Swiss Travel Pass refund policies SBB/STC
Ali is planning to travel to Switzerland on April 10th and is seeking clarification about refund policies for their purchased Swiss Travel Passes, as some of their travel companions may not be able to go due to work commitments. They discovered potential refund options through SBB and Happy Rail and are considering using these services for future trips.
- If you purchase the Swiss Travel Pass from Switzerland Travel Centre, you may get a full refund for travel up to April 30th.
- It's advisable to contact the SBB or Switzerland Travel Centre directly for clarity on refund policies, especially if your travel plans are affected by government measures.
- Keep an eye on your travel insurance coverage in case of travel bans that might apply to your situation.
AI-generated summary-
Hi,
I bought five print@home 3 Day Swiss Travel Passes via STC website. STC do not permit refunds for print@home tickets, however, it looks like I could have got 80% back if I had bought these via the SBB website or 85% if I’d bought via Happy Rail. Is this correct?
We are due to travel to Switzerland on the 10th of April, however, depending on how things are in Scotland and Switzerland before we go, my 3 nieces may not be able to risk travelling due to work commitments & University exams.
I am looking for clarification, as if I am correct, I will buy travel passes via SBB or HappyRail for any future trips.
Thanks Ali
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Hi Ali,
I will double check the STC/SBB policy and get back to you. Happyrail gives you a refund of 85% if you cancel before the start date of the pass: https://www.happyrail.com/en/pass/europe/switzerland/swiss-travel-pass-consecutive. Basically this is the standard cancellation policy wherever you buy, apart from promotions in some cases, but it’s best to be 100% sure of course.
Apart from the above, there may be travel insurances which provide a refund if there is an official travel ban (which is not the case currently).
Thanks, Arno. That’d be great if you can check out the SBB/STC refund policy. Yes, our insurance will cover if the FCO decide we can’t travel to Switzerland but my sister & I are hoping that this doesn’t happen as we have been really looking forward to our holiday in Switzerland. Obviously people’s health is more important and if we can’t go, we will rebook at some point in the future.
Kind regards,
Ali
Hi Ali
I would say, give the SBB customer service a call and try your luck.
For the contact number and other details, check here-
http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/sbbstc-customer-care-email-address
Regards
Lisha
Hi alimac,
Some of the new necessary measures announced by the Federal Council yesterday to contain the outbreak include discouraging people of a certain age from using public transport, closing schools and imposing a ban on gatherings of more than 100 people. So you should be able to get a refund if these measures impact on your travel plans. You can try the link provided by Lisha but do be patient as they may be busy with various calls for refunds.
Regards,
Anna
Thanks for the information Lisha & Anna. I wasn’t sure if I could claim a refund direct from SBB as I didn’t buy the Swiss Travel Passes from them but I bought from the Switzerland Travel Centre. It is looking more likely that we won’t be able to travel to Switzerland in April. We are going to hold off making any final decisions until the end of March.
Kind regards,
Ali
Hi Ali,
Switzerland Travel Center is SBB, and I recommend contacting Switzerland Travel Center directly as that’s where you purchased and not the domestic SBB website: http://www.myswissalps.com/aboutus/partners/sbb. Switzerland Travel Center now offers a full refund for all passes for travel up to 30 April 2020.
I have updated this in http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/does-the-corona-virus-affect-trips-to-switzerland as well. In case this policy is changed or extended I will update there too.
Hi Arno,
Thank you so much for looking into this for me. I have sent an email to Switzerland Travel Centre just now. We are all very sad that we won’t be able to visit Switzerland in April. We will plan another trip, hopefully next year.
Kind regards,
Ali
I just tried to get a refund from Happy Rail for for Gotthard Express tickets for late May and they are telling me “no refund”. I pointed out that their own website says refunds are available minus 15% of the cost. Waiting to hear back. Have others experienced this?
Hi Vickel,
I am sorry you are having this issue. I would recommend you contact them again for clarification as usually tickets are refundable (minus a small sum of admin fee) if you cancel before your departure date.
Regards,
Anna
Thanks for your reply, Anna. I asked Happy Rail again and they said, “The 15% is the fee that’s charged for cancelling Swiss travel Passes. Reservations can unfortunately not be refunded.” Meaning no refund for Gotthard Express tickets which included an upgrade from 2nd to 1st class as well as the seat reservation. They suggest I try closer to the travel date (late May) because their policies “may have changed”. Very discouraging and frustrating!
Hi Vickel,
I’m sorry to hear that. But I would heed the advice and try again later.
Anna
Hi,
I have now received full refunds for x2 saver day passes from SBB and x5 3 Day Swiss Travel Passes from STC. I have been very impressed with the ease of the refund process and very grateful that both companies refunded in full without issue. We are looking forward to when we can come and explore your beautiful country. In the meantime, take care of you and yours. Ali x
Hi Ali, thanks for sharing with us the good news.
Take care you too, Ildiko
I had 2 reservations on the Bernina Express which I have cancelled. RhB has given me a full refund and I will receive it “within a few days”. Happy Rail charged €15 for the cancellation – I paid CHF28. Not much of a refund, but something! It will take 6-8 weeks before I receive their refund. Many thanks to this forum and website in general, it was invaluable when planning and now is even more important as we all try to make our way through this new world.
Hi JJeff – Happy Rail refused to give me refund for Gotthard Express because we had specific seat reservations, I think. I see you got some money back from them. Did you have specific seat reservations?
Hi everyone,
HappyRail told me to will fully refund all passes and tickets up to 26 April, at least. This does not include seat reservations and handling costs at this time. I just added this information to our coronavirus thread as well: http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/does-the-corona-virus-affect-trips-to-switzerland. I will update there if I find out about any changes.
Apologies, I quoted the wrong price for my Happy Rail tickets. I paid €36 for 2 tickets, not CHF28 as I orginally said, so the refund was more generous than I indicated. Yes I did have seat numbers. My reservations were booked for 5 May. I booked them on 15 January and received my voucher on 25 February. I requested a refund on 17 March. I have not received my refund yet but it is not yet the 6-8 weeks they told me it would take. Perhaps I received a refund because at the time I booked my reservation it was well before anyone guessed the coronavirus would spread like it has.
Thanks for updating us about your request for a refund. Yes, it might take a while before you get the refund considering the current situation affecting many travel and leisure companies.
Stay safe and regards,
Anna
That makes sense, thanks. HappyRail indeed offers refunds to Bernina and Glacier Express seat reservations as well. I updated the other thread.
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