Bank and credit card in euros

Banks, Insurances & Third Pillar
1

Good morning everyone,

Since about 50% of my annual expenses are in euros, I would like to ask for advice on a bank account with a credit card in euros, preferably with an Italian institution. Having a credit card is important to me, especially for occasions when I need to rent a car abroad.

Until recently, I used an account with Intesa San Paolo, which was completely free and included a credit card. However, after turning 30, the costs increased to 100 euros per year.

Does anyone have suggestions or alternatives to recommend?

Thank you very much for your help!

2

I use DKB and I am generally satisfied.

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3

Have you considered Revolut? It is a multi-currency account with several card options and offers fair exchange rates.

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4

I already have a revulut account, but it is not a real credit card so in some cases it may not be accepted. Do you know if the certo one card is recognized as a credit card for car rentals?

5

You can usually book the car on your regular CC (for insurance purposes only), and pay in the end with Revolut.

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6

Yes, it is VISA or MasterCard debit card, but I never had an issue booking a rental car with those, providing that there was enough cash on the account.

7

ok, but to be more relaxed I would prefer to have a full credit card as well. Is the Certo One recognized as a credit or debit card?

8

I have the free Swisscards (formerly: coop supercards) and they are recognized as credit cards. I guess it will be the same for Certo-cards.

9

The Certo One is a credit card.

If money/saving is a concern, the Cumulus or Visa Free credit cards from Migros Bank may be cheaper for foreign bookings, since they don’t have a foreign transaction fee. I would recommend always first trying to use a card with a favorable exchange rate (e.g. Neon, Revolut, Wise, etc.) for the actual payment, and only use the credit card for the deposit/hold.

If money is not a concern and convenience is more important, there are banks like UBS that offer both euro-denominated bank accounts and euro-denominated credit cards.

10

ok, if the CertoOne card is a credit card in case Revolut doesn’t work I can use it for the rental and then at the end ask to pay with Revolut so you don’t lose yourself in exchange fees. Can it work in your opinion? Has anyone already used the Certo card for a rental?

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11

Yes, I have been using the Certo and then Certo One for many years now. It’s a real credit card with a credit limit that is assigned to you upon account opening (between 1k to 10kCHF if I recall correctly).
The card is accepted worldwide (MasterCard network).
In Switzerland, for payments in CHF, you get one of the best cashback programs.
BUT…for payments abroad Cembra charges 1.75% of “surcharge tax abroad”, and applies the MasterCard exchange rate which is allegedly fair, but overall it’s a mini scam.

Long story short, abroad, try to pay as much as possible with true multi currency cards (Revo, wise, neon, Yuh,…) and use the Certo only as last resort, mainly for deposits at rentals or hotels.

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12

Yea I have done it in the US for a car rental.
Do exactly that and ask to pay the bill when you return the car with your Revolut or Wise.

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13

I use wise and it works everywhere so far. I have. It linked to apple wallet. I also had to travel to US earlier this year and it worked perfectly well with contactless