Hello!
Wondering if we need cash in Switzerland? I assume we should have some francs for public restrooms? If we should have cash, where is the best place to do the exchange?
Otherwise, should Visa and Discovercard pretty much work for everything?
Appreciate any advice you have!
Bathrooms should accept tap credit pay, such as from your Apple Wallet. If you haven't done so, load your credit cards into your Apple Wallet and practice tap pay before you leave.
Visa is accepted, but not sure about Discover.
Get cash from a bank-owned atm after you land. Hopefully you have credit cards with no foreign transaction fees.
Enjoy your trip!
Leave Discovercard home. Visa and Mastercard are the two widely accepted networks. It is always handy to have some cash as sometimes card readers are down.
You can just go to the ATM.
We did encounter one restaurant (the Chinese restaurant in Murren) that was cash only - not sure if that’s still the case. But Switzerland was mostly cashless.
Hmmm. IME cash was always appreciated in smaller towns or cafes/shops. Last there Sept'22..
I do use the ATMs for withdrawals.
Yes, Visa and MC are the way to go, Amex getting more accepted.
And don't forget the Schwab debit card for no-fee withdrawals all over the world.
Interesting that I've found it is more expensive to use the ATM in Europe. My bank will charge a fee ( I know, but too hard to change banks just for travel) and the local bank also charges a fee. Now I get about $100 in local currency before I leave home and charge everything I can (no fees on my Chase card) I try to hold onto the cash until needed, and then if i have have some left over, get rid of it last few days. Some hotel fees or small shops only want cash, so handy to have some.
Don't bother with Discover, they don't recognize it there. Get yourself a Capital One, no fee credit card and use that as your back up.
My plan for my trip to to have just $100 Swiss Francs for my 2 week trip on hand before I leave for holiday, and just charge everything I can.
Took out too much CHF- 300 at an ATM in Basel. Thought what was left would go toward our ZRH hotel- Radisson Blu. Ha! Cash was not accepted. Took a hit at currency exchange at the airport. Take very little Swiss Francs. For our 8 days there 50 would have sufficed.
We were in Wengen for 5 nights last summer as part of a 3 week trip. I took out a little cash from an atm. 100 CHF or less. I can’t recall anyway that REQUIRED cash, but I managed to spend it!
NEVER exchange money. Just use an atm.
But after 6 days in Switzerland my sister realized she never took out any cash. Never needed it.
You barely need cash. Some older lockers and restrooms need coins, honor-based farm stands that you sometimes find in the mountains need cash, and perhaps some mountain huts, but urban Switzerland is largely cashless.
I go there regularly for work and have been travelling with the same 40 francs in my wallet for a while by now - last time I needed cash was a 5 fr. coin for a locker in Biel last year.
