Error on half fare card

I'm from Australia and will be visiting Switzerland in October 2016. I purchased a Swiss half fare card's for my wife and I over the Internet which will be delivered by e-mail. I just noticed my wife's date of birth is incorrect on the order (1981 rather than 1987). All other details are correct, including the name, passport number and date of birth (other than the year)

I have two questions:

1. Will this make the half fare card and any tickets purchsed with it invalid? (ie - Resulting in fines or getting kicked off a train and/or having to pay full fare)

2. If it will, can I attend a rail office at Zurich Airport on my arrival and have it corrected there, or will I have to do in before I arrive?

(I am aware there may be a fee for changes)(I am also aware that I could have bought the half fare card on my arrival but I was trying to save myself time by ordering it over the Internet prior to my arrival - I failed!!! I know!!)

Thanks for joining MySwissAlps!

I'm sorry to hear there's a birth date mismatch on one of your Swiss Half Fare Cards.

1. According to the official rules the birth date needs to be correct. I don't know whether train conductors will enforce that rule. They may not if everything else is ok; particularly the names and passport numbers. But I recommend to get it corrected before you use the card.

2. I don't think so. You need to contact the retailer you purchased from. You didn't say where you bought the cards, but if it's the SBB webshop at www.swissrailways.com you'll find contact details in their confirmation e-mail and here as well.

Indeed, normally you save time by ordering over the internet. That may still be the case here as well. They might be able to make the change free of charge if they have not e-mailed the cards yet. Just contact them asap with your order number and all details, and explain what needs to be done.

Good luck! Please let us know what happened.

Thank you for your reply Arno.

I sent an e-mail to the contact address on the confirmation but the half fare pass' arrived 5 minutes later and the change wasn't able to be made prior to issue. However, it appears the date of birth isn't displayed anywhere on the half fare card. The full name, passport number and nationality are displayed but no date of birth. Since that is the case, I'm taking the risk and I'm not going to worry about attempting to make a change. I'll update this thread when I return to Australia in November 2016 if I encounter any problems.

Thanks again for your reply

It that case it sounds all good. As long as all data on the card is correct there won't be an issue.

This thread will be closed by November, but a trip report can be posted here if you want. Reports are always welcomed by us and fellow travelers!

Enjoy your trip!