Holidays to Switzerland Travel Podcast Episode 124 Transcript

Best Ways To Pay In Switzerland: Cash, Credit Card Or Debit Card?

You can see the full show notes and listen to this episode > here.

Announcer

Are you dreaming of visiting Switzerland? Planning a trip to Switzerland is very exciting, but it can also be overwhelming. How do you choose which are the many scenic cities, towns, and villages to visit? Which mountaintop excursions should you take? And what’s the best way to get around Switzerland? And of course, how much of the country can you realistically see within your time frame? If you’ve asked yourself off any of these questions, this is the podcast for you. This is the Holidays to Switzerland Travel podcast. And in each episode, your host, Carolyn Schönafinger, chats with Swiss travel experts to answer your most commonly asked questions provide practical tips and take you on a virtual visit to the most popular destinations, and of course, some hidden gems to help you plan your dream trip to Switzerland. You’ll hear plenty of conversations about Swiss cheese and chocolate, too. Are you ready to plan your trip to Switzerland? Well, let’s get started.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Hello and welcome to this week’s episode of the podcast.

One question I frequently get asked is ‘what’s the best way to take money to Switzerland?’ Many folks are unsure if a credit card will be all they need or whether or not they should get some Swiss currency before they leave home. Or is there another option that may be better?

For me, it’s a combination of a debit card and a small amount of cash, and I’ll explain why that is so, in this episode.But first, a bit of info about the Swiss currency.

Although Switzerland is in Europe, it’s not part of the European Union so therefore has its own currency which is the Swiss franc. The three-letter currency code is CHF but prices are often displayed preceded by a capital S followed by a lowercase f and r.  So the price tag for an item priced at 20 Swiss francs might read as Sfr 20.

Swiss franc banknotes come in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and even 1,000 francs.  I’ve never seen one of those!

Coins come in denominations of 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents which are called rappen or centimes, depending on which part of Switzerland you’re in, and there are also 1, 2 and 5 franc coins.

If your trip to Europe includes Switzerland and other European countries, you may be wondering if you can use Euros in Switzerland. The answer is sometimes! Some establishments may accept payment by euros (I’m referring to cash here), but the exchange rate is likely to be unfavourable. 

US dollars and other currencies are generally not accepted for purchasing goods and services in Switzerland.

Keep in mind that if you do pay by cash in Euros, any change will be given back to you in Swiss francs.

So let’s look at the most popular ways for visitors to pay for goods and services in Switzerland.

Mastercard and Visa credit cards are widely accepted in Switzerland but very few establishments will accept American Express. 

Don’t assume that your current credit card provider is giving you the best deal.  Some banks and credit card providers charge fees for international transactions and many also charge fees for withdrawing cash at an international ATM.

If you’re not careful, you may end up paying an exchange rate fee and a fee for the international transaction, so do some homework ahead of your trip.  There are credit card providers who have no fees (or very minimal fees) for international transactions, you just need to find which provider is best for you.

When making your payment, some credit and debit charge machines automatically process the payment in Swiss francs whilst others allow you to choose between Swiss francs and your home country’s currency.

If given the option, I always request that the transaction is processed in Swiss francs – not in my home currency – as this way (in the majority of cases), I benefit from a better exchange rate.

It’s common to ‘tap and go’ with most credit and debit cards for smaller transactions and a PIN is usually required for transactions over CHF 100.

Before you leave home, it is recommended that you advise your credit card provider that you will be travelling – and tell them where and when – so that they don’t block transactions that you try to make whilst you are abroad. 

In summary, if you plan to use a credit card in Switzerland, remember to check what international transaction fees, ATM withdrawal fees, and annual account fees apply, so you’re not hit with unexpected fees on your return.

Debit cards are another way you can pay for your purchases in Switzerland. Just like checking the applicable fees for a credit card, you should also check that your debit card has no fees, or very minimal fees, attached to it. 

Fees you might want to look out for include international card transaction fees, fees for withdrawing cash from ATMS, and monthly account fees. Some debit cards require you to add a minimum amount to your account each month to avoid the fees, so check all the terms and conditions carefully.

Again, you should advise your bank or debit card provider that you will be travelling abroad. In most cases you can add your travel details – the dates and countries you will be visiting – on the debit card provider’s app or website when you are logged in to your account.

Contactless payments via Apple Pay and Google Pay are also widely available in Switzerland but I strongly recommend you have an alternative means of payment when this option isn’t available.

Ok, so what about cash. One question that I get asked regularly is ‘Do I need to carry cash in Switzerland?’

The simple answer is – in most cases – no however I always like to have a small amount of cash with me for purchases such as a coffee or ice cream or for luggage storage lockers at train stations. 

 In some establishments, cards may not be accepted, and I have seen luggage lockers at a few train stations that only accept cash.  Whilst card payments are much more common these days, there have been instances where I’ve had to pay with cash to use a public toilet.  Fees for public toilet use at train stations areusually around CHF 1 or CHF 1.50. Interestingly, on my recent trip to Switzerland, the toilets at Geneva and Zurich train stations only accepted card payments, whilst at Basel train station it was cash only! 

On other recent trips I’ve needed cash on a few occasions, too: to play a round of mini golf, when buying yoghurt from a farm shop, and to make a donation at a local folklore show. We were also asked to pay cash at a cafe (in a very popular destination) as our bill was less than CHF 20.

Carrying a small amount of cash is also handy in times of emergency.  Could you get by if your card was lost or there was a power loss and credit card machines were out of action?

You’ll probably find that 99% of the time you won’t need cash but it’s always handy to have some as a backup.

Some travellers prefer to buy their Swiss francs prior to leaving home at a bank or foreign exchange store but this method will usually involve fees. 

As I use a debit card when I travel, I prefer to wait until I arrive in Switzerland and then withdraw the amount of cash I require from an automatic teller machine at a bank.

So how much cash should you withdraw? Of course this will be different for every traveller but I like to start with CHF 50.  You can always use the cash instead of your card towards the end of your trip if you haven’t spent it already. 

If you are bringing foreign currency to Switzerland and would like to exchange it for Swiss francs once you arrive, you can do so at foreign exchange offices and banks.

Exchange rates are often better at exchange offices rather than banks, and the rates may be slightly higher at airports than in the city centre.

It’s a good idea to compare the exchange rates and fees before changing money.

I hope you’ve found this episode has helped you to decide the best way for you to pay for goods and services in Switzerland. If you’d like more practical Swiss travel tips take a look at our back list of episodes where you’ll find plenty of helpful advice.

You can also grab a copy of my free guide “21 useful things to know before you visit Switzerland” from the show notes for this episode.

Thank you for joining me today and for your ongoing support. It’s such an honour to know that listeners from all around the world are tuning in to the Holidays to Switzerland podcast every week.

I’d be so grateful if you could help spread the word to even more folks who are planning a Swiss vacation by leaving a 5* rating or a review on your favourite podcast app.

And if you have a family member, friend or colleague who is planning to visit Switzerland, please share the podcast with them.

Thank you so much!

Until next week, Tschuss!

You can see the full show notes and listen to this episode > here.