Klook Swiss Half Fare Card – Enjoy 50% Discount on Trains, Boats, Buses, and Cable Cars in Switzerland

During our recent holiday in Switzerland, the wife and I used the Klook Swiss Half Fare Card which helped us to save a significant amount of money on transport. This is a good travel pass to get if you are staying in Switzerland for around five days or less. This is my full review of the Swiss Half Fare Card from Klook. Remember to use promo code ETWITHKLOOK to enjoy 10% off with a minimum spend of $120.

Swiss Half Fare Card

The Swiss Half Fare Card is a travel pass that entitles you to buy train, boat, bus and gondola tickets in Switzerland at half price.

In addition, you get to enjoy 50% discount on Premium panoramic trains like the Golden Pass and Bernina Express.

You will also get 50% discounts on many famous excursions, such as the Brienzer Rothorn, Grindelwald-First, Harder Kulm, Jungfraujoch, Titlis, Schilthorn, and more.

Children between 6 and 15 years old who are accompanied by at least 1 parent (holding the Swiss Half Fare Card) travel free of charge with the complimentary Swiss Family Card.

If your child is below 6 years old, they travel free of charge if they do not require seats.

The half fare card is valid for one month from the date of purchase.

Is the Swiss Half Fare Card Worth Buying?

It’s easy to calculate whether the Swiss Half Fare Card is worth buying. It costs CHF 120 per person, so basically it pays for itself if you plan to spend more than CHF 240 on transport in Switzerland.

Based on my calculations, I found that it was worth it for me to buy the pass, especially after taking into account the Klook discount. I calculated the travel costs by using the SBB website. You can also download the SBB mobile app. (SBB is the national railway company of Switzerland)

The above picture shows a breakdown of the transport costs for my 3-Day Switzerland trip. As you can see, the wife and I managed to save about SGD 94 together by using the Swiss Half Fare Card, even though we only spent two full days in Switzerland. You will be able to save even more if your holiday is longer. Click on the image to download the excel file for your own use.

Pros and Cons of Buying From Klook

Plenty of travel freebies

Tote Bag

Travel Pillow, Ear Plugs, and Sleep Mask

Travel Adaptor

After doing some research, I decided to buy my Swiss Half Fare Card from Klook. Below are some pros and cons of buying from Klook.

Pros
1. I am a kiasi (risk-averse) traveller who prefers to plan everything ahead of time because I dislike dealing with contingencies. Therefore, it was great that I could buy the Swiss Half Fare Card online from Klook before I reach Switzerland, so that I would have one less thing to worry about.

2. The Klook Swiss Half Fare Card was the cheapest option I could find online. I used a Klook promo code <KLOOKGSS15> and my Klook credits (accumulated from previous purchases) to buy the half fare card at CHF 112 per person instead of CHF 120.

3. The Klook Swiss Half Fare Card came with plenty of nifty travel freebies. These included a tote bag, travel adaptor, travel pillow, sleep mask, ear plugs and a pen. You can check out the items above.

Con
The downside of the Klook Swiss Half Fare Card is that it cannot be printed at home. Therefore, Klook recommends that you book 7 working days in advance to allow time for the ticket to be air-mailed to you. I bought the pass from Klook on 19 March 2019 (Tuesday), and it was delivered to my house on 23 March (Saturday).

This will not be a viable option if you are buying the half fare card at the last minute. If that’s the case, you can buy the pass directly at any Swiss railway station, or buy the print@home version at SBB. This will be more expensive than buying from Klook.

My Personal Experience Using The Klook Swiss Half Fare Card

After buying the half fare card online from Klook, it was delivered to me in four days.

Before using the travel pass, it is necessary to write down your passport number and sign on it. This is stated under the “conditions of use”. I guess this is to prevent you from sharing the pass with other people.

I didn’t know that I had to do this, and was gently reminded by a train conductor to do so on my first train ride in Switzerland.

When buying my train tickets at the ticket machines, I made sure to choose the “Half-Fare card” option on the screen. When buying at the sales counters, I showed the staff my half fare card and they issued me the half-price tickets.

Make sure you carry your Swiss Half Fare Card with you all the time! There was a ticket conductor on almost all the trains I took, even during early hours. They checked my half fare card to make sure that it was valid.

Do NOT try to cheat the system by buying half-priced tickets at the ticket machines even though you do not have the half fare card. I’ve read that you will be given harsh penalties.

Our Rides Taken With Swiss Half Fare Card

Lake Brienz Cruise. Original Price = CHF53, Half Fare = CHF26.50

Wengen to Grindelwald Train. Original Price = CHF15.80, Half Fare = CHF7.90

Grindelwald-First Cable Car. Original Price = CHF30, Half Fare = CHF15

Interlaken to Zurich Train. Original Price = CHF123, Half Fare = CHF61.50

Above are some of the rides taken during my holiday in Switzerland, along with their original and discounted prices.

How to Buy

1. First, I went to the Klook Swiss Half Fare Card website. Then I selected my date of arrival and quantity. If you have children, make sure you indicate the number under quantity so as to get the complimentary Swiss Family Card. After that, I clicked on “Book Now”.

2. On the next page, I entered my shipping, passport, and payment details.

3. After the purchase, Klook emailed me the voucher. It was also immediately uploaded into my Klook App under “bookings”. However, take note that this voucher is NOT the Swiss Half Fare Card.

4. Four days later, the actual Swiss Half Fare Card was delivered to my house.

Conclusion

On the whole, using the Klook Swiss Half Fare Card was a fuss free experience. More importantly, it helped me to save a significant amount of money. The Klook discounts further increased the savings. Make sure you buy the half fare card 7 working days before your trip to allow time for the travel pass to be mailed to you.

However, if you are the type who prefer to chill out at just a few locations and do not plan to travel around a lot in Switzerland, you may find it cheaper to buy regular tickets.

On the other hand, if you are planning a long trip with frequent train rides within Switzerland, then it will be more economical to get the Swiss Travel Pass. This pass lets you take most trains, buses and boats for free.

Buy the Swiss Half Fare Card here*: www.eatandtravelwithus.com/go/Swiss-Half-Fare-Card

*this is an affiliate link, meaning that I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you buy the travel pass through it. 

This article is part of our completely free and fantastic Ultimate Jungfrau Region Travel Guide. Why spend days researching when all your holiday information is simply a click away?