Today (Thu, Sep 30) is the last day to get this offer. 

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Nir, I think this was a really great offer.  Do  you think there is any chance that it might be renewed at the start of the year?

Translator:

It's up to CFF. I think they got good results from the offer this time, and hope they will decide to run it again with us. But it's all their call. 

Nir

Thanks for negotiating this deal! 

I wonder, do you have further plans to seek more offers from sbb?  Specifically, we travel a lot and would love to get the GA pass.  Do you have a sense of how likely it is that there might be a special offer for this pass in our near future? 

Thanks again!

Kate

Kate:

What's a GA pass?

Nir

Hi Nir,

The GA (General Abonnement) pass from SBB allows the user to travel on trains, boats, buses, trams, etc throughout Switzerland for free.  You get discounts on mountain cable cars, gondolas, and the like that do NOT serve communities with a resident population (free for those that do), as well as discounts for trains in Austria, Germany, and maybe even Italy?  I'm not sure all the details, but we had one last year and it's WONDERFUL for folks who travel a lot - never need to buy a ticket - just hop on the train! 

Here is the website:  http://mct.sbb.ch/mct/en/reisemarkt/abonnemente/ga.htm

Thanks again, 

Kate

For the GA pass to work you really have to travel a lot.  It is about 3200 francs second class and bear in mind that with a half fare pass the maximum you pay in one day is CHF 55

You have to be travelling long distance at least two weekends a month.  I agree it is a great card.  have had one for a year but my situation is changing and so I will be recverting to the half fare pass, unfortunately after the cut off date for this special offer.

With it you just hop on the train, the post bus or the city buses and some boats etc. 

Yeah, it's really expensive and probably not economically worth it unless you travel a lot.  3100 CHF for the first person (2nd class) and 2100 CHF for their partner.  You can also pay monthly, but it adds up to being more over the course of the year.  If you do travel a lot, however, it's very much worth the convenience and savings.

Paul - what do you mean "bear in mind that with a half fare pass the maximum you pay in one day is CHF 55".  Does this mean that if you want to go from, say, Basel to Zermatt, you don't pay more than 55 CHF, even though the full price ticket is ~210 CHF, and therefore the half price would be ~105 CHF?  That would really be great, but I'm thinking I probably misread what you wrote.  

Thanks, 

Kate

Kate, there are day passes for owners of a half-price card. They work like having the GA for a day.

They are 64 CHF, or 54 for a variant that's valid from 9:00 am (to exclude the morning rush hour) and all day on weekends. Even better, you can buy the from-9-am-ones in bulk, six  for the price of five, so it's down to 45 per day.

Thomas:

Thanks, this is great! I didn't know those existed. I go to Zurich often, and pay CHF 80 both ways (with a half-off pass). I didn't know I could pay just 45 for the same ride! Thanks a lot for the info, I'll now go to Zurich even more often...(-:

Nir

Nir, I second the 'thanks' on this post.  This deal was great value, we got ours yesterday.

Here are the offers Thomas is referring to:

http://mct.sbb.ch/mct/en/artinfo/361.html
http://mct.sbb.ch/mct/en/artinfo/30.html / http://mct.sbb.ch/mct/en/artinfo/8244.html

Great - thanks very much!

Kate your interpretation is correct but I think your question has already been been answered.

I did not know it was possible to pay the full amount. If you go to the ticket machine and key in Zermatt return second class half fare pass it should come up with a ticket that costs CHF 55.  If it does not, thern go to the ticket desk and buy as day travel card.  If you ask for a return to Zermatt, then that is probably what you will get and you will pay more (but you did ask for it).  Machines appear to be more imaginative then some (not all) of the CFF personnel.

BUT BE CAREFUL I am not sure if they are valid on the buses (someone above says there are like a GA for the day - I do not think so)  I saw someone fined in Lugano when he presented his train ticket on the way to the station (but do not know what type of thicket it was.  Best to ask whern you buy the ticket.  

Also, if you are well organised you can get day tickets from your commune for 35 francs but you have to plan well in advance. 

Thomas the six for five deal I think is also available for 64 franc cards

Nir - just curious.  Do you have any idea how many people took up the offer?

Paul, https://www.sbb.ch/mct/wi/shop/b2c/adw.do?sprache=en&artikelnummer=8242  says:

"The Half-Fare 9 o'clock One Day Pass provides you with unlimited travel from 9 a.m.on railway, boat and postbus lines, as well as on tram and bus networks in most Swiss cities and agglomerations."

So it's like the GA, which as far as I know is also not valid on 100% of busses. There are some indepently operated lines.

Thanks for the great hike this weekend! :-)

Nir,

I missed the offer, do you know if its coming back?

Todd

Todd, 

Not sure, it's up to CFF. They were happy with the results they got with this offer, so I hope they'll agree to run more with us. 

We also suggested to them to run a promotion on our new Geneva daily-deals site, www.BuyClub.ch. Will keep you updated. 

Nir

Hi Thomas - what are these great passess called in case I were to buy one?  Is it the same as a carte jounaliere?

Many thanks!

Randa