Hello guys I'm paris as we speak and I will heading to lauterbrunnen on Monday. I will be arriving in Basel where I will buy my Swiss pass for my wife and myself. Am I able to buy with a credit card there in Basel train station or do I need to convert my money to Swiss francs ? Another similar to this is where should exchange my usd there since I'm staying lauterbrunnen. Is the exchange good ? Or should use my debit to take lit money might it give a better deal meaning more money from my usd ?
Posted by
Home_Sweet_Home :-)
507 posts
The exchange rate for Swiss Francs according to the currency converter is $100/93.36 Swiss Franc. I was taught the banks give the best rates, and that is where I go to exchange my USD.
I do not know the answer to your question RE a credit card to purchase the Swiss pass. I leave that to a more experienced traveller than I.
Colette's Rule of thumb: Convert USD in the country of currency & not before so as to get the best rate (& at a bank).
Posted by
OP
nyc baby
72 posts
Thank you would you know about the Swiss pass am I able to purchase that on a credit card at the Basel train station ?
Posted by
Home_Sweet_Home :-)
507 posts
041 (0)900-300-300 is the 24- hr tourist line listed on the Basel train website. They can answer your question RE credit cards.
I edited my previous post. Check to see you read the more recent post.
Enjoy! c[~]
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9371 posts
" I was taught the banks give the best rates, and that is where I go to exchange my USD."
Banks give better rates than currency exchanges, but not better than withdrawing money from at ATM. And while ATMs are all over the place, sometimes it can be hard to find a bank that wants to exchange your money. Just like here in the States, not all banks do it (mine, for example, has to order currency - they don't have the capacity to do walk-in exchanges).
Posted by
Adelaide, Australia
47 posts
Hi Rudy, yes you can use a credit card (mine has a chip and pin, I had no problems at all), the ticket office staff are very helpfull, have your passports handy as you will need them to get the pass. Enjoy Lauterbrunnen, it's beautiful
Posted by
Idaho, USA
7797 posts
Hi, the weather is gorgeous in the valley right now! Purchase your tickets with a regular credit card, and there's ATMs for cash. We're in Wengen and had no problem obtaining cash at ATMs.
Posted by
OP
nyc baby
72 posts
thank you guys i can't wait i will be there later on in the evening tomorrow and can't wait
Posted by
Long Beach, California, USA
3398 posts
The places in train stations that don't generally take American-style magnetic strip cards are the ticket machines. If you go up to a ticket window you should have no problem. We bought tickets last summer at numerous ticket windows all over Switzerland (not Basel though) and never had trouble with our credit or debit cards.