A class upgrade means upgrading a ticket or travelcard from 2nd class to 1st class. Route-specific class upgrades, 1-day class upgrades and Monthly Class Upgrades for the GA Travelcard are available.

If you already have a ticket, Day Pass or GA Travelcard for 2nd class travel, you can travel in 1st class with a route-specific class upgrade.

You can only buy 1-day class upgrade with a 2nd class GA Travelcard or with a Half Fare Travelcard together with a 2nd Day Pass (Day Pass for the Half Fare Travelcard, Saver Day Pass, Municipal Saver Day Pass or Special Day Pass).

You always have the option of spontaneously choosing to travel in 1st class. Please buy your class upgrade before departure via the SBB Mobile app, online on SBB.ch, at ticket machines or at a ticket counter. You also need to have a valid ticket or travelcard for 2nd class travel.

If you have a 2nd class GA Travelcard, you also have the option of buying a 1-month class upgrade. You can get one online or at staffed public transport points of sale.

As a general rule, you must always have a valid ticket for the right class of travel with you by the time the train departs. Tip: buy your class upgrade in the SBB Mobile app. It’s quick and it means you can make sure that you are in possession of a valid ticket, even if you decide to upgrade your class on the spur of the moment.

However, there are also trains where you can buy a class upgrade from the train crew.

Option of buying a class upgrade on the train.

If you are travelling on a long-distance train with passenger attendants, you also have the option of buying a class upgrade on the train from the train crew. 

The minimum price of a class upgrade bought on the train is CHF 10. Please actively seek out train crew to speak to if you would like to purchase a class upgrade.

Trains that can sell class upgrades:

• InterCity (IC).
• EuroCity (EC).
• InterCityExpress (ICE).
• Railjet (RJX).
• InterRegio (IR), but not on BLS trains running entirely or partly on the SBB network:
  • IR17 Bern–Olten.
  • IR56 Biel/Bienne–Basel.
  • IR65 Bern–Biel/Bienne.
  • IR66 Bern–Neuchâtel–La Chaux-de-Fonds.

It is also possible to buy class upgrades on SOB trains running entirely or partly on the SBB network:

• IR46/IR26 “Treno Gottardo”.
• IR35 “Aare-Linth”.
• IR “Voralpen-Express”.

It is also possible to buy class upgrades on the following Zentralbahn ZB trains:

• PE “Luzern-Interlaken Express”.
• IR “Luzern-Engelberg Express”.

No option of buying a class upgrade on the train.

If you are travelling on a regional train without passenger attendants, you must always purchase any class upgrades before the train departs. This concerns the following train categories:

• S-Bahn (S).
• Regio (R).
• RegioExpress (RE).
• IR17, IR65 and IR66 operated by BLS.

If you travel in 1st class without buying a class upgrade beforehand (or a 1st class ticket), we will consider you to be travelling without a valid ticket.

If you have a 2nd class ticket, you may only travel in 2nd class sections of the train. Your class of ticket also applies to the aisles, vestibules and boarding areas of the coaches. However, it is permitted to pass through a 1st class section to reach 2nd class. The relevant regulations are set out in General Passenger Tariff T601, Section 10.3 Using different classes.

Tip: Purchase a class upgrade in the SBB Mobile app. This means that you will be in possession of a valid ticket even if you spontaneously change to 1st class. If you are travelling on a long distance train with a crew, you can also purchase a class upgrade from a passenger attendant. This will be subject to a minimum price.

The Supersaver Class Upgrade enables you upgrade from 2nd to 1st class at a discounted price. Benefit from a discount of up to 50% on many Swiss public transport routes.

Supersaver Class Upgrades are only available via the SBB Mobile and SBB Preview apps – availability is restricted.

No. Always buy the Supersaver Class Upgrade (if available) via the SBB Mobile or SBB Preview apps before the train departs.

Yes.

Please note that if you hold a Half Fare Travelcard or are aged between 6 and under 16, you can purchase a Supersaver Class Upgrade at a discounted price. In other cases, you will need to purchase a Supersaver Class Upgrade at the full price.

Supersaver Class Upgrades can be combined with all 2nd class tickets or travelcards (e.g. GA Travelcard, Point-to-Point Travelcard, Saver Day Pass, supersaver tickets etc.).

You can easily purchase a Supersaver Class Upgrade for a return journey in either the SBB Mobile or the SBB Preview app. Purchase the outward journey first, and then the return journey. 

If you are making a return journey on the same day, check in advance whether or not a 1-day class upgrade would be cheaper.

Yes. With the Half Fare Travelcard, you can also benefit from a discount of up to 70% in addition to the already halved price for the class upgrade.

No. The Supersaver Class Upgrade gives you a discount of up to 50% on the standard class upgrade price – the Supersaver Class Upgrade is however only valid for one specific connection.

If you have missed the connection for which you booked the Supersaver Class Upgrade, it will no longer be valid and cannot be credited towards the purchase of a new Supersaver Class Upgrade or any other class upgrade.

In the event of train cancellations, delays or line interruptions, you can take the next train if you obtain written confirmation from ticket control or sales staff. If there is an adjustment to the timetable between the purchase of the Supersaver Class Upgrade and the journey (for example, due to construction work), those passengers affected can use the next available connection.

No. As a basic principle, saver offers cannot be refunded or exchanged.

Information on refunds
More on the refund conditions for saver offers (Tariff 600.9, section 8 – in German, French and Italian)Link opens in new window.

Most class upgrades are purchased spontaneously via the SBB Mobile and SBB Preview apps. For this reason, the Supersaver Class Upgrade will initially only be available via the apps. When and whether you will also be able to buy the Supersaver Class Upgrade online on SBB.ch has not been decided.

You can exchange your class upgrade independently in the app without any fees before the first day of validity (provided you used a login during purchase). If you use the refund form, a CHF 10 fee will be retained. 

You can purchase Supersaver Class Upgrades for most public transport routes, but not for routes within integrated fare networks.

No. If you have a GA Travelcard for 1st class, you can continue to travel on the entire public transport network for a whole year at a very advantageous flat-rate price. The GA Travelcard also provides full flexibility, while the Supersaver Class Upgrade is limited to connections that have a relatively low occupancy and is only valid on the connection chosen at the time of purchase.

No. We only offer Supersaver Class Upgrades if a train still has plenty of available seats in 1st class. This is usually the case during off-peak hours. You will therefore not experience any loss of comfort in 1st class.

The prices change depending on the occupancy rate and the desirability of each connection.

Supersaver Class Upgrades are personal and only available through digital channels. You must therefore prove your identity using your Half Fare Travelcard or an official form of identification (e.g. your ID card) during the ticket inspection.

Yes.

No. You never need a 1st class ticket for dogs and bikes – the 2nd class ticket covers you even for travel in 1st class. You pay the reduced price (the Half Fare Travelcard price) for dogs or bikes.

Note: please specify the name of the person travelling with the dog (not the name of the dog) during the purchase process.