Swiss Half Fare Card and Half Fare Travelcard
A traveler named HI is confused about the differences between the 'Half Fare Travel Card' and the 'Swiss Half Fare Card' while booking tickets on the SBB website for their trip. They are seeking clarification on how these cards work and which one they should choose, especially for their Glacier Express booking.
- You need a Swiss Half Fare Card as a tourist; it's equivalent to the Half Fare Travel Card on the SBB site but designated for tourists.
- When booking tickets online, just select the 'Half Fare Travel Card' option even if you have a Swiss Half Fare Card; it's set as default and still applies.
- Download the SBB Mobile app for easier access to timetables, fares, and ticket purchases when traveling in Switzerland.
AI-generated summary-
HI ,
Is there a difference between the Half fare Travel card and Swiss Half Fare Card or are they the same. When trying to book tickets on the SBB website under the discount cards drop down I get to select Half fare Travel card there is no option to select “Swiss half fare Card “. But when i go to book my glacier express train on their webiste i can see 2 seperate options in the dropdown “Half fare Travel card ” and a “Swiss Half fare Card and Half fare Card Combi” what is the difference.Just getting confused with all the different options.
Edit – Sorry for starting another thread , moderators please delete if inappropriate
-
If you are a tourist you need a Swiss Half-fare Card. That’s for tourists. The SBB website is geared for residents so they only refer to the domestic Half-fare Travel Card. For your purposes they‘re equivalent. From what I know the Combi is extinct.
ps You don’t need to apologise; this is a different question to your previous threads.
Hello MPP3216,
Thanks for your questions!
The Swiss Half Fare Card is from the SBB national railway company of Switzerland. The Swiss Half Fare Card is valid for 1 month and available for tourists. Not all supplementary offers are available and the ticket is not valid for journeys outside Switzerland. When purchasing a ticket from the SBB website for a journey within Switzerland, you can choose “Half Fare Travelcard” – regardless of whether you have a Swiss Half Fare Card, as this is set as a general default. The details is outlined here:
You wrote Half fare Card Combi in your question but I think you mean the “Swiss Travel Flex” this is from SBB and also available for tourists only. You have unlimited travel on the days you select. The details is outlined here:
The Half-Fare Travelcard is for residents of Switzerland and this is valid for 1-year. This travelcard is also from SBB as well.
When you book the Glacier Express train, you will see options for: Half-Fare Travel Card, Swiss Half Fare Card and the Swiss Travel Flex, these have differences in calculating the discount validities for the holder of these travel farecards. I have attached details of the Glacier Express for your reference and as well as a direct link from our website to purchase the tickets for your convenience:
To make things simple, if you have a Swiss Half Fare Card and you are purchasing a ticket from SBB online, the program is automatically set as a default for a “half fare”. Nevermind if it doesn’t have a option to select “Swiss Half Fare Card.” When you are booking your journey for the Glacier Express Train, just select the option that is applicable to you.
I have attached the link to about the train timetable and please download the SBB app on your smart phone, it’s a must have when you are traveling in Switzerland:
I hope this clears things up for you. Please write again if you have more questions. Happy planning!
Best regards,
Suzanne
I strongly recommend using the SBB Mobile app (bit.ly/2ICIUHi) for checking train, bus, boat and cable way timetables, finding fares* and buying tickets on-line if required. In the unlikely event you don’t have a device capable of running the app then you can use the timetable on the SBB website (bit.ly/2HH1U7B). If you are not familiar with using the SBB timetable it is worth first reading the instructions at http://www.myswissalps.com/timetable.
* The SBB website shows half-fare prices by default, the mobile app allows you to nominate whether to show full or half-fares (by editing the passenger details in settings) and is also smart enough to offer you the Saver Day Pass (http://www.myswissalps.com/saverdaypass) if that offers the best fare. The app can also display a platform map (at least at the larger stations) to help you make connections. You can also easily filter modes of transport (eg bus or ship).
- The thread ‘Swiss Half Fare Card and Half Fare Travelcard’ is closed to new replies.
