SBB today unveiled its new half fare plus system. And the pricing is so weird.
From [allianceswisspass.ch](https://allianceswisspass.ch):
>The Half-Fare PLUS is a very attractive offer that sits between the General Abonnement and the Half-Fare Abonnement. It’s the right choice for people who often travel with the Half-Fare travelcard and want to use public transport as flexibly as possible: they pay a certain amount (customer contribution) and receive a bonus on top. This gives them a personal credit, the Half-Fare travelcard PLUS, with which they can pay for their tickets (including Supersaver travelcards), day passes (including Supersaver travelcards), upgrades, bicycle and dog passes, and seat reservations via digital channels. The credit (customer contribution and bonus) is displayed directly after activation. The corresponding amount is debited each time it is used. Customers always know which credit they have.
>
>Those who do not use the amount paid (customer contribution) will be reimbursed the remaining amount at the end of the contract year.
And here is the pricing details:
[source: alliance swisspass](https://preview.redd.it/r9ahhdsr8o4c1.png?width=1392&format=png&auto=webp&s=6408c15945ac0cea0fc048dd86682b51ed7e6144)
So great, you can only save money !
But I’ve computed the maximum discount that you can get according to your annual expenditure and it looks like that:
https://preview.redd.it/xzas67e38o4c1.png?width=429&format=png&auto=webp&s=4fc5bc59aac2d2b81285812f03663765ddb374cc
So the best option for you according to your (expected) annual expenditure on transport ticket:
|Price range|Best choice|
|:-|:-|
|0 – 380 CHF |Nothing|
|380 – 800 CHF |Half fare |
|800 – 1700 CHF |Half fare + Half fare Plus 1000 |
|1700 – 2600 CHF |Half fare + Half fare Plus 2000 |
|2600 – 4895 CHF |Half fare + Half fare Plus 3000 |
|\> 4895 CHF |GA |
And if you’re < 25 year old:
​
https://preview.redd.it/gyp502zpao4c1.png?width=429&format=png&auto=webp&s=a645d46cf22ec16d661782f335c794bd26f0c107
​
|Price range|Best choice|
|:-|:-|
|0 – 240 CHF |Nothing|
|240- 600 CHF |Half fare |
|600 – 1520 CHF |Half fare + Half fare Plus 1000 |
|1520 – 2450 CHF |Half fare + Half fare Plus 2000 |
|2450 – 4920 CHF |Half fare + Half fare Plus 3000 |
|\> 4920 CHF |GA |
This is so complicated !!!
by Frosty-Order-873
6 comments
This is so unnecessary complicated, sounds like a Deutsche Bahn Solution not something I expected from SBB.
A GA for <25 is CHF 2780 so the second part of your post is inaccurate. But thanks for making the graphs.
Idk, maybe I’m oversimplifying but it does not seem complicated at all. I mean even with Halb tax it’s not always 50% discount.
Just buy the “plan” which you are guaranteed to use up **in full** to maximize saving, e.g. based on this years expenditure, I see that I spend around 1-1.1k per year on public tranport. Therefore, I will buy the Plan1000 to maximize the savings. If I buy Plan2000 I end up using less than 1.5k, I have no discount at all , just the cashback from non-used up portion (1.5kCHF (price of the Plan2000) – Whatever was used up)
Your calculation for the graph is off because you missed that the Half Fare Plus can be renewed immediately upon using it up. [See here.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Switzerland/comments/18c2nwg/halbtax_plus_alliance_swisspass_is_launching_a/kc8eohv/)
For example, if you usually pay 1500 per year, then you can get the 1000 option, use it up in 8 months and renew immediately. So in the end, you save 20% on the whole 1500
Everybody is complaining, but I somehow fail see how “if you’re over 800 CHF per year, use this to pay less” is that complicated.
You can pause your GA for 30 days and get a remboursment, so it’s slightly cheaper if done correctly.