WE are traveling in Switzerland from Thurs to Sun and then heading to Germany on Sunday to meet with a tour. What type of pass would work best? WE have compared all the passes and are confused with the options. We are planning to visit the Shilthorn, so I know we might get a discount there with a flexipass.
There are Swiss passes and cards and there is the Eurail Pass. The Eurail pass loses a lot of its value as you leave the Interlaken Ost train station and travel into the Lauterbrunnen Valley. You only get a 25% discount on the Jungfraubahn and the Schilthornbahn, which are private railways within the Swiss rail system. Since you are going to the Schilthorn (approx. $80 R/T from the valley floor) or the Jungfraujoch (approx. $180 R/T), you might look into the Swiss 1/2 fare card. It costs 110CHF and is good at all times for 30 days. You get 50% off on all Swiss transportation including the Schilthorn and the Jungfrau. It will also cover you to the German border.
I was thinking of the Swiss pass, but I wanted to buy my ticket to German now online, so I would not receive the discount to the German border correct?
Not correct. You can buy your ticket to Germany online on the Swiss or German train site ( bahn.de) and there is an option to take into account your Swiss pass or half fare card in the pricing, even if you don't have the pass yet.