You can buy your Swiss passes after you arrive, but sometimes there are specials if you buy in advance (recent 2 for 1).

From the Swiss Travel System website:

***Is it better to order the Swiss Pass in advance or purchase it in Switzerland?

If you have already planned your travel programme in detail, it is advisable to purchase the Swiss Pass in advance. There are points-of-sale in many countries and you can also order the Swiss Pass online. Prices may vary depending on shipping fees and currency exchange rates. Please bear in mind that the Swiss Transfer Ticket is not purchasable in Switzerland. If flexibility is important to you and you wish to choose when and where to travel once you are here, we recommend that you buy the Swiss Pass in Switzerland. They can be purchased at all main railway stations.***

http://www.swisstravelsystem.com/en/home/support/Frequently-Asked-Questions.html

Yes you can buy a Swiss Pass at any train station in Switzerland - I always advise comparing prices for the same pass in your home country and in Switzerland (figure in any foreign transaction charges you c c may impose or getting cash there would impose) - I have bought Swiss Passes for zillions of years and for some weird reason they have often been cheaper here in the U S than in Switzerland - sometimes significantly so so check prices at places like www.ricksteves.com (which actually directs your order to www.raileurope.com or http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/id3.html.

Beware of mailing fees if you need the pass in a few days but otherise for a pass of that price most agents have none. If the total price is about the same in Switzerland (at times it has been cheaper but not often) then just wait till landing and buying it because once issued there will be a cancellation fee or a re-issuance fee if something comes up and you need to cancel or postpone your trip. But again check the sites I listed here to see if there are any specials like kybourbon mentions - these typically pop up only in shoulder seasons like late spring and late autumn IME - check www.swisstravelsystem.com for Swiss Pass prices in Swiss francs at stations or the Swiss Federal Railways site www.sbb.ch.

I have no compared prices lately but last time I did they were just about the same (a few months back) - but currency fluctuations can sometimes put them out of kilter for a while until foreign currency prices are readjusted up or down as they frequently are - pass in Swiss francs are fairly steady it seems.

But rest assured you certainly will have no problem buying a pass there and usually there are few long lines IME at station ticket windows, unlike other countries where like in Germany you could wait a long long time in line.

Have all three passports with you when purchasing so they can activate the pass for you easily. (Even if buying a pass in advance you still must wait in the same ticket window line to activate the pass for its overall time validity - one-month in flexipasses.

I assume you can purchase using credit card at the rail station, right?

Thanks so much for setting me at ease on all of this. For some unknown reason I just never feel confident of my ability to navigate using rail systems.

Last time we were in Switzerland we had bought our Swiss Travel Pass before we left. We hadn't been to Switzerland in 8 years so we remembered from the last time we had been there, that we had to "activate" the pass once we got to Switzerland and were to use it for the first time. However, I was a little confused as the dates were already on the Pass we had received.

Nonetheless, we waited on line at the Rail window once in Zurich airport. When we got to the teller she just looked at the passes we had and told us to just go to the train we wanted. No validating was necessary as the dates of usage were already on the Passes. So, I guess it's changed since last we had been there.

No validating was necessary as the dates of usage were already on the Passes. So, I guess it's changed since last we had been there>

No it has not changed - for some reason your issuing agency pre-validated your passes - this could have been because you got some kind of special deal where at times passes must have exact dates set on them - in effect are validated. But generally you have to validate a pass in Switzerland unless it is clearly validated when issued - something I do not recommend since it then can no longer be refunded if your trip plans change.

Ok I did a price comparison for two passes - an 8-day consecutive Saver Pass and a 3-day Flexi Saverpass - the pass the vast majority of folks will find most economical.

8-consecutive day Saverpass p.p.

U.S. $ $349 p.p.
CHF (Swiss francs) 326

326 x 1/12 - effective rate of exchange = $365 add 3% if as often you credit card charges 3% foreign transaction fee = $375 p.p.

vs U S $ price of $349 p.p. - so either $17 cheaper if your c card has no fee or if 3$ $375 or $27 p.p. cheaper if bought here than there.

3-day Flexi Saver p.p. CHF 216 = $241 plus 3% = $248

vs U S dolalrs = $231 p.p. or $19 or $17 p.p. cheaper depending on credit card fee (if paying cash of course no extra fee).

Again these figures will change as currency exchange rates fluctuate but as has been the case usually most of the last several years I have been tracking for some reason the same pass bought here is significantly cheaper than there.

(prices in CHF from www.swisstravelsystem.com - $ prices from three different sites, including raileurope.com - but rush service here may incur a mailing fee otherwise there is none from most sites.)

if you buy it in Swiss you won't have any extra cost: like shipping fees, ..

Most U S agents do NOT have shipping fees except for perhaps rush overnight orders - before saying something check it out!

