite
shops, from which I buy myself. They’re trustworthy, and I know most
of the owners personally.
www.swissrailways.com – Switzerland Travel Centre, the official SBB tourist webshop (Swiss Federal Railways). Easy, safe, and an excellent
helpdesk. You can pay in CHF (Swiss francs), EUR, GBP, or USD. They
also sell cable car tickets.www.happyrail.com – a very good option if you’d like to pay in your home currency (30 currencies available!), or if you need train tickets
for other countries too.www.getyourguide.com – another good choice if you want to pay in your home currency (35 currencies available!), or if you also want to
buy tickets for cable cars and other activities.
Posted by
18 posts
Do you have the option of selecting swiss francs instead of u s dollars? I suggest trying that. Also, you can buy the day you arrive in the the sbb office. That is what we did this year , and they were extremely helpful. We got the flex pass as well because we would not be needing it for several days.
Posted by
18 posts
Also, good idea to make sure you have a pin for your credit card.Even though you don't need it here. I never needed a pin , but some people say they have needed one. Or at least bring an a t m card as backup
Posted by
Atlanta, GA
246 posts
Amex worked for us on SBB because it gave a verification pop up in the Amex app. It also worked for us the same way buying our Orange Travel eSIMs.
Posted by
113 posts
One thought — make sure you are accepting all cookies from the site. Maybe it’s trying to pop up a window that’s getting blocked.
Posted by
113 posts
And if you use a pop-up blocker, temporarily disable it.