Currency in Switzerland?

You do not need US dollars. You night want some Euros for France and Italy.

You can get local currency from an ATM. Most places take credit card. But it was nice to pay in cash sometimes so we could have change for the paid toilets and to leave housekeeping a tip.

We took the Bernina Express to Tirano Italy and needed Euros to pay for lunch.

See Rick Steves re emergency USD.

USD is pretty useless in western Europe. Only in a big emergency at a currency exchange booth and expect to get hosed.
Yes, local currency available at any ATM. Decline any off to get charged in dollars (dynamic currency conversion). Let the network do the conversion at a better rate.

As noted US Currency is not used in Europe.

I take some ONLY to pay for cab fare when I return to the States. I also use it to get water and a snack at the airport after going through security. I’m often 2 hours early for my flight. It’s LAX. I’ll say no more.

US dollars are as useful as Swiss Francs or Euros or even Canadian Dollars are in Kentucky. Or Virginia, or Florida.

Depending on where in Switzerland you're going, many places take both Euro and CHF, so you might be able to just get some Euro. Credit cards will work most everywhere, but as others have mentioned, you should have some local currency on hand for toilets or vending machines and such.

Check your bank in the States. Bank of America lets you order foreign currency and they ship it to you or your local branch in 48 hours. This can save a lot in international and credit card fees.

There is still a legacy in the US from post WWII days of occupation and the Cold War, of thinking that US dollars are accepted and even preferred, all over the world. I grew up hearing that as gospel from family and neighbors. Plus, in the days before the euro (also with travelers' checks), where every country had their own currency, it was a bit more convenient to take USD to exchange over there than to make a daisy chain of transactions.

Converting USDollars in Europe are a worst case fallback option. The only time I converted currency in Europe was at the end of a trip to Prague where I had a large exscess of Czech Crowns that I converted to dollars. Switzerland is a modern financial center and credit cards are very widely accepted.

That said, don't be completely dependent on getting local currency with your ATM card. I have seen travelers at an airport ATM machine that confiscated their ATM card. I always travel with a back up ATM card issued by a different financial institution than my primary ATM checking account. Having US currency is a last resort fall back and in Switzerland, currency exchange options apper to be numerous: https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-ae/planning/about-switzerland/general-facts/money-and-shopping/money-exchange-places/

You can change money at the following places:

any Swiss bank

airport

main railway stations (western union)

major hotels

Swiss banks offer the best exchange rates for your traveler's checks
or cash for foreign currencies (only bank notes). Official exchange
offices and hotels may charge a fee for their services

Just a note too, I never saw any change machines to change my paper money into coins. We were so worried about running out of coins for the toilets, that I went to the currency exchange at the train station to change some of my paper Swiss Francs into coins. They did it for me (no charge), but I was told I should of gone to the post office for that.

Thanks to all of you for the excellent advice.

Re pay toilets, I would imagine they now take credit cards. In Paris recently at the train station you could use a credit card to get through the turnstile, which was good because everyone was quite confounded. I guess pay to pee is a new concept in France.

Phred, I was there (Switzerland) in Sept. and we used coins for the toilets. If there was a way to use a credit card, I didn’t see it. I’ll take a closer look when I’m back there in June. It would be great if I didn’t have to lug around my bag of coins. 😊