MySwissAlps.com features ads, commercial and non-commercial Is the ISIC card considered a 1/2 fare card?
-
Hi Operator, My name is Crystal and I am from Singapore. I will be going to Switzerland Zurich in the next two weeks time. I have some questions to ask. As I have already purchased tickets using SBB website to head to Jungfraujoch from Zurich HB, I was wondering if my ISIC International Student Card is considered a 1/2 fare card? I have actually already created an account in the SBB website and entered my ISIC card serial number under 1/2 fare card. Hence I am worried, if I were to use the tickets i’ve purchased online, i may encounter problems at the counter later on. I hope to get a reply soon as I am quite unsure, especially since i will be traveling alone. Thank you very much in advance for your prompt reply.
Regards, Crystal
-
Hi Crystal,
Welcome to MySwissAlps! I don’t think an ISIC card works that way. I’ve never heard of it and it is not mentioned on http://www.isic.ch. I am quite sure you need an actual Swiss Half Fare Card. Or you can opt for the Swiss Travel Pass youth version if you are 25 or younger.
You won’t have trouble at the counter as anyone can buy half fare tickets, but you will be fined on board the train by the conductor if you don’t have the pass/card to qualify for a half fare ticket. This page explains how to do the math and find the cheapest option for your plans.
Thank you Arno for your prompt reply, so that means to say that when I bring my print at home tickets to the station, , the conductor while checking our tickets will Charge me for the difference of the tickets? So I can still use my tickets right? Even if it is bought wrongly due to the half price issue? Will I be charged more than the regular price? Thank you so much for helping me
You’re welcome! If you have purchased half fare tickets you will have to buy a Swiss Half Fare Card before you board the train. You can print the card at home: visit http://www.swissrailways.com/ en and click to the Swiss Half Fare Card. After filling out your address, they will show the delivery options. Pick “Online Ticket” from the bottom of the list. They will e-mail the card within 1-3 business days (no delivery fees). All purchase options are listed here.
If you travel with the wrong tickets or no tickets you will need to pay the difference, plus a fine, so the way to go is to arrange for the card before you board.
Hi Crystal,
>> so that means to say that when I bring my print at home tickets to the station, , the conductor while checking our tickets will Charge me for the difference of the tickets?
Your tickets will not be checked at the station. They will only be checked on board the train once the train is on its way. It will be too late to get off and get a Swiss Half Fare Card.
>> So I can still use my tickets right? Even if it is bought wrongly due to the half price issue? Will I be charged more than the regular price?
As far as I can make out from reading bureaucratic German, travelling on a half-fare ticket without a Swiss Half Fare Card will result in a fine of CHF 70 for a first offence, CHF 110 for a second offence and CHF 140 for each subsequent offence.
Why waste that money and spoil your holiday mood with such aggravation 😉
Buy your Swiss Half Fare card before you board any trains!
Mind you, I did something similar many years ago, when I was travelling with a Eurail Pass between Luzern and Chur via Göschenen and Andermatt. For the sector from Göschenen to Disentis, you needed to buy a supplementary ticket, which I did not know about at the time.
I made it from Göschenen to Andermatt without a ticket check, but at Andermatt my ticket was checked and I was informed it was not valid. However, as the train did not have a conductor, it was the driver checking my ticket, so the train had not left the station.
The driver kindly took me to the ticket machine on the station platform, and waited while I bought my ticket, and the train did not leave until I reboarded it!
However, this was low season at a small station, and very few passengers were on the train. In my carriage there were only two of us! I would not count on such kindness in high season on a mainline train that is already underway on its journey 😉
Alpenrose
- The thread ‘Is the ISIC card considered a 1/2 fare card?’ is closed to new replies.
