How to get tickets bought as a guest into SwissPass/SBB account

TobiaszT

Hello, I’ve bought Swiss Travel Pass and reservations for panoramic trains as a guest. Can I somehow connect them to my SwissPass account? They have been bought on the same e-mail adress

RolandP

Hello TobiaszT

This question is frequently asked in our English-speaking SBB Community: Swiss Travel Pass Discussions - SBB Community

There is a straightforward answer to your question: no, this is not possible. You cannot add tickets bought as a guest to an existing SwissPass account. You would have had bought it while being logged-in.

Kindly note, tickets purchased via your smartphone are personal and non-transferable and are only valid in conjunction with a valid form of ID belonging to the person travelling (passport, identity card, driving licence). More information on the SBB Mobile app can be found here: SBB Mobile | SBB help & contact

Kind regards,
Roland

7037280393

RolandP This is a pretty strange setup. So many questions about need to set up an account BEFORE ordering a ticket if you want to access on the app. All these questions could have been avoided by notifying people on the front end.

Boitaumbau27

RolandP Absolutely incroyable. The SwissPass setup process is so buggy/ doggy. This issue is prevalent in the English-speaking SBB community as it is NOT clear.

SBB have to notify ticket purchasers out front.

As a result of this, I now unable to access the 100% fee-free refund to cancel a ticket bought as a guest. This is NOT a good customer experience!

RolandP

Hello 7037280393

What questions are you refering to?

Kind regards,
Roland

RolandP

Hello Boitaumbau27

As you do not describe your issue, I am unable to help. And please, I am not personally liable. If you are unhappy with the offer, please reach out to the SBB Customer Service:

https://www.sbb.ch/en/help-and-contact/customer-service/praise-comments/claims-complaints.html

The SBB Community is run by volunteers helping travellers, so am I; thus we like a friendly conversation.

The cancellation process is clearly outlined in the GTC’s which you accept with every purchase. If you didn’t read them before purchase, no problem, but you cannot claim SBB for not having known.

You cannot cancel the STP 100% free of charge anyway. It has to be cancelled manually by a staff member. The administration fee is CHF 10, which is nothing compared to the ticket cost of the STP.

→ In the post you have linked, I made a wrong statement. The Swiss Half Fare Card does show up in the SBB Mobile App (provided you purchased it as a registered user), the Swiss Travel Pass does not (even not in the case it was purchased as a registered user).

→ The confusion among tourists between the SwissPass and the Swiss Travel Pass comes from the fact that the tourist pass was named Swiss Pass until 2014, and was then renamed to Swiss Travel Pass, while SwissPass became a resident product. Many travel websites and ticket agencies still talk about the Swiss Pass while they actually mean Swiss Travel Pass. However, being very active in the English-speaking community myself, I would say this is a big issue.

Kind regards,
Roland

Boitaumbau27

RolandP Thanks for your response.
Due to unforeseen reason, I need to change my travel plan ie cancel a ticket I’ve purchased as a guest prior to the setup of a Swiss Pass/SBB account.
On SBB website, it reads that cancellation is no-fee if you purchase a ticket while logged into Swiss Pass/ SBB account but there’s CHF 10 if as a guest
What is your suggestion for my situation?

RolandP

Hello Boitaumbau27

Tickets can be cancelled through the app if they were bought as a registered user. In this case, the cancellation is an automated process.
Creating an account after a ticket was purchased does not mean you can cancel the ticket that was acquired before the account creation through the app. It really depends on the single ticket whether or not it was purchased as a registered user or as a guest.

For the cancellation of tickets purchased as a guest, a manual interaction by a staff member is required in order to process the request and to verify its legitimacy. The firm procedure is also a requirement by the Money Laundering Act. And, any manual work is costly, at least in Switzerland.

You can claim a refund of your STP, it will be refunded with 10 CHF less, which is not a big amount compared to the total cost of the pass.

Here is the respective form to request a manual refund:

https://www.sbb.ch/en/help-and-contact/refunds-compensation/refunds-compensation/refund-form.html

Kind regards,
Roland

Vouquaiper56

I have the same issue and I agree the customer experience could be much better. I am in a different time zone and the dates kept changing when I clicked on earlier/later train times to view. I accidentally purchased for the wrong date as a guest, and I am worried I won’t receive a refund due to the form not being lenient about guest-bought tickets. If I had known I needed an account for this (such as a warning at the purchase screen about the refund policy for guest-bought tickets, or as RolandP said on the front end) this would have been an easier and less-stressful experience.