Swiss Half fare pass / Swiss half fare travel card

Hi

Is there a difference between the Swiss Half Fare Pass and the Half Fare Travel Card? On the www.sbb.ch web page one can buy super saver tickets and can get a discount of 50% on top of that if you have a Half Fare Travel Card -.Is this card the same as the Half Fare travel Pass? and do I understand this saver tickets correctly? How long in advance can one buy the super saver tickets or when is the best time to buy these tickets? Regards Carin

Hi Carin,

The Swiss Half Fare Pass does not exist, although you may see people call it that. There is a 1/2/3-year card offered by the SBB and mostly used by Swiss citizens. That's called the "Half-Fare travelcard" (see here). However, tourists mostly need the cheaper "Swiss Half Fare Card", which is valid for one month. All information about that one can be found here. Both cards offer mostly the same, but there's a slight difference: the 1/2/3-year version also offers discounts on tickets to a few surrounding countries. The tourist version doesn't.

Supersaver tickets are explained here. They're only practical if you are 100% sure you will travel with a particular train on a particular day and time. If you miss the train you can't use the ticket for the next train and basically loose the money. This is unlike any other tickets or rail passes, which are flexible. The Supersaver tickets are up to 50% cheaper than regular ones. You get an additional discount if you own either of the Half Fare Cards, but not an additional 50%. It's 30% at the most. The tickets can be purchased from 14 days ahead of time, not sooner. They can sell out. Regular tickets and passes do not sell out.

How to choose the best pass is explained here.

Does this help you out?