"The purchase could not be carried out"

Hobie1

Hello everyone, I have been trying to book a number of trips on the SBB website, multiple destinations on various dates, maily in June. Every transactions I attempt gives me this error message:
“The purchase could not be carried out. A technical error has occurred. Please select your preferred product again or try a new search via the timetable overview.”
I have tried using different computers using both my SBB account and as a ’Guest", all with the same error result. I am booking from Australia and have never had issues like this before. My credit card is current. I would appreciate any suggestions as to what might be happening.
Cheers
Bob

Riemmodi49

Hi Hobie1

The described error indicates a technical disruption in the webshop. Please try the purchase again after checking the following points:
Update your internet browser.
Clear your cache and cookies.
Use a different browser or the incognito/private mode.
Temporarily disable a VPN connection.

The above is the response I received from the online customer service. I resolved the issue by switching browsers. I hope it helps.

Ckogiembea50

I am experiencing the same issue from the United States. I head over in three days and would like to purchase a Swiss Travel Pass. Assistance would be appreciated.

Ckogiembea50

This has been an unbelievably poor experience. Everybody blaming everybody else. But I’ve talked to my bank and they talked to 3D Secure and the problem is definitely at SBB. They are ruining my vacation and it hasn’t even started yet.

Ckogiembea50

After 3 days I finally stumbled across a solution. They ask for your credit card expiration in the MM/YY format. On a whim I entered it in the MM/YYYY and voila, I had my passes. This is of course ridiculous but it is what it is. Hope this helps someone.

Tafunge25

Hallo Ckogiembea50
So did I get this right, you were asked the credit card expiration in the MM/YY format and when you entered it in this format, it worked? My (swiss) credit card has its label also in the MM/YY format and I think this is the normal case all over europe…

Hobie1

Thank you, I will give this date thing a try. FYI, I’ve had no trouble booking trains with the SBB App on my phone (cell).

Yuxoshe78

Same problem, very frustrating! Using MM/YYYY didn’t work for me, still getting the error. SBB. what is going on?

Yuxoshe78

Also super frustrating that after it errors, it does NOT allow me try again, it deletes the entire booking and leads me back to the initial search page.

Wiereemboull91

I am also having the same problem trying to purchase Saver Day Passes. I tried on desktop firefox, desktop chrome, mobile firefox, mobile chrome.

Ziefukough58

Will credit card work in person rather than online?

RedBaron

Ziefukough58 Will credit card work in person rather than online?

If the reason for the online issue is a lack of fraud prevention features on the credit card, then there won’t be any issues when using an EFTPOS terminal on-site in person: When you’re physically present, your identity (matching the credit card) could be verified by the sales staff.

RomanoS

Hello Everybody @Riemmodi49 @Ziefukough58 @Wiereemboull91 @Yuxoshe78 @Tafunge25 @Hobie1 @Ckogiembea50

I’m sorry. Somehow i missed this discussion.
We have a look at it.

How were your trips in Switzerland? Already part of the past or cooming soon ? 🙂
Sorry again.

BR
Romano

Quoungatoo20

RomanoS I am experiencing the exact same issue here in South Korea. I plan to visit Switzerland on 3rd of July, and plan to buy 4 day Travelcard, and does not work with "The purchase could not be carried out
A technical error has occurred. Please select your preferred product again or try a new search via the timetable overview.". Any ways to solve this issue?

Yuxoshe78

Just use thetrainline.com or another website. That’s what worked for me. In person, and at the machines, the US cred card works just fine.

Krist

There is another site where you can buy Swiss Travel Passes. It is run by a joint venture of SBB and Swiss Touristm:

www.swissrailways.com

I think this site is probably less confusing then the official SBB site, and would be interested to know what the experience of the average tourists is with that site.

pedroleno

Hello,

I would like to report that I am experiencing the same issue when trying to purchase the Swiss Half Fare Card (tourist pass) through the official SBB website. I consistently receive the following error message:

“The purchase could not be carried out.”

I am attempting to make the purchase online from Brazil.

At first, I thought the issue might be related to my credit cards. However, I have already successfully purchased two train tickets through the SBB mobile app, using two different cards (Revolut and Nomad), and both transactions were processed without any problems.

I have also tried several troubleshooting steps, including:

Purchasing through a mobile browser;
Using different desktop browsers such as Chrome and Edge;
Using private/incognito mode in both browsers;
Enabling automatic date and time settings on my computer.

Unfortunately, none of these solutions have worked so far.

I would greatly appreciate any assistance in resolving this issue, as I have already purchased several train tickets using the Half Fare option before being able to purchase the Swiss Half Fare Card itself.

Thank you very much for your support.