Buying Swiss Half Fare Card on SBB website fails with US credit card
Alex is facing issues purchasing a Half Fare Card online at sbb.ch due to problems with US credit card acceptance. He reached out for advice on how to successfully buy the card and whether he can use his US card for purchasing tickets upon arrival in Switzerland.
- Purchase your Swiss Half Fare Card at an SBB store upon arrival in Switzerland if facing online payment issues with US credit cards.
- Consider using an Apple Pay wallet for easy ticket purchases with the SBB app while in Switzerland.
- Keep some cash (CHF) on hand as a backup for small expenses, although cards and mobile payments are widely accepted.
AI-generated summary-
Dear all,
just to shared there that I tried to purchase half-fare card online via sbb.ch and I got transaction failed.
I tried 1 other card card and it also returned failure message. I called my credit card company and they said nothing abnormal from their side. Finally, i called sbb contract center and the lady over the phone explained there are some security issues that sbb wont accept US credit card. She said it is a known issue and she suggests buy it in physical SBB store in the airport upon arrival.
I just curious anyone here had any thoughts or suggestions? Thank you all helps/advices in advance!
-alex
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Hi Alex,
SBB only accepts credit cards that conform to 3D-Secure requirements, which is an authentication process to protect against fraudulent transactions. Usually what happens is that after entering your credit card details, a code is sent by SMS, email or via an app, which you then have to enter into the web page before the payment can go through.
I have noticed that it is not uncommon for US credit cards to lack this feature.
You will probably have more luck buying from the Switzerland Travel Centre, which is a company owned by SBB, Switzerland Tourism, HotellerieSuisse and various regional railways, and targeted to international tourists:
https://www.swissrailways.com/en
There are also other options for buying a Swiss Half Fare Card here:
https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/swiss-half-fare-card/#tickets
Hope this helps!
Alpenrose
Hi Alpenrose,
thank you for the detail explanations and it all makes sense now!
I think i will try to get a online ticket from the site you recommended.
one more question : do you know i can still use my US credit card for purchasing ticket at the ticket machine or via SBB mobile after arriving to Switzerland? if not, do i have to carry cash (in CHF) ?
thanks again!
–alex
Hi Alex,
I have no particular expertise in this matter, but this is what I understand.
You might have problems buying tickets in the SBB app, as I imagine it requires the same authentication procedure as online payments on the SBB website. I’ve had mine set up for a long time, so I can’t remember what the process was!
It’s treated differently when you buy something and the physical card is present at the point of sale. I believe some US credit cards still do not have the “chip and PIN” feature, so if yours falls into that category (i.e. signature required) you might have some problems using it. However, if your card has a chip with a PIN (and you know your PIN), you should be fine. If the card has contactless payment capabilities, you could take advantage of that too, up to the specified limit.
Then of course there is ApplePay, GooglePay etc.
A small amount of cash is usually a good idea as a backup I think, and there might still be times you’d need coins (e.g. toilets in railway stations), but cards and mobile wallets are pretty much the way to go these days.
This page will give you more information:
https://www.myswissalps.com/planning/practical/swiss-franc/
Hope this helps.
Alpenrose
I have my SBB app set up with Apple Pay. That might be a good idea for you, then you will definitely be able to buy tickets on the go while you are there.
All,
I have used my US Capital One card to purchase point to point tickets at station kiosks in the past with no issues. I’ve also used it to purchase Swiss Travel Pass tickets from the SBB website with no difficulty, but when you mention it, I remember having to authenticate the purchase with Capital One each time. (Note: be sure to make your purchases in CHF, not dollars. Will save you about $25 in transaction fees.)
Laura E
Hi DebH,
Thank you for your reply!
Just curious. are you able to add the apple-pay to the SBB app?
I am using android (and I do have Google Pay). I don’t see there is an option in the Add-Payment-Method for either apply-pay or google-pay. (see the attached file as the screenshot)
Maybe I am missing something here?!
Thanks,
–alex
Attachments:
Hi alex,
For ticket purchase through the SBB Mobile App, you can pay with your Apple Pay wallet. I don’t think Google Pay is possible at the moment. You can check further information from the SBB website: http://www.sbb.ch/en/help-and-contact/invoices-payment-methods/method-of-payment.html
Regards:
Anna
Hi Anna,
thank you for your quick respond! I do see that mentioned in the link.
Will setup the SBB app with the payment method in my wife i-phone then! 😀
thank you!
–alex
Hi Laura E,
thank you for the info. I will take your words. “buy ticket from sbb app without any issue”
Bottomline is that, I hope I can purchase the point-to-point tickets from the SBB website with my US credit card setup! Lots of post mentioned the US credit is rejected due to “missing the chip for NFC scan”. but if you are living in US long enough, you would probably agree with me that most of the credit cards here are already equipped with it.
for safety, i will have my wife to setup the apple-pay and SBB app.
Thank you again!
–alex
This is what my app looks like when I am logged in and I can certainly pay with Apple Pay.
To be honest though I can’t remember how I set it up.
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