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I'm trying to book a Sparpreis train ticket from Germany to Switzerland using both a BahnCard (to get a discount on the German part) and a Halbtax card (to get a discount on the Swiss part). At bahn.de, I can choose either a Bahncard or Halbtax, but can't seem to choose both. At sbb.ch, I can choose both, but available connections are limited; some connections are not bookable at all, whereas others show only the Flexpreis and seat reservations are not available. Although Railplus still exists until 2023-12-31, it is not valid in Switzerland (see also this question). I could split my ticket in Basel, but this might impact my rights in case the train from Germany is late.

Is there a way to buy a ticket from Germany to Switzerland while applying both Bahncard, Halbtax, and still buy a Sparpreis?

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  • Trainline allows it, just tried on Freiburg (D) to Bern via Basel. Or else, just call them
    – Nicolas Formichella
    Commented Jul 25, 2023 at 10:39
  • Trying to buy DB Sparpreis tickets from Germany to Switzerland does not give me any discount if I add a Halbtax card. Are you sure that the Halbtax card entitles you to any discount on DB Sparpreis tickets for the foreign section at all?
    – Tor-Einar Jarnbjo
    Commented Jul 25, 2023 at 11:44
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    SBB applies the Halbtax discount only to Flexpreis tickets. So for a Sparpreis it does not make a difference.
    – Krist van Besien
    Commented Jul 25, 2023 at 11:47
  • @Tor-EinarJarnbjo I expect that the Halbtax card gives me a discount on the Swiss part, and the Bahncard gives me a discount on the German part for the Sparpreis.
    – gerrit
    Commented Jul 25, 2023 at 11:49
  • Why do you expect that? DB gives you a 25% discount on the German section of a Sparpreis Europa ticket if you have a Bahncard, but does nowhere say that they recognize foreign discount cards for discounts on the non-German section of the ticket.
    – Tor-Einar Jarnbjo
    Commented Jul 25, 2023 at 11:54

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A Halbtax will not give you any savings on a Sparpreis

SBB states :

(Super-)Sparpreis Europe.

Cannot be used in conjunction with other discounts (including Half Fare Travelcard or GA Travelcard).

The German portion of the route is the only one recognized for savings using the BahnCard :

DB states :

25% discount on the German part of the route with a BahnCard 25/50/100.

If you want to use both, then it's not a (Super-)Sparpreis Europa anymore and it's a Flexpreis

Edit : This doesn't apply

Trainline (Not affiliated, change the language to see your currency) does allow you to add both to your account and shows the Super Sparpreis Europa tickets when they're available

And you are covered by the AJC as stated in the Help page of Trainline

AJC (Agreement on Journey Continuation)

The Agreement on Journey Continuation (AJC) is an agreement between 15 European rail operators to allow passengers on international trains to catch the next available train at no extra cost if they miss their connection.

(Both DB and SBB are part)

If you don't want to book at a third party agency, I would just call either DB or SBB and book this way

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    Even if you can add both discount cards when searching for a connection on Trainline, the Swiss Halbtax card does not make a difference in the price if you are buying a DB Sparpreis ticket. The tickets are more expensive if you buy them from Trainline than directly from DB.
    – Tor-Einar Jarnbjo
    Commented Jul 25, 2023 at 11:48
  • @Tor-EinarJarnbjo If one travels (for example) from Hamburg to Lugano, then the Bahncard should give discount between Hamburg and Basel (for either Flexpreis or Sparpreis), and the Halbtax should give a discount between Basel and Lugano (Flexpreis only)?
    – gerrit
    Commented Jul 25, 2023 at 11:50
  • @gerrit Then, it's not a Sparpreis Europa anymore, it's a flexpreis
    – Nicolas Formichella
    Commented Jul 25, 2023 at 11:54
  • @NicolasFormichella Can it not be a Sparpreis for the German part but a Flexpreis for the Swiss part?
    – gerrit
    Commented Jul 25, 2023 at 12:10
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    @gerrit Then it's a Flexpreis for the whole journey, as you've seen... There are no concepts of fare-splitting in a segment in EU trains, since it's on a single ticket, unless it's a different train class (like connecting to/from a TER to/from a TGV in France) or mean of transport (like a bus) altogether
    – Nicolas Formichella
    Commented Jul 25, 2023 at 12:28

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