So I sent them an email. Yes, they will charge 10chf for an expiring card on the free plan. New cards are good for four years, so it’s 2.50chf per year.
I use Neon exclusively for their Mastercard for payments abroad. I brief check of their competitors suggests that they’re still competitive there. Though I’m not happy to see them add fees without telling their customers in advance or even updating their price list.
What if you don’t? It looks like you can order the new one, but you don’t have to.
I have an inactive neon-free account, just keeping it in case something interesting pops up.
I arranged my cash-flow with bills/ebills/recurring orders paid from my salary every month, rest is invested to reach exactly 0, and daily expenses paid on credit card (so that’s a bill for next month).
So I don’t have any use for debit cards, except large fx expenses which is very occasional.
The pricelist of Neon does not seem updated yet. It still says: “Einmalig für die Produktion und den Versand.”
If you don’t order a card, you will only be able to do bank transfers etc but not card paiments (shops, restaurants).
And for the suggestion to switch to yuh…
If there are swiss bankers on this forum, listen:
I don’t want my bank account to become like my mobile phone subscription, where I feel bad thinking about it, because I know younger me would have switched, but older me doesn’t want to invest the time every few years to re-setup everything.
Does Neon also offer virtual cards?
It seems this is becoming the new standard. Banks are moving away from physical cards to cut costs, since virtual cards are essentially free compared to producing and managing plastic ones.
I stopped using Neon a while ago to simplify my setup, but it feels like the company is betting on survival and hoping for a takeover by another bank. The app itself was solid.
Source?
Yes, they haven’t updated the price list. Which is, for me, the worst about this. I don’t really mind paying 10chf every four years, if the entire package is still good for me. But please tell me in advance and be transparent about it!
Which is quite difficult. The customers are all with Hypothekarbank Lenzburg. Neon uses their Finstar Banking System. I wonder whether Neon can even be taken over seriously. The acquiring bank would also have to become dependent on Hypothekarbank Lenzburg or migrate all customers (new IBAN, etc.). I don’t think the app has any value without Finestar Service.
But that’s just speculation, I’m not in that industry.
This is strictly my impression. It feels as though the company is focused on survival and possibly positioning itself for a takeover. I’m not presenting this as a fact, but rather sharing how the situation comes across to me.
That’s a fair observation from a technology standpoint. However, in an acquisition, the customer base and the technology stack are two distinct layers. The infrastructure can be replaced or integrated, while the customer base can be transferred or migrated. The dependency on Hypothekarbank Lenzburg adds operational complexity, but it doesn’t diminish the acquisition potential.
For a bank considering an acquisition, the key question is whether the expected return on the transferred customer base justifies the investment and the migration effort. Maybe yes, maybe not 
.
I am happy to have closed my Neon account and moved to ZKB.
This is how it starts, first a forex conversion fee, than you pay for your card, then you pay for your account. I don’t understand what is the value proposition that Neon is trying to do
agree… moved to WIR and happy.
Even with the SBB error (@#$!!) , the Fx fee and the card fee (weird that it lasts only 4 year btw), I’m still happier than with Alpian (which btw did upgrade (imho) their UI). But I’m biased because of my Alpian accident (didn’t order the card in time).
But at the end it all depends how you use it. Mine is a Revolut/PF backup.
I stand corrected, support told me that if I don’t react they will automatically order one (without specifying costs, but I guess the same?)
That’s a meh. Most likely will close my account 
Funny timing. Today I received an email with this:
<<<
Summer has come to an end a while ago. Umbrellas have replaced sunscreen, and our feet have been in shoes instead of flip-flops for weeks. Nothing lasts forever, and the same goes for your neon card: it expires on [my editing out]
Luckily, replacing your card is very straightforward: open your neon app, tap on the card icon in the top left corner of the «Home screen», then tap on «Order new card», and select your new card with the reason «Expires soon». Finally, confirm your address and you’re done.
Please note that the new card is a Debit Mastercard, which will be valid for 4 years and is more widely accepted than the previous Prepaid Mastercards.
You can choose the neon card with the «free» design for 10 CHF. And if you’re in the mood for a change, you can also go for one of the limited-edition cards for 20 CHF each. The special designs «Night Star» and «Optimism» can be ordered directly in the app – «first come, first served!»
How you can get your new card for free:
Alternatively, you can also get your new card for free by upgrading your neon plan until 09.11.25. By switching to neon plus, you will receive the new card free of charge. By switching to neon global or neon metal, you will receive the new card free of charge as well as the first three months for free. To claim your special offer, just follow these steps:
Open your neon app and go to the «Profile» tab.
Tap «Explore Plans & extensions» in the top right corner.
Select your new neon plan plus, global or metal.
Select yearly payment when switching to neon plus or monthly payment when switching to neon global or neon metal.
Be sure to select a new card.
Important: Please ignore the prices displayed in the app and be sure to select the correct payment option (yearly or monthly). This is the only way we can ensure that your new card is delivered free of charge and that you are not charged any base fees for the first three months for neon global or neon metal.
Just as the change of seasons brings new weather, the change of your neon card opens up new opportunities.
If you order your new card early – regardless of whether you switch plans or not – you won’t experience any payment interruptions once your old card expires. Win-win!
Your neon team >>>
Funny, I have neon plus and in the app they still charge CHF 10.
Neon plus makes sense for me, since we spend more than the break even, I calculated couple of months ago, when the new pricing was available.
Well, looks like the marketing/product team didn’t wanna wait for the developers then 
Furthermore, it proves, that I cannot read.
Especially the important part. Anyway, time for another coffee.
So you can upgrade get the free card and downgrade again. Maybe this is a way to renew the card for free?
