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Swiss Travel Pass Questions-- Updates?

Posted by (Portland, OR) on

My wife and I are heading off to Switzerland this fall and are planning on using a 4 consecutive day Swiss Travel Pass. There have been multiple posts in the past regarding the Swiss Travel Pass, but I am hoping for an update . Any information provided will be greatly appreciated!

From what website(s) should I purchase a Swiss Travel Pass? Is one site better than another?

Can I print it (multiple copies?) as well as put it in an iPhone wallet? Are directions to put it in the wallet fairly clear? (I am only now learning about the iPhone wallet and have no experience using it.)

If purchasing a pass for both my wife and me, are both passes stored in one iPhone wallet, or is one on my phone and one on hers?

We are taking a train into Switzerland from Germany. I would like to purchase the STP before our trip. I read somewhere that if entering Switzerland by train, one should only purchase a ticket to the first border town covered by the pass, then use the pass for the rest of the trip into Switzerland. My question is, how does the pass get activated? During the purchase transaction (when buying the pass), can I enter the first day I plan to use it? Or, do I have to get off the train at the border town and get it activated at the train station. (In which case, I will need to build in time at the border town to get off the train to activate the pass.)

Thanks so much for your input!

Posted by
2671 posts

I’d purchase directly from SBB:

https://www.sbb.ch/en/travelcards-and-tickets/buying-options/buy-travelcards-and-tickets.html#sbb82fe4e

Yes, can print as many copies as you’d like. You should receive an email with a link to click on to add the Pass to your phone’s wallet. First time I ever head about the wallet too was when I added my pass to it. 😊 I now have my credit cards in the phone wallet too in case I lose my physical cards.

If you purchase both passes together, I'm not sure how that would work with the wallet. My traveling companions and I all purchased separately with separate email accounts. I guess you'll find out. 😊

No need to activate the Pass. You’ll chose a start date when you purchase it. Just show the Pass (and passport) to the train conductor if they come around checking for tickets.

I’m a big fan of the Swiss Travel Pass. You’ll find it makes traveling so easy.

Posted by
6 posts

Thank you, Carrie. Good idea putting credit cards in for backup!

Posted by
26 posts

Great advice for OscarMan. I cannot figure out how to download my swiss travel pass into my iphone wallet. l have the email from SBB - but do not see a link for the download to Iphone wallet. Thanks for any help you can provide.

Posted by
2671 posts

johnsonp1116, I always get two emails. One confirming the purchase and one with the links to print and add to the wallet. The second email can take a few days longer to arrive. Be sure to check the junk folder in your email.

Posted by
6 posts

Well, after doing the math, it turned out that purchasing and using an STP was going to cost more money than purchasing tickets without one. True, I did order the non-refundable tickets, but I'm confident in making the train(s). It was even less expensive to buy 1st class tickets, which I did!

I ended up buying my tickets off Bahn.de/en. But before I did, I created an account on their website and also downloaded their app onto my phone. When the transaction to purchase my ticket went through, up popped a pdf of the ticket, which I downloaded onto my pc so I could print it. The concluding purchase transaction also included an order number for the ticket. When I opened the phone app, and signed on with the same userid and password as I used on Bahn.de/en, I was able to put in the order number-- and the ticket seamlessly downloaded into the Bahn app on my phone. So, on my iPhone, the electronic ticket is inside the Bahn.de app, not the actual wallet. I haven't tried to move it to the wallet, and I'm not sure I really care, so long as I can get access it without needing a wifi connection

Posted by
72 posts

You must view your ticket in the SBB app, then click the three dots in the upper corner and choose "add to wallet".

Posted by
4698 posts

You can also take a screen shot of your tickets, which use also requires no Wi-Fi at the time of use.

Posted by
72 posts

Note:

Screenshots of the QR code are not sufficient, you must be able to show the complete e-ticket at any time otherwise you risk to be treated as passenger without valid ticket.

The accepted tickets are are:

  • Ticket in the mobile app
  • Ticket displayed in the e-mail confirmation
  • Ticket stored in the iphone Wallet
  • Ticket as Print out A4/Letter format

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