Small correction. The Passepartout is also valid for the trains (and now even the ship to Verkerhshous) within the zone (list of partners in German).

Er. No. If you would get a discount on the subscription the price model would be rubbish and intransparent. It was aparently not transparent to you the way it is today either, but if it would make financially sense to have a halbtax with a subscription, the regular subscription price would be some sort of "idiot tax" for the ones who don't work it out...

I guess they do not really need to write this in bold letters on the website as this is one of the few things that work exactly the same in Switzerland and the rest of Europe... for decades.

My recommendation: If you think that you don't need your halbtax anymore, go to the station and ask if they can refund it towards future monthly subscription fees. I changed from halbtax to GA and 1st class GA and back several times and they were always pretty easy as long as you stay their customer and just want to spend the money in a different way

Sorry I am afraid that you will have no luck! As I bought the year card and the halbtax together I was in a perfect position to ask. They feel that you are already getting enough of a deal and so it is not further reduced! At least this saves you worry that you misunderstood and/or that sinking feeling "I wish I could speak better French". Bon voyage!

*sigh* I admit - foolishly, as you were so kind to point out - that I got a monthly pass under the impression that my Half Card discount would apply to it. I didn't know, and there's nothing wrong with being proven wrong.

As someone (Todayonly I think) pointed out, if I did my sums on what a normal ticket would cost and then compared that, on a monthly basis to a monthly pass, then yes, the monthly pass is a discount (in my case CHF130 a week, compared to CHF189 a month is a clear discount).

I hadn't done that when I posted this

and didn't make myself explicit. Apologies. Chalk it up to a big weekend.

At any rate, I'm not going to cash in my Half card - I will find it pretty useful on those weekend trips. I was just irritated at something I thought was an injustice, or didn't receive something I thought I was entitled to - but now perfectly understand that I wasn't.