I'm feeling a little ripped off today. To get to work in Geneva, I need to get on a bus from Founex to either Coppet or Nyon, and then get the train to Genf. So, about a month ago, when we first moved, I got a monthly pass through SBB so I wouldn't have to keep buying a ticket. I didn't have a Half Card, so I paid CHF189.

Late last week it ran out, so today I went to get a new one, and presented my shiny, (relatively) new Half Card. I still paid CHF189. I don't get it. I did ask why, but of course, trying to practice my French I got a response back in French, which I didn't understand a word of.

Might have to go back tomorrow and ask why in English. Unless anyone here can shed light on possible reasons why and save me the embarrassment?

I dont know for sure but is the half card for half priced travel outside of peak hours - peak hours - heures de pointe - off peak hours - heures creuses. hope it helps

Nope.... never heard of this.

However, hopefully you still have the ticket.

Take the ticket and your half tax card to a main train station and there will be some sort of accounts section you can approach.

They will refund the difference.


I had to do this while I waited for my half tax card to arrive the first time I got one. There was no questions asked, they just handed over cash for the eliglbe receipts.

I don't think that the 1/2 price card works with passes, just tickets.

Tom

I was about to say the same thing, for ZH, we have the ZVV pass, but the Halbtax card does not reduce it any further. The HT card is good for going out of the zonal coverage of your pass, mainly at 1/2 price.

ditto, echo.

1/2 price card does not apply to monthly passes.

This happens for the Passepartout card in Luzern too (general pass for buses), the 1/2 tax card doesn't give any discount.

Thanks guys. I just looked on the SBB website and it says nothing, but it would make sense - as long as they gave you some sort of discount, right?

Same in the canton of Neuchâtel. The half price card gets you a reduction on individual bus tickets, but not on monthly or annual passes. I suppose the logic to this is that the monthly and annual passes are already heavily discounted compared to individual tickets.

It might almost be worth your while getting an Abonnement général, especially if you're also using the trains to get about outside of your commuting.

+3 or 4 or whatever number we're on.

Halbtax is for tickets not subscriptions. Same applies to TNW tickets (northwest CH travel zone around Basel and region).

Halbtax is for all tickets - no restrictions based on time.

GA covers everything though.

People are correct - a 1/2 card only gives you half fare on single tickets, not on passes. Passes are priced so reasonably already by comparison with single tickets that it seems rather unreasonable to expect half price on those as well!

Generally, the purpose of a 1/2 card is to make your *non*-routine trips cheaper. For routine trips like commutes, a pass is always going to be cheaper anyway.

A quick example to illustrate, taking a popular commute in ZH:

Winterthur -> Zürich HB return (day ticket) - 23.60 with, 11.80 without 1/2
Annual ZVV network pass (as it's 6 zones, the pass actually covers the entire ZVV network, rather than just Winterthur-ZH) - 2043.00

So even with a 1/2 card, 170-something return tickets is the breakeven point at which the pass is cheaper.

The monthly GA ( min. 4 months ) is at CHF305 a month - might be worth considering it if your mileage at least 125km a day. They took back my Halbtax card and credited it towards my GA.

http://mct.sbb.ch/mct/en/reisemarkt/...abo-preise.htm

See how much it costs each day to buy a ticket, multiply it by the number of days you work, deduct Chf 189.-- and the result is your discount.

I think you will find it quite generous.....

It maybe worth considered a season ticket at about Chf 3300 per year it maybe makes sense for you if you travel a bit at weekends.

If you aren't really using your halbtax, I believe you can suspend it for a time, then resume when you need it.

I could be wrong Phos, but I recall being told by SBB that the Halbtax is not suspendable, only the GA ( max 30 days pay a fee of CHF10 for the privilege ).

Depositing your GA travelcard. If you won't be needing your GA travelcard for at least seven consecutive days, you can deposit it at the ticket office. It can be deposited for a maximum of 30 days during its period of validity. A fee of CHF 10 is charged for each deposit period, and you will be issued with an SBB receipt that functions as a temporary replacement for your travelcard on the days when it is deposited and retrieved.
Please note that the Familia GA travelcard for children and young adults, the transferable GA and the GA for dogs cannot be deposited.

Replacement of your GA travelcard.
If your travelcard is lost or damaged, simply present valid proof of your identity at the nearest ticket office and it will be replaced for a fee of CHF 30. The replacement GA travelcard issued following a loss cannot be deposited, nor are early termination or refund possible.

Forgotten your GA travelcard?
If you leave your travelcard at home or at the office, any station will issue a temporary 1-day travelcard against proof of identity and a fee of CHF 5.


http://mct.sbb.ch/mct/en/reisemarkt/...ehr-zum-ga.htm


Replacement / Forgotten
Replacement of your Half-Fare travelcard.
If your Half-Fare travelcard is lost or damaged, simply present the receipt and proof of identity at the ticket office and your travelcard will be replaced for a fee of CHF 30. You will be issued with a provisional travelcard immediately, and your new card will be posted to you within a few days.
If you lose your Half-Fare travelcard with Visa card, please call us on 0848 44 11 22 at any time of the day or night. If the loss takes place abroad, the number to ring is +41 44 220 49 00.

Forgotten your Half-Fare travelcard?
If you leave your Half-Fare travelcard at home or at the office, you can buy a temporary replacement from the ticket office for CHF 5. Take proof of identity with you.
http://mct.sbb.ch/mct/en/reisemarkt/...tax-ersatz.htm

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SBB's General Terms and Conditions for the Halb Tax Abo state that the Halb Tax Abo can be used when purchasing:
- simple one way tickets, tickets there and back and round trip tickets
- international tickets (for the Swiss portion of the trip).
- class upgrades
- route changes

In any event you usually are getting a better deal with the monthly pass (and would get an even better deal with a year pass) than if you were buying single tickets with the Halb Tax.

In your case, you appear also to get the whole Geneva City covered with your pass.

Or you could be right. I think its worth an inquiry. The OP seems to have bought a halbtax under the impression it applies to monthly passes. Under these circumstances, she may even be able to return it for partial unused credit. I've found the SBB to be very reasonable and helpful with such things.

Indeed, I got my Halbtax credit back when upgrading to a GA ( pro-rated ). SBB is very flexible.

That used to be possible but it must be at least 15 years since they abolished that. Only the GA is now suspendable, and only to a limited degree.

A half tax to a GA is a sizable upgrade, so SBB are flexible but i don't think they credit you back a Half tax for a few monthly passes, there's absolutely no reason why they should.

If you cash in a GA after say 6 months you don't get 50% back, you get around 35% or 40% back only.