SBB App return ticket booking & pricing

Czimm28

First, Why is it not possible to book a return ticket on the SBB app where you choose the specific return date? The option seems only to be a return within 24 hours.
Second, a return within 24 hours appear to generate a price that is cheaper than if the return is after 24 hours. This seems unfair. I want to book a return, no matter when, and to benefit from a discount compared to buying two singles. Returns after 24 hours should not be price disadvantaged compared to returns at a later date.

Danhiel

Hello Czimm28

With a return on the same day, you can often purchase a discounted Saver Day Pass.

If you buy two Point-to-point tickets, one for the outward journey, one for the return journey, you have no discounts. Sorry, but his rule has been in place for years and is not going to change.

You can sometimes buy two Supersaver Tickets instead of Point-to-point tickets, but you must take the selected trains. It is not recommended if you arrive in Switzerland with a flight.

Kind regards
Danhiel

RedBaron

Czimm28 Second, a return within 24 hours appear to generate a price that is cheaper than if the return is after 24 hours. This seems unfair.

This statement is not correct as a generalization. As @Danhiel already stated above, two regular single tickets have always been the same price as a return ticket for decades.

What you have observed is most probably related to saver offers with different availabilities depending on the specific travel dates and how far in advance those are. I’d bet there are many examples with the opposite situation, such as checking prices one day in advance for a return ticket on a Sunday or public holiday (=> no more cheap saver offers left) vs. returning later on a regular weekday with plenty of saver offers left.

Boackeaphoi96

Thanks for the quick reply. That a booked return within 24 hours should be cheaper than one booked with a later return is one thing. I still don’t believe this price discrimination is fair or makes economic sense for SBB (for cash management purposes). Be that as it may, because you say it will never change. But not being able to book a return ticket within the app that goes beyond 24 hours is a weakness and it’s a shame. I happen to believe the SBB app is world class. It’s probably my favorite app of any that I use. So this omission just really sticks out like a sore thumb. Anyway, thanks again for taking the time to reply.

Krist

That a “return ticket” is just two singles bought together, and thus priced as two singles, is pretty much the norm with every railway in Europe, except for the UK.

So this is not something unusual. Some railways do allow you to buy an outward and a return for two different dates in one transaction, but in those cases you are still basically just buying two tickets. This is offered for convenience, and does not result in a discount.

On SBB you have to buy both tickets separately. It is a minor inconvenience. Most people wait with buying tickets till a few minutes before travel here, so it is a feature that is not realy missed.

Boackeaphoi96

Thank you to the contributors replying here. Unfortunately, they appear to have misunderstood my first point and ignored the second. There is inconsistency in the pricing of return fares depending on the return date. On my last journey, the STANDARD fare (let’s ignore special pricing for the moment) for a half price first class ticket was CHF 128 for a same day return. The standard fare for a half price first class ticket for a later return was CHF 140. These prices were confirmed by an SBB staff member at the train station. Two single tickets, more than 24 hours apart, would cost CHF 140. Whether or not this pricing approach has always been the case is not the point. I am observing that it is inconsistent. And therefore unfair. I see no reason (I am open to hear one) why a 24 hour return ticket should, intrinsically, be cheaper than a return on a later date (certainly where that later date is just 48 hours later).
My second point is that it is a shame the fantastic SBB app does not allow the booking of a return ticket beyond 24 hours. Sure, I can buy two singles, but why not provide the customer with this simple option?

Danhiel

Boackeaphoi96

The ticket for 128 CHF is a day pass and is only available with a Half Fare (Travel)card. It is not a return ticket. Day passes were already available 50 years ago and are very popular for day excursions. Sorry, but it is impossible to change the tariff rules in this community.

RedBaron

Boackeaphoi96
You’re still comparing apples with oranges. That day pass for 128.- is NOT a regular ticket and NOT a dedicated return ticket! It’s a goodie available ONLY for half fare card owners, capping the maximum cost per day if spending approx. >5-6h in trains (therefore could also be used for round trips or long single journeys).

Counterexample with 2nd class full fare (= typical for many foreign visitors staying just a few days)
Zurich - Zermatt return if buying today:

Return trip today Mar 20th: 260.00, regular p2p ticket as no more saver offers are available
Leaving today, returning tomorrow (late evening): 130.00 + 95.00 = 225.00 (95.00 supersaver ticket still available now) Or the same 260.00 if chosing an earlier train with no more saver offers.