Hello !
I just received this : Le meilleur de la banque en un seul paquet | Paquet bancaire top | Banque WIR - Bank WIR
Any opinion ?
24 free atm withdrawal worldwide per year and interbank rate for card payment, looks good no ?
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Once they will allow a joint account, I could use them as my main bank with my partner and get rid of Raiffeisen and Neon (which I love but only use for foreign payments).
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Looks really great at first glance, by far the best conditions for abroad. Almost too good to be true, but I’ll certainly give them a try.
Twint arrives in autmn… the only downside right now.
They do ask for one of the following (webpage has only GE/FR/IT):
Um vom Paket zu profitieren, ist die Erfüllung einer der folgenden Bedingungen nötig:
Regelmässiger Zahlungseingang von 1 500 CHF
Vorsorgegelder in Höhe von mind. 20 000 CHF bei der Bank WIR
Eine Hypothek von mind. 300 000 CHF bei der Bank WIR
Halten eines Anteilscheins der Bank WIR
(Mit dem Kauf eines Anteilscheins der Bank WIR für 200 CHF werden Sie Genossenschafter der Bank. Sie besitzen damit ein Stimmrecht an der jährlichen Generalversammlung der Genossenschaft. Ausserdem besteht mit dem Anteilschein Anrecht auf eine Dividende.)
Which I think is not much (unless I overlook something). If Viac counts, quite a few would automatically fulfill the second condition. If you use it as your salary account or main account, the first condition is easily doable. And if all fails you just need to invest 200 CHF in their bond, for which you will get interest I believe.
Once they offer joint accounts my wife and I are likely to switch. Foreign transactions included in our main account will make things easier.
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Another downside: WIR doesn’t currently write new mortgages for property under construction.
I have opened an account with them. I quite like the idea of consolidating my salary account and account for foreign transactions.
I have tried out the debit card, it seems they are charging me an exchange rate which consists of the interbank rate with a roughly +1% surcharge. At least for the test transactions I have made. I have asked them for an explanation. Will post an update if I hear back.
Maybe someone who also has an account with them could verify my test?
EDIT: issue solved
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We are currently making an Hypothek with them through VIAC. They were pretty nice and efficient with a earthquake insurance bonus!
With the 1.8% saving account it seems hard to beat for me. Furthermore there is apparently no risks of stupid bet abroad from them like UBS/CS so I am rather glad to deal with that “bank of the real swiss economy”
I will try this WIR Bank top offer soon I’ll keep you posted
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Intersting, was that written down somewhere? The offer description of wir claims no fees.
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This is not a fee, this is a difference between the interbank (fair market value) exchange rate and the exchange rate they apply. The usual scam of Swiss retail banking.
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…but this is not what they promise for their Debit MasterCard - “Währungswechsel zum vorteilhaftesten Devisen-Mittelkurs (Interbank Rate)”.
The Interbank Rate is standard and the same for everyone?
Maybe the exchange rate fluctuated quite strongly on the day, 1% is possible, and @dr.coffee compared rates at an unlucky time?
Edit: I see @dr.coffee compared multiple transactions, so unlucky timing is probably ruled out.
Let’s see what @dr.coffee gets from them as a response to his question.
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Well, I will happily do some test transactions again today. I do hope to be proven wrong, after all I would like to use them as my main account.
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Alright, so here are my tests performed on separate days:
- Test €/CHF:
- Applied exchange rate (AE): 0.975
- Interbank rate (IB) at time of booking: 0.965
- Difference: ~1%
- Test €/CHF:
- AE rate: 0.978
- IB at time of booking: 0.967
- Difference: ~1%
In fact, the AE wasn‘t even traded in the past week. Don‘t know where they get that rate from but its definitely not the interbank rate. Haven‘t heard back yet.
EDIT: issue solved
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Seemed to be more WIR Bank Flop Package if that really applied so…
I have nothing against bad marketing, it can happen. On the other hand, giving out erroneous information while promoting it openly something else on their site seems to me to be very limited…
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If this is really true, their marketing is not just bad but also illegal!
Did someone mentioned that you need to have at least 1500chf pm flowing in? (flowing…ha)
OR
20kchf in their 3a offers
… or 200 chf for a Anteilsschein (or so) which gives you dividends 
Hold your horses folks! Lets wait and see.
Also I would appreciate if someone else with a wir account could confirm.
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Do you fulfill one of their requirements (see posts above)? Could this be the reason for the 1%?
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I can be a stickler for correct information and advertising but come on… Even at 1% over the interbank rate it would be a better deal than…. I don’t know… 96% or 98% of all other Swiss-issued payment cards?
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