WIR Bank TOP package

so no intstant notifications or something? i wanted to swtich but after reading some of these comments it makes me hesitant… maybe id rather pay some fees than have such a shitty app… alpian also has pretty decent fees

Instant notifications are available with debix app in connection with your WIR card.

With the new app you don’t need DebitX for notifications, it’s now included.

But anyway, the new app and new e-banking (Web) are… :nauseated_face: (my opinion). Really disappointed and frustrated.
I didn’t really like the new BCF app but now it’s a real pleasure compared to the WIR app.

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It’s doing the job for me I don’t complain about the new app

could you elaborate on the problems/limitations with the new ebanking? I’m still on the old one, but I can migrate now…just hesitating

Well, as gravel said before, it does the job, you can always pay your bills and spend your money. For the rest it’s probably more personnal.
For me there are a lot of things I don’t like, but mainly I feel it like: not really userfriendly, veeeery bad layout / colors, a bit buggy, slower than before, we lost some convenient features regarding old and futur payments / charts, and… I’ll stop here. I don’t like to complain too much.
I was excited to upgrade but then :roll_eyes:, hopefully I will get used to it or they will do some nice updates.

It’s difficult to express my feelings when I go through the mobile app or website and probably you will not feel the same like me.

Maybe you can ask why other people like the upgrade :grinning_face:

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I feel very similar. The new app does work and I could pay our apartment for the upcoming holidays. However, I can still not use the card for online payment in foreign currency (paying abroad with the card works fine as does retiring cash) and the look and feel is not great. I log in once a quarter compared to my other banking at PF where I log in around twice a week. For me it’s purely a UI issue rather than a functional issue.

Not a big deal but I would not like to have WIR as my main banking solution purely on the UI of the app and desktop version.

UI is not beautiful but it does the work. As I am using ebill for almost everything, the UI is not a criteria anymore. This is working, I am happy.

I’m using it as my main account. Got rid of almost all other accounts. The UI of the new ebanking is ok. It does what it should do (I don’t want to date it!).

For me 2 reasons why I still use it and probably will: paying abroad and the 0.75% Savings Plus account.

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The offer is until september, we will see where it drops after that. Regarding paying abroad there are many other alternatives.
Of course I would like to keep averything at WIR, it could be a good all-in-one solution, but really, is it so difficult in 2026 to make an acceptable and slick UI? Many others can do it (Revo, Yuh, Alpian, Neon, UBS, ZKB, etc..), why not them? It could “do what is should do” with a nice and slick app/website I would like to date every end of month and people will be more happy to use it I’m sure :wink:

What are you thinking of? I don’t know any alternative. The last one was Radicant. Revolut, Wise all have fx fees.

I have a weird issue with my DebitX app. To activate it, they send you an SMS with a link. With my old provider (Coop Mobile and Swisscom), there was never an issue. But with my new provider, there seems to to be a time sensitivity. SIX requests that the the SMS is received within a certain time (something like less than one second). If the SMS takes longer, the link is no longer valid. My new provider (spusu) seems to route their SMS differently, so that they take longer to arrive. As a consequence, I’m not able to activate my DebitX app anymore. Of course, this is the kind of issue where neither SIX nor spusu feels the responsibility on their side :frowning:

They even call it “quality software”. The code might be good, the user experience is not.

Why do you need DebitX, assuming you have the new app?

Well, I didn’t say there wouldn’t be fees…but really, it’s very low. All neobanks - Revolut, Wise, Neon, Alpian - are more than good to use abroad. Actually I’m even paying for the Neon Plus because I’m really close from the 5714.- (20chf / 0.35%) every year and then I also have 5 yrs of various electronic devices warranty. Not so long ago I was also searching for the absolute 0.0000% FX fees but it became annoying/too challenging so I prefer now to pay some little chf for a good service and I’m ok with that. I’m not done with WIR yet, but they will need to work hard on their app and website before September (end of 0.75% saving interest) or I will leave.

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That’s actually a good question. Many card settings can now be done in the Wir app. I guess the only function that is exclusive to DebitX is the confirmation of an online purchase through the app (instead of SMS code).

You’re right that the UI is not the slickest. For me it’s good enough to use it and to recommend it to friends and family.

I am looking at the Bankpaket top (or alternatively Neon Plus) as a means to pay via debit card when abroad, given the low foreign currency transaction fees they have. For WIR Bankpaket top, there seems to be mixed reviews from users.

