However, the multi-journey card (aka a strip ticket or Mehrfahrtenkarte) can be. The back of my Basel Mehrfahrtenkarte says in combination with a halftax card, the Mehrfahrtenkarte gives you 12 trips but you pay for 10. I don't know how it works in other cities, though.
The Basel monthly/annual pass is not tied to a halftax card. If I remember correctly, however, the Zurich monthly is tied to a halftax.
Your monthly Zurich pass is the same price whether you have a halb abo or not. It's good to have this one when you travel outside of the city. Let's say you go a few times to Ticino, Geneva, etc, you will quickly get your 150.- back....
let's be clear here - the monthly regenbogen (rainbow; Zurich monthly zone 10 pass) can be linked to the halfprice card - but there are pros and cons. Pros are if you lose it, it can be replaced...if you "forget it" but have your halfprice card (or number) you can pay a smaller fine; cons are you cannot lend it to anyone.
ZVV passes for wider travel do, I believe, benefit from some reduction when paired with a halfprice card.
Hi there, I'm going to switzerland, for studies at ETHZ. I've been looking at the different train subscriptions (abonnement) and I'm still not sure which will be a better value for money - GA or Halbtax with Zone 10 ZVV yearly pass. I'm expecting to make occasional trips (around once monthly) to visit other friends in germany, and the even more rare travel to south switzerland/france etc. The flexibility of the GA is really appealing, but I'm also considering the fact that I do not take enough train + bus rides to make up for the ridiculous price (2000+ CHF)!
Could anyone help me in this? Really appreciate your assistance!
I think a pass costs 2990 CHF and from what you mention, I do not think you will spend that much. I was in a similar situation and decided to try with just a halbtax for a year. My travel pattern is similar to yours and in the end I took all my tickets and added them up and came to 1400 CHF. This includes travel to Germany and other areas of Switzerland.
So maybe try the halbtax and local abonnements for a year or even 6 months, and add up your costs.
I think you have to travel a lot and more than short distances on a a daily basis to really benefit from a GA.
Regarding going to and from ETHZ, it depends on where your digs are. It also depends on the proximity of your digs to the centre of Zürich.
If you can walk/ cycle to and from skool you don't need the bus or tram for these journeys.
But if you intend to go into and out of central Zürich/ to parties, etc. you probably don't want the hassle of a bike.
A Zone 10 return - these last for 24 hours (I think!) - costs CHF 6.00.
10 x 24 hour Zone 10 passes cost CHF 4.80 each ("10-pack" is CHF 48.00).
A one month Zone 10 is CHF 75
A one year GA for Zone 10 is CHF 675.
So at the very least you should consider 10-packs. They take the form of a piece of cardboard which you stick into the machine to be found at every single tram, bus or train stop. No need for cash, no need to pump change into the machine and wait for the ticket as the bus/ tram/ train pulls in and pulls out, leaving you stranded .
If you like the idea of a monthly ticket, then definitely go for an annual one as it is 25% cheaper than a monthly one. If you go for a long out-of-Zürich holiday, you can redeem the GA, less an admin charge. No chance of being caught without a ticket either (CHF 80 fine, escalating for repeat offenders). And in Zone 10, there are ticket inspectors on buses, trams and trains.
The GA is the cost of only 140 journeys at "10-pack" prices, or 28 and a bit 5-day weeks.