[Arno]

26 March 2011 at 9:25:02 #804219

Dear travelers,

For many years, we’ve tried to help people with their questions regarding Swiss rail passes. We’ve noticed that many of them asked the same question after deciding which pass to purchase: where should I buy my pass? Can I purchase it in Switzerland or in advance, and through which reseller? A new feature on our website answers these questions much quicker than before. On the right hand side of each rail pass page, you’ll find the local prices and those of the resellers selling to your country of residence. Even more, you can compare shipping and payment options. For easy comparison, all prices are presented in one currency (for you to choose), using today’s exchange rate.

What’s so complicated about deciding where to purchase?
The main reason is that resellers have different pass prices, shipping rates and payment options. It depends on your country of residence which reseller is relevant to you. People from one country may choose between one reseller or purchasing in Switzerland after arrival. People from another country may choose from several resellers. In some cases, there is no reseller shipping to a particular country, so you can only purchase in Switzerland. On top of this, prices in Switzerland are in Swiss francs, but resellers offer their products in their local currency such as euros, US dollars, Canadian dollars, etc. The best deal for your rail pass depends on current exchange rates and reseller offers. In many cases, purchasing in advance is cheaper than in Switzerland, but it may be the other way around as well.

The price is not the only thing to consider. If you purchase in Switzerland, you have to visit a manned rail station during opening hours. It may or may not be a problem to fit that into your itinerary. Or you may just find it inconvenient. It’s good to know that some resellers offer passes that need to be validated by railway personnel. It’s a quick process, but you need to visit a rail station. Other resellers offer passes that can be validated by yourself, allowing you to board a train right after arriving in Switzerland. All in all, there’s quite a lot to consider before purchasing your pass. We’ve made an effort to remove all those hurdles and provide a clear overview of your options, no matter where you live.

How does it work?
If you visit a rail pass page, we’ll automatically show the purchase options for that pass. In most cases, the automatically selected country of residence and currency will be correct, but you can change it if necessary. The number of travelers and exact pass type have already been selected, but can be changed as well. For example: the Swiss Pass page will show the price of a 4-day 2nd class Swiss Saver Pass for 2 adults. You can select any other pass variant and number of travelers though, e.g. a 1st class 15-day Swiss Saver Pass for 4 people and 2 children. The price you see is the total price for the party you selected, including shipping and other fees if applicable. You can click “Show more information” below each offer, to find all details about the price, the reseller, the shipping options and payment options.

Try it out!
If you want to give it a try, just visit one of our rail pass pages, such as the Swiss Pass page. Doesn’t it work for you? That might happen in case you’re using an old web browser such as Internet Explorer 6. The latest version can be downloaded here. Just let us know if we can help!

We certainly hope you appreciate this new feature. If you have any questions or ideas for further improvement, please feel free to post them here or e-mail us.

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[Removed user]

16 April 2011 at 22:05:49 #832578

Hi. Noticed that there is no option for the Swiss Flexi Pass?

[Removed user]

16 April 2011 at 22:07:17 #832579

Sorry, one more question.
Where can I find out whether the ticket bought at a particular reseller requires me to validate it at a rail station or it can be validated by myself? Does your online comparison function have such a feature?

[Olga]

17 April 2011 at 3:04:50 #832580

[quote]amy159 said: Hi. Noticed that there is no option for the Swiss Flexi Pass?[/quote]
Hello Amy159,

Information about the Swiss Flexi Pass can be found here.

[Arno]

17 April 2011 at 4:45:23 #832581

Hi amy159,

The option “Quick transfer” shows whether or not you can validate the pass yourself. The question mark along side of that option provides additional information. Let us know if you have other questions!

[Removed user]

17 April 2011 at 4:50:55 #832582

Thanks for the information. Validating at any rail station in switzerland will do? Or do I need to go to a major one? Will the one in Geneva do?

[Annika]

17 April 2011 at 11:39:27 #832583

Hello amy159! Any manned station should do, and Geneva is one of the larger railway stations in Switzerland. So yes, you can definitely have you pass validated there.