Is one Swiss Family Card enough for two children?
A traveler is purchasing Half Fare Cards for their family, which includes their son and two grandchildren. They are confused about whether one Family Card is enough for both grandchildren and how it works if parents travel separately with the kids. Additionally, they want to know about the refund policy for the Half Fare Card before its validity period.
- One Family Card can be used for 1 to 5 children, but if parents plan to travel separately with the kids, they'll need two Family Cards.
- Half Fare Cards and Family Cards can be purchased together on the SBB ticket shop website, where you can choose the number of Family Cards needed.
- Cards purchased online are generally non-refundable, so it's better to buy them close to your travel dates.
AI-generated summary-
I am in the process of purchasing Half Fare Cards for my wife and me, our son, his wife, and their two children. On the SBB ticket shop website it looks like I can buy all the Half Fare Cards in one order, plus the Family Card for the children. However, at checkout there appears to be only one Family Card included in the order. Is one Family Card adequate for the two children or should they each have a card? What if each parent travelled with one child separately at some point. One pair is left without a Family Card? How does that work?
There appears to be no documented association between the Family Card and any particular Half Fare card holder in our group. Should I assume that either parent can travel with the children with the Family Card? What about my wife and me?
Finally, is the Half Fare Card refundable prior to the period of validity?
Thanks for any advice before I make a purchase!
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Hi Peterk49,
Welcome to MySwissAlps! One Swiss Family Card can be used for 1 to 5 children, but if you plan to split up then you need two. Purchase options for the Swiss Half Fare Card and Swiss Family Card are listed here: http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isshalffarecard/price. I am not sure which ticket shop you visited, but I recommend the SBB shop for tourists which is also in that list: https://shop.switzerla ndtravelcentre.com/#/e n/home. You can actually choose the number of Swiss Family Cards there. Should you still need an extra one, then you can get it for free at any staffed Swiss train station during opening hours.
Cards/tickets provided via e-mail, like this one, are basically non-refundable, so I recommend to not order months in advance but rather a couple of working days in advance. Should you then still need to cancel, your travel insurance should cover this. You can still try to get a normal refund from wherever you ended up purchasing, but they will probably stick to the terms and only grant the normal 85% refund on paper tickets.
Thank you so much for this information! One additional question: Is there any difference between the benefits offered for children with the Family Card, the Junior Travelcard, and the Children’s Co-travelcard? I understand the different circumstances to which each applies, but it’s not clear if there are any differences in the discounts and where they are applicable.
Hi Peterk49!
Essentially there’s no difference in the area of coverage and the amount of discounts. All three passes allow children to travel along for free with their parents or other adult travel companions. Whether it’s the parents or other adults who join the kids, and what type of ticket or pass the adults use, determines which of the three options is applicable to the children. You can find further information at
- myswissalps.com/swissf amilycard
- myswissalps.com/junior travelcard
- myswissalps.com/train/ ticketspasses/practica l/discounts (see “Discounts for children 6 to 15 years old)
For you, Swiss Family Cards are enough if the adults will be using Swiss Half Fare Cards, and if the children are always accompanied by one of their parents. If you or your wife want to take along one of your grandchildren without your son or his wife being present, a Children’s Co-Travelcard or 1-day travelpass for children mentioned in the link above) is the right solution.
Thank you!
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