The Swiss Railways Half-Fare Card gives 50% discounts on tickets for trains, buses, trams, boats, and cable cars in Switzerland.
The Swiss Half-Fare card is a fantastic savings deal for travelers in Switzerland using public transportation. Bearers can use almost all trains, buses, trams, boats, and cable cars for half the normal ticket fare. The half-fare card quickly pays for itself even if using trains and public transportation only sporadically. The Swiss Half-Fare Card is added to a Swiss Pass and is valid for one year. It renews automatically if not canceled. A cheaper youth card is sold for travelers aged 16 to 25. Non-residents may also buy a one-month international half-fare card online or at any Swiss train station for immediate use.
The Swiss Pass Card
The Swiss Pass is a transportation and travel card system used in Switzerland for almost all public transportation passes and discount cards for trains, buses, and ski passes. It is credit-card size and a physical card is essential. (A SwissPass Mobile is only possible once you have a regular Swiss Pass.) After purchase, the card is mailed within two weeks to a postal address in Switzerland. Orders are also possible (but more complicated and slower) to many addresses outside Switzerland. The Swiss Pass itself is not a traveling ticket but various passes and discount offers are linked to the card.
→ See How to Get and Use the Swiss Pass Card for more details.
Non-residents may also buy the one-month international half-fare card online from SBB for mobile use or as a print-at-home ticket. Such international offers do not require a Swiss Pass card.
Save with a Swiss Half-Fare Transportation Card
The main advantage of using a Half-Fare Card is saving 50% on virtually all forms of public transportation in Switzerland. This saving is also applied to many private railway lines, boats, and cable cars. When buying tickets, simply select the ½ fare button, or the child fare, which is usually half the regular ticket price. (For very short journeys or cheap tickets, the savings may be less than 50%.)
See the Switzerland transportation map for the area of validity of the Half-Fare Card. The card is the Halbtax Abo in German or Demi-Tarif in French.
The 50% savings apply to any class of travel as the Half-Fare Card is not class-bound. Families with children aged 6 to 16 can save by using the Junior Card or the Swiss Family Card for international travelers. Children under 6 travel for free.
Buying the Swiss Half-Fare Card for Discounts on Swiss Transportation
The Swiss Half-Fare Card can be bought from any Swiss train station or online through Swiss Railways as part of the Swiss Pass travel card system. Identification and a photo are required.
Anyone may buy the Swiss Half-Fare Card. A Swiss address is not required, but the Swiss Pass card linked to the half-fare savings will only be delivered through the mail. A temporary half-fare card is issued immediately for travel savings for the first two weeks only.
The Swiss Half-Fare Card is CHF190 per year and automatically renews (CHF170) for the next year if not canceled at least a month before its expiry date. A new Halbtax PLUS is a good option for travelers willing to pay between CHF800 and CHF2100 in advance.
The Half-Fare Travelcard Youth is a good deal for travelers between 16 and 25 years old. It is CHF120 for the first year and CHF100 for the following years.
Children between 6 and 16 travel at half price at all times, or for free on a Junior Card with parents (or the similar Children’s Co-Travelcard with other adults).
Non-Swiss residents may buy the standard one-year card for CHF190, or an international Swiss Half-Fare Card valid for a month for CHF150. On the one-month card, you may include the Swiss Family Card for free, which functions as a Junior Card but only if the child’s name is added at the time of purchase. Buy the one-month travel card from any Swiss train station or online from SBB. It is issued immediately, and no photo is required.
Swiss Day Tickets for Children and Youths in 2026
Day tickets for children and youths are often excellent deals. Children 6 to 16 pay only CHF19 (CHF31 first class) per day, while a group of youths (up to 4), all younger than 25, may travel together for CHF80 (CHF120 first class) per day. It is available to anyone and is not linked to any other passes.
Further Advantages of Traveling with the Half-Fare Transportation Card
Bearers of the annual Swiss Half-Fare Card (not the international 30-day version) also enjoy further benefits not available to all travelers. These advantages include:
- Day Travel Passes – buy day tickets (Tageskarte / Carte journalière), which are valid for unlimited travel on the Swiss transportation network. These day travel passes are CHF78 in second class and CHF128 for first-class travel.
- Cross-border journeys – discounts of 15% on German and Austrian rail tickets for cross-border journeys if buying the tickets inside Switzerland. 15% discounts are also given on TGV-Lyria journeys in France. (Better offers may be found across the border, though.)
- Small discounts on bike rentals, Europcar car rental, and discounts on RailAway offers.
More Tips for Saving on Swiss Transportation:
- Swiss Transportation Savings Deals (include information on dogs and bicycles too!)
- Trainline sells train and bus tickets for Switzerland and most of Europe. It is easy to use and often has very good deals for specific trains.
- How to Get and Use the Swiss Pass Card
- Swiss Railways English website for timetables and online tickets — CAREFUL half-fare tickets are the default choice.
- Switzerland Transportation Map (Maps of where the discount deals are valid)
- Save with the Swiss Half-Fare Card on Public Transportation
- International Savings Passes on Swiss Transportation (including information on the Swiss Family Card and international Half-Fare Card)
- Families Save with the Cheap Junior Card on Swiss Public Transportation
- Using the Swiss Travel Pass and Flexi Swiss Travel Pass.
- Buying Swiss Travel Passes from Get Your Guide.
- Book holidays by train from Great Rail Journeys (UK).
