Swiss Rail Pass is not necessary but France rail pass is

but if you buy French tickets on line for TGV travel (the long very fast trains) the reservation comes as part of the ticket. No muss, no fuss, cheaper, print at home - easy.

some would say you have it backwards.... Swiss passes - why didn't you get the twin pass - can often make themselves valuable if you get the one which matches your needs, there are several.

I'm sure you did the math before you left....

In France trying to use a pass on TGVs can be lots more trouble than value. Look at the prices for iDTGV and PREMS and compare that to the daily cost of a pass plus reservation fee if seats for passholders are available on your choice of train at all.

I'll second Nigel's opinion. You probably came close to breaking even as the average "long" trip in Switzerland is in the 70 to 80 chf range, plus 10 or 20 chf for "short" excursions. Add in the convenience factor of not having to wait in line to buy tickets for each trip or learn how to negotiate the ticket vending machines. Rail passes are more about convenience than saving money. The cheapest way to go is usually the one month Half Fare Card, but then you would still have to purchase a ticket for every trip. All of the boats eligible for the Swiss Pass are clearly marked on the Swiss rail map you get with the pass, or on line at www.sbb.ch. I don't see anything on the map covering Lake Maggiore.
France can be very reasonable if you know your itinerary in advance and buy nonrefundable Prems tickets on line. The rail pass gives you the freedom to travel when and where you want on the spur of the moment (after you buy a reservation). That freedom comes at a price.

Nigel's advice for France is worth repeating: Point-to-point tickets that include reservations can indeed by made from home without any rail pass. In North America simply avoid the SNCF website's desire to bump to RailEurope (choose Antarctica for ticket delivery). Like the budget airlines, prices start low if bought early and increase substantially as the train fills up. Commitment well in advance does reduce flexibility, but making your mind up at the last minute is bound to be expensive. The amount saved by early purchase usually beats out any pass in France and avoids the hassles and extra cost of making the reservations separately.

Yep - the original advice given at the top is totally bassackwards!

You must had had 8-day Swiss Passes. You could have done much better with 4-day Flex Passes, for $323 each. Your shorter trips would have been half fare. Lifts like the Schilthorn ride would have been half fare too. Most people do benefit from some kind of pass in Switzerland, but it is not always a consecutive day Swiss Pass. If you are riding the Jungfraunrailway ( very expensive) a Half-Fare Card will pay for itself.

And your Swiss Pass would have fully covered boat rides on many other lakes, like Lake Geneva, Lake Lucerne, lakes Zurich, Brienz, Thun, and Lugano. You can't expect a Swiss Pass to cover a lake ride in Italy.

I hope you don't feel like people are being too critical but it is important for others reading here to see that your view is not the whole story. There is a confusing array of Swiss passes and cards and it is important to study up if you want to get the best value.