Trouble buying Swiss Travel Pass from Colombia – any advice?**

KarenB51

Hi everyone!

I’m planning a trip to Switzerland and trying to buy a Swiss Travel Pass online (3-day pass starting Sept 6), but I’m having trouble paying on the official websites (SBB.ch. I’ve tried both my Colombian MasterCard and Visa credit cards, but they get rejected every time with this error:

“The payment could not be finalised. Please check your card details.”

I’ve double-checked everything and just recently used the same card to buy TGV tickets no problem at all.

Has anyone from Colombia (or Latin America) had this issue when trying to buy the Swiss Travel Pass online?
Do you know any workaround or alternative methods that worked for you (like Switzerland Travel Centre, RailEurope)?

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Danhiel

Hi KarenB51

Is 3-D Secure activated on your card? You could ask your card provider. Sometimes the technology used for this function is too old and no more supported on sbb.ch. I know that Rail Europe also needs 3-D Secure.

You could also buy your pass at the ticket office after your arrival in Switzerland. The price is the same.

Kind regards
Danhiel

RedBaron

KarenB51
See the following discussions:
https://community.sbb.ch/d/35375-ticket-purchases-with-a-cc-from-columbia
https://community.sbb.ch/d/36523-payment-could-not-be-finalized/ (scroll down to NicoleB’s posts)

Actually there is no need to ‘secure’ a STP in advance. It will be still available (unlimited numbers) at the same price at any SBB ticket office (e.g. at the airport), where you might get additional helpful advice from the friendly staff. There are no 3D Secure issues with EFTPOS card terminals.

Danhiel

KarenB51

I found another possibility. It should be possible to open a PayPal account in Colombia. On the site oebb.at (Austrian Railways) you can also buy Swiss Travel Passes and pay with PayPal.

However, I did never try this process, but it costs nothing to try. Always create an ÖBB-account before you buy any ticket.

https://www.oebb.at/en/tickets-kundenkarten/oesterreich-europa/travel-paesse/swiss-travel-system