Swiss Half Fare Card

• Q. What should I do If I've already bought my rail pass, and now want to add another country ?

  A. Once your rail pass has been printed, it is not possible to modify it. If you absolutely need to do it, you can pay a 15% penalty and a 7% processing fee to exchange it. Depending on how much you plan to travel in the additional country, it may be more cost effective to purchase regular train tickets for those trips.

  The only exception is if you bought the Rail Protection Plan™ when you ordered your rail pass. In this case, you can exchange your original pass at full value and use it towards the new one, with no fee or penalty incurred. Read more about the Rail Protection Plan™ coverage and how to file a claim..

• Q. What ways can a train ticket be issued ? Paper ? e tickets ?

  A. There are potentially three ways to receive European train tickets.

  Paper tickets : the rail pass or train ticket is physically printed at the Rail Europe fulfillment center and shipped to you.

  Print at home e-ticket : the train ticket may be issued as a PDF which may either be emailed to you directly, or retrieved via a web link that is communicated to you at the time of purchase, depending on the rail carrier. You must print the PDF from a computer printer on any regular paper prior to boarding the train. Some e-tickets are delivered with a unique e-ticket confirmation code that is printed on your Rail Europe confirmation email. You must provide this e-ticket confirmation code along with your id to the conductor on board the train.

  Print at station e-ticket : you will receive an e-ticket confirmation code (also known as PNR or Passenger Name Record) on your confirmation email, as well as a link to detailed instructions for retrieving your ticket. Use this e-ticket code at a self-service kiosk located at the train station in Europe to print out your actual ticket, prior to boarding the train.

  Print at home e-ticket and print at station e-ticket are “electronic” delivery methods requiring no physical shipment to you. This means we can issue you an e-ticket whether you’re still at home or already in Europe.

  Please note that all three methods are not always offered for a given train ticket. In fact, many tickets only support one of these issuance methods.

• Q. Can I add a friend to my existing rail pass ?

  A. Once a rail pass has been printed, another name cannot be added. We may be able to exchange the rail pass through our contact center, but exchange fees and penalties will apply. The only exception is if you bought the Rail Protection Plan along with your rail pass. In that case, you’re eligible to exchange your rail pass for a new one that includes your friend, without incurring any fee or penalty. You’ll just need to pay the additional cost of the rail pass for your friend. .

• Q. How do I use the bonuses that come with rail passes ?

  A. Rail Pass travel bonuses must be redeemed locally.

  There are two types of bonuses. Free bonuses (such as a free airport transfer) require the use of a travel day on your pass. If all travel days have been used on your rail pass you will not be able to take advantage of any more free bonuses. Discount bonuses do not require you to use a travel day, but do require that your pass still be within its validity period. In other words, even if you’ve used up all your days on a pass, you can still claim discounted bonuses as long as the pass validity period has not expired.

  The exception to this rule is the Swiss Travel Pass. Although a discounted bonus doesn’t require you to use a travel day on your Swiss Travel Pass, the pass must still be valid and you must not have used up all your travel days.

• Q. I’ve written the wrong date on my rail pass travel calendar box. What should I do ?

  A. If the wrong date is written in the travel calendar box, you will need to enter the correct date in the next travel calendar box. Unfortunately, once the date has been entered in the travel calendar box, it cannot be corrected and there’s no way to recover that travel day on the rail pass. Be very careful when filling out the date on your rail pass as mistakes cannot be corrected. An altered travel date could be viewed as an attempt of fraud and could lead to fines or other penalties.
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• Q. I need to cancel my trip to Europe. How do I request reimbursement through the Rail Protection Plan™ ?

  A. Although the Rail Protection Plan™ doesn’t allow you to get reimbursed in case your trip is cancelled, you may be eligible to receive an in-store credit. That in-store credit will be good for two years (from the date the credit is issued) towards your next booking, for the full value of the products covered. You can choose to receive this credit toward a future booking or to request to have your tickets refunded per the after sales policies of the products booked.

  If you choose to forego the in-store credit and opt for a refund, the regular exchange and refund rules of your products will apply, and you will be subject to the regular carriers penalties, if applicable, in addition to the Rail Europe booking fee.

• Q. Do I need to buy a train ticket for children or infants ?

  A. In general, any traveller that will occupy a seat will need to have a train ticket. Children under the age of 4 may travel on your lap, though the exact age can vary by rail company. If you want them to have a reserved seat on a train, that offers or requires a reservation, you would need to pay the same price as an older child on most trains.

• Q. Can I choose whether my tickets or rail passes are delivered as paper documents or electronically ?

  A. All available delivery options for how your train tickets, rail passes, and/or reservations can be issued will be presented to you during checkout.

• Q. Where can I find my e ticket number or e ticket confirmation code ?

  A. Your e-ticket number or e-ticket confirmation code is a string of 6 letters (or an 8 character alphanumeric code for British e-tickets) that can be found on your Rail Europe email invoice.

  In addition, if you have purchased on our website while signed into your Rail Europe account, you may retrieve this code by looking up your booking in your Dashboard. You can also find it by accessing your itinerary through our mobile site or iPhone app.

• Q. What language is spoken at the train station and on the train ?

  A. Typically at the train station and on board the train the local language is spoken. Announcements at the station and on board the train will be made in the local language of the departure station.

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