Hi hedgehog you mentioned your 15k credit card as emergency fund. But some emergency may not be payable with credit cards (like unexpected dental operation). Do you plan to withdraw cash from an atm with your credit card? Doesn’t it cost a fortune?
I’m yet to see any doctor here who would demand cash right away rather than sneakily sending a bill weeks to months later, usually with standard 30 days terms. Also I can just withdraw cash from my CCs for a small fee and draconian interest, but it’s fine until next payday.
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so what if it’s for free, when it’s at a criminal exchange rate?
Seriously, why are you so fixed on withdrawals? Just learn to use a credit card. I guess I make only one withdrawal per year, and these few hundred CHF are enough to cover my cash expenses for a year.
Let’s not forget the great comparison tool from Moneyland, where you can type in how often you want to use what services and it will calculate the total cost of a private account or a banking package, if you also need a credit card. I strongly recommend to calculate for 10 years, as some banks offer a discount for the first year.
As for credit cards, I use the Cumulus. With 2000-3000 spent each month, I get around 100 CHF in coupons, So they actually pay me to use the card. It still puzzles me how it makes a business sense.
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I don’t like to be tracked. That’s why I prefer cash. About withdrawal abroad, you are right. I don’t use it anymore that way. I do use my PF EUR though. No exchange fees, other than the MF that see the origin of the card (swiss) and not their currency (if you fall for that, your EUR will first exchanged to CHF from PF and then back to EUR from the thieves).
Moneyland isn’t always trustworty. They suggest CreditSuisse forgetting how much it will cost you their whole package…
I might starting using a CC sooner or later… it seems that I’m tracked anyway 
I’m with UBS and I have all cards (debit and credit, for me and my wife) as well as all account keeping costs covered with Keyclub points which I get in return for paying with a credit card.
Of course I only pay for domestic purchases as the card is very expensive whenever currency exchange is involved.
After being a PostFinance client for a few years these charges make me angry - mostly because I learnt about them by chance, and PF so far haven’t informed me about the changes to come in 2019.
I started setting up a Cler Zak account (I can use Revolut and TW for withdrawals anyway), but they seem to have a problem with double tax residence (Polish tax residency is quite difficult to get rid off 
but comes with some benefits) - I got a msg to contact them by e-mail to proceed.
Anybody here had a similar problem with Cler Zak?
And when they dropped interest rates from 0.8% to 0% that didn’t make you angry? It’s the same thing mathematically (-60/7500=-0.8%), it’s just your loss aversion talking now
I am customer at pf and at ca nextbank but i’ll probably close my pf account and move everything to ca
- maestro is chf 30 or 40 but not per year only every time you get a new one
- no monthly fee, no atm fee, no ebanking payment fee
- they also have a 20k minimum cash you need to benefit, you get more benefits with a ‘pack’ with at least 30k in your accounts. Pretty complicated. read the fee pdf you find here:
https://www.ca-nextbank.ch/de/de/bankkonten-und-karten/chf-lohnkonto-essenciel-im-detail.html - savings account yields 0.5%. Not a lot but you wont get more anywhere at the moment.
No extra cost if you live abroad. Not interesting for me, but some readers may want to retire in italy, poland etc
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CA option looks nice, but it’s 0.2% on a traditional saving account.
0.5% option only for freezing the money for 24 months (2% penalty in case of early withdrawal)
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I don’t need a maestro or postcard card so I will most probably switch to migros bank. Even if it stops being free it is only 36 p a without cards compared to 60 at postfinance.
I didn’t even know you can withdraw cash directly at Migros grocery stores if you are buying some grocery, it could even be more practical than Postfinance.
It will only cost me a couple of hours to resetup all payments and inform all LSV of the change. So not a lot for 60 chf pa savings.
60-36 thats 24. Couple of hours? Go to the bank, create an account, set up new logins, learn around new system, write down new password, copy saved accounts. Could easily take 4 hours. So great, you just made 6 chf/hour.
But you will say that will multiply by the number of years. Sure, until the next pricing reshuffle and then some other bank will be the cheapest.
For those considering a move to Migrosbank, be aware that any foreign currency account apart from EUR incur a Fr3/month fee.
BCV Formule Classique is entirely free if you have CHF 10k with them. This includes Maestro, unlimited withdrawal at Kantonalbanken, 1x withdrawal / month at any ATM. The application can be done completly online, no need to visit any of their branches. (I live in Zurich and opened and account with them)
https://www.bcv.ch/Particuliers/Produits/Gestion-courante/Formule-Classique
Migros Bank takes CHF 0.20 per payment into your account. If you use Twint, sell small stuff on ricardo etc. a lot this can get expensive pretty fast. Personally I would rather pay CHF 60/y for PF than this.
ZAK would also be great, but no E-Bill, only Mobile banking, withdrawal fees at ATMs other than Cler, weekly transfer maximum of 10k and 5k per order (how to pay taxes, buy a car etc. with this account?) destroy this for me.
What do you mean with no e-bill for Zak? I see you can setup lsv etc
I’m looking at options and Zak is not looking bad.
Bank Cler Private account costs 1 CHF/month with a deposit of 25000 CHF (on 0.6% in the first 365 days), but without a Maestro Card, and seem to have no limits on maximum transfers. 2 CHF/month without a deposit.
I considered BCV also, but their best saving account gives 0.025% and to have a private account for free one needs to deposit at least 10000 CHF, otherwise is 3,5 CHF/month.
In this case I will give a try to Bank Cler, without a debit card (I can use Revolut, TW, Curve for withdrawals, but haven’t done many of them last year anyway).
Another option would be Credit Agricole (https://ca-nextbank.ch) - free account with a Maestro card for a deposit of 20000 CHF (0.2% on the saving account, or 0.5% on 24-month blocked saving account) - but I really don’t like their online interface, and security features… like from 20 years ago.
With E-Bill I mean this: https://www.e-bill.ch. You receive the invocies paperless in your inbox. (E-Rechnung in German)
Also CA Nextbank doesn’t seem to support E-Bill or Twint. Also neither CA Nextbank or Cler have their own Twint Apps but BCV does.
In case you need to withdraw more than few hundreds of CHF cash you are out of luck if you only have Revolut, TV and Curve. A lot of business in Switzerland is still done in cash. (buying used stuff etc.) So I really believe one should have a Maestro/Postfinance card to withdraw CHF in Switzerland.
Also after the first year Cler is more expansive than BCV even with the higher interest rate:
Cler: CHF 12 / year, interest on savings for 25k: CHF 12.5: Cost CHF -0.5
BCV CHF 0 / year, interest on savings for 25k: CHF 6.25 : Cost CHF -6.25
What about the Zürcher Kantonalbank?
only 12.- / year, but 0.0% interest.
Doesnt seem to bad
Isn’t it like that?
Cler: CHF 12 / year, interest on savings for 25k: CHF 25.00 (0.6%, 0.1% after the first year): Cost CHF -13.00
BCV CHF 0 / year, interest on savings for 25k: CHF 6.25 (0.025%) : Cost CHF -6.25
CreditAg CHF 0 / year, interest on savings for 25k: CHF 50.00 (0.2%): Cost CHF -50.00
Cler without Maestro,
BCV, Credit Agricole with Maestro
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