[Minnie]

13 April 2018 at 20:35:09 #815309

Greetings everyone. I am posting a new thread, but this does follow something that arose in the thread, http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/is-the-half-fare-pass-really-a-good-deal

I emailed SBB, explained we were residents of Western Australia, and asked if we were eligible to purchase and use the annual (renewable) Half-fare Card and the 1 Month Travel Pass. I received this reply from SBB:

• Yes, you can buy the Half-fare Card for 1 year and 1 Month Travel Pass. You can buy the card when you arrive at the train Station.

For the first year, the Half-fare Card costs 185CHF and the 1 Month Travel Pass is 420CHF 2nd class or 690CHF 1st class. Please note, as mentioned in the earlier thread, it can only be purchased by non-residents at a Swiss railway station, not online. We arrive at Zurich Flughafen and so can purchase our tickets there before catching our first train.

The 1 Month Travel Pass covers the usual routes of the Swiss Travel System, as per SBB information

• The Monthly Pass is exclusively available to you as the holder of a Half-Fare Card. For a period of one month, you get unlimited travel on the lines of the SBB and most private railways, on the postbus and boat lines, as well as on the tram and bus networks of most Swiss cities and agglomerations.

I infer from the above that the 1 Month Travel Pass does not include some of the extras associated with the Swiss Travel Pass, such as free entry to museums and may not include a free carry to Schynigge Platte, for example. But it may be worthwhile considering as an option for frequent travellers like us, who like to take long train trips to new hiking areas! I feel this option helps us come closer to the experience we enjoyed with the ‘old’ month-long Swiss Pass.

Happy travels, everyone, and thanks again to MySwissAlps for all your help.

Minnie

Effortlessly learn from the questions and answers in the forum. Receive a daily e-mail with new discussions. Sign up

[Arno]

13 April 2018 at 20:47:30 #882186

Hi Minnie,

Yes, that certaintly is a viable option. This option and some others are explained on http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/details under “Alternatives if you stay longer than 15 days”. I also feel that they should have kept the 1-month Swiss Travel Pass…

[Minnie]

13 April 2018 at 20:51:22 #882187

Oh, yes! I see you have all the relevant details – thanks very much, Arno!