We used Swiss passes this past May for a party of 6. As the poster above mentioned there is usually a special discount deal for advanced purchases that May or may not be valid for you if you wait until you are in country. It is true that a standard Swiss pass bought in country is cheaper than the same standard swiss pass bought in the states, when you figure in extra fees, but I would estimate there is about a 60% to 70% probability that you can find a way to qualify for an advanced purchase discount. May I suggest callaing the toll free number listed on the following website http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/ - the guy there is extremely knowledgable about these rail discounts and he gets alot of repeat business from customers, so he has an incentive to get you the best deal possible.

Also true is when you arrive in country you go straight to the ticket counter to activate your pass with passports. Do not go straight to the trains. This is only a one time requriment for travelers who had a prepurchased rail pass. Again, whomever the agency is that you buy the passes from will clarify this and there will be instructions included inside the envelope with the passes, so read these instructions carefully. It was amazing that with the intense complexity of these different passes, the train crews checking tickets knew the rules without fail and they appeared to be tough on folks not following hte rule.

Thanks I've now put it off to the point that I really will need to buy in Switzerland. I trust they'll take a credit card.

Yes you can TMK use your credit card to buy Swiss Passes in Switzerland.

oh BTW I should have said that Discover Cards are fairly useless in Europe so will take c cards like Visa and MC and perhaps a few others but not Discover Cards - only place I ever used one of those was at the American Embassy in Paris!

Visa and Master Card are also more frequently accepted in Europe than is Amex.

Yes the only sure bets always are Visa and MCard - Diners Club too is at times taken like Amex - and of course you can always get cash out an airport ATM and buy the pass with cash and this could actually save you money depending on the charges your credit card imposes for foreign transactions vs what your ATM local bank issuer charges for ATM withdrawals.

We got the Swiss Pass. Since DH and I would be going everywhere together we got purchased one to cover the two of us for a small discount and our son got a separate one. It was the slickest thing ever. Bought it at the Zurich airport as soon as we got off the plane--good for 15 days. We used it nearly every day of the 11 days we were there. Just walked onto any train we wanted, secure in knowing that if we missed connections we could just get the next available train, no muss, no fuss, no bother. (Never did miss a connection but nice to have that insurance.) Best of all, after getting the tickets in the first place we never had to stand in another line for tickets/reservations--a wonderful feature if you're traveling with someone with minimal patience. It also worked in nearly ever city we went to for local buses and many museums--again, no lines, just walk in.
In over 20 train trips we were only asked to show our id once.

I am now totally spoiled and would like to be able to get similar service in every country to which we travel. Thanks to all of you for your help with getting and using my Swiss Pass.

BTW Zermatt and Lucerne--and all the little places we saw on day trips by train from them--were terrific. Beautiful mountains and lots of snow.

Thanks so much for your quick report, JulieVikmanis, and letting us know how it went for you.

Yes, I've heard that it's a good benefit to be able to hop on and off trains without having to stand in any line!

But just for clarification -- any ticket on Swiss trains is good for the full day. So, anyone with a valid ticket also can just hop on the next train if they happen to miss their intended train (whether because of a missed connection or because of a second cup of coffee, lol).

s

Yes Julie thanks for the report - you used the pass every day - IME I often use a pass a lot more than I suspect when I buy it - the total flexibility is great and even with a Half-Fare Card you always think "is this worth it for me" - not so with the pass.

I am now totally spoiled and would like to be able to get similar service in every country to which we travel. Thanks to all of you for your help with getting and using my Swiss Pass.>

Unfortunately the Swiss Pass is unique in what it offers - many countries have train-only passes but none has a pass that covers virtually everything that moves in a country as well as giving free entry to museums - so you got spoiled but do not expect to ever find those benefits from another country, unfortunately!

swandav and palenQ, did not know that Swiss rail was so generous about missed connections. They are terrific all the way around. Yes, I'm now spoiled completely and may still not be able to steel myself to train travel in Europe overall-just on Swiss trains. Anyway, what a great experience. Will never hesitate to buy another pass when I return to Switzerland.

Yes good info on missed connections and regular tickets for those who are not traveling very much to warrant a pass - and the fact that Swiss trains run so punctuality is IME just not any more true here than in other countries - recently I've noticed more late trains than ever - they seem to usually hold up connecting trains if not real late though.

ttt

It also worked in nearly ever city we went to for local buses and many museums--again, no lines, just walk in.
In over 20 train trips we were only asked to show our id once.>

I find it rather incredible that Swiss conductors are so so trusting - yes rarely looking at passes - I often felt I could have been using last year's pass the way they only glanced at it, if at all.

Now many Swiss trains are on the honor system with spot checks so I guess I should not be surprised at the low number of pass checks - trains with a large eye with a black eyeball in it I believe are on the honor system with the eye being a warning of spot checks always being possible.

We were in Switzerland lat year and used a Pass and were asked to show it on every train we went on.