Queries on Swiss passes and currency

Hi,

We are travelling to Switzerland in this month, we will be there from 18 Sept to 21 Sept. We have few queries about train travel and currency:

1. We are planning to buy Swiss half fare card, can we purchase it from Geneva city train station? or should we go for online purchase with print at home , Is it possible to get pass on such a short period ( we will be leaving home on 14th sept.)?

2.We are little confused about Swiss travel pass vs Swiss half fare card, though with Swiss half fare card our entire tour costs us 600 CHF while with Swiss travel pass costs 700 CHF. which one is better? (note: Jungfraujoch is a part of the trip)

3. Do we need CHF currency to purchase ticket/pass in Switzerland or Euro will work? Can we use credit card to purchase ticket (from machine) and pass (from counter)?

Thanks!

Hi traveller1,

1. You can, but you'll save time buy simply printing it at home as explained in your previous thread. That prevents you from waiting at a ticket office. You can visit www.swissrailways.com/ en. 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 (no delivery fees) within 1-3 business days. If you order quickly you will definitely receive it in time. You can even use the "Notes" field to explain you depart on the 14th. All purchase options are listed here.

2. Assuming that your calculations are correct, the Swiss Half Fare Card is better price wise and the Swiss Travel Pass would be more convenient as you don't have to buy tickets for all trips.

3. Please see our Swiss franc page. If you buy online you'd better pay in CHF too. That's almost always the cheapest option.

Enjoy your stay!

Thanks for reply.

While booking online it says 7 working days required to send the email. Should we proceed it anyway?

If we do book pass online and don't get on time or before departure, will amount be refunded?

That's not what is says, but the text on their site is pretty confusing. They just say they e-mail orders 7 days before departure if you order well in advance. In your case they will do it asap, which is 1-3 business days. There's isn't much that can go wrong here as it's an e-mail so you can even have it printed in your hotel just a day before you intend to use it. I've not heard of a late delivery of print at home tickets before. Just make sure you receive the confirmation e-mail after ordering to be sure they've started processing the order.