Issues that I have noticed people mentioning on this thread:

  • Transactions don’t appear immediately on the App, and this may take up to a few days and the settlement date exchange rate is used, which could be a few days after the actual purchase date (common to all)? Has this changed or not? This is quite important to get real-time info about this, as debit card mean’s instant cash taken out from your account.
  • Some people argue Interbank vs Mastercard exchange rate, but its still better than all other Swiss banks excluding Swiss Neo banks (screenshot below)
  • Clunky App, but has had a recent improvement and upgrades, and less supporting Apps needed
  • German only, but can bear using that as have working knowledge of upto A2/B1

Questions that I have which can help me to decide, if I go with WIR or Neon:

  • For the Anteilschein which costs 200 CHF as listed on the account information page, the document to become a member states the maximum value is 500 CHF & determined by the Board, as per this document below which needs to be filled and sent to them to apply. So do we need to pay around 500 CHF, can anyone confirm this who has done this recently? What is the process after you open an account then you fill this form, send it, and after you transfer some money into your new account then how to buy the Anteilschein? https://www.wir.ch/fileadmin/user_upload/Dokumente/Formulare/formular-antrag-genossenschafter-bank-wir-de.pdf
  • There are mixed reviews about their support, some say its not good, while others have given good reviews. Their physical branch is like 5 minutes from my place, so is there a possibility they entertain me at their physical branch or support is mostly digital / electronic?
  • One person stated that they put 1500 CHF as a requirement so people don’t use it for travel purposes only a few times a year, and the bank told that guy, if people choose use their debit cards regularly (even in local CHF transactions), they can wave of the 1500 CHF monthly requirement? Is that true?

I used Google Gemini to give me some interesting rates about both debit and credit cards offerings on foreign transaction fees from various Swiss banks including Neo banks.

The following list is sorted by the Total Estimated Markup, which combines the explicit transaction fee and the hidden exchange rate spread.

Debit Cards (Sorted by Lowest Total Cost)

Debit cards from digital banks are currently the cheapest way to pay abroad.

Bank / Card Transaction Fee Exchange Rate Total Markup (Est.)
Bank WIR (Top) 0% Interbank ~0.0%
Radicant 0% Interbank ~0.0%
Alpian 0% Interbank + 0.2% ~0.2%
Neon (Metal/Plus) 0% Mastercard ~0.4%
Neon (Free) 0% Mastercard + 0.35% ~0.75%
Yuh 0.95% Mid-Market ~0.95%
Revolut (CH) 0%* Interbank ~1.0% (weekends)
Valiant (Lila Set) 0% Viseca Rate ~2.4%
Raiffeisen 1.25% Bank Rate ~2.8%
PostFinance 1.5% Bank Rate ~3.3%
UBS Key4 (Base) 2.0% UBS Rate ~4.0%

*Revolut is 0% on weekdays up to CHF 1,250/mo; 1% fee applies on weekends.


Credit Cards (Sorted by Lowest Total Cost)

Traditional credit cards are usually 3–4x more expensive than debit cards due to “processing fees.” UBS Key4 is the major outlier here.

Card Name Transaction Fee Exchange Rate Total Markup (Est.)
UBS Key4 Credit 0% Mastercard + 0.5% ~0.9%
Migros Cumulus 0% TopCard Rate ~2.0% - 2.5%
Coop Supercard 0% TopCard Rate ~2.0% - 2.5%
PostFinance Visa 1.7% Bank Rate ~3.5%
Raiffeisen Visa 1.5% Bank Rate ~3.1%
Valiant Visa 1.75% Bank Rate ~4.1%
Swisscard Cashback 2.5% Bank Rate ~4.5%

The Verdict

  • Best for Daily Use: Bank WIR or Radicant offer the absolute lowest rates (zero markup).

  • Best Traditional Bank: UBS Key4 is significantly cheaper than Raiffeisen, PostFinance, or Valiant for international credit card spend.

  • The “Zero Fee” Trap: Cards like Migros Cumulus or Valiant Lila Set may advertise “0% fees,” but they use exchange rates with high internal markups that still cost you ~2% or more.

Go with Radicant instead, follow the AI.

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How often you travel and how much you spend abroad (a) in Eur; (b) in other currencies?