Question for Experienced (or somewhat experienced) Berner Oberland People

I would just use your ATM when you get there, and just pull money out as you need it. Are you trying to come up with a budget? If not, just get your cash when you get there.

If you have an ATM or debit card tied to your home bank, you don't need to bring any. The ATM machines are chock full of Swiss Francs.

Susan and Monte, and Sam,

Thank you for your quick replies. I've heard that ATMs are the way to go, but I'm a bit concerned with fees. I bank with Bank of America and they charge $5 (for each withdrawal) if the ATM is out of their network, plus I'm factoring in ATM operator access fees, and international transaction fees.

Even considering these ATM fees, do you still think it's wiser to use the ATMs while I'm here. I've never ordered foreign currency from my bank before so I'm not sure which choice would be more cost effective.

Thanks,
John

When we traveled to Zermatt a couple years ago, we used credit card (BA) to purchase discounted cog railway tickets. We have travel rewards c/c from Bank of America that is interest free on international transactions. It's very convenient.

All the lift ticket windows I have dealt with - that's most of them in the Berner Oberland over the years - take credit cards.

The only one I can think of offhand that didn't, anywhere in the greater area, was a two person tiny cabin above Wissifluh an hour away above the Vierwaldstaettersee which was a self serve two person postal lift. in that case you got in, pressed a button on the wall, and when the person at the bar in the restaurant was ready up you went, slowly. Hike to the bar and pay something like CHF3 in a saucer. Very cool. Good food, too.

One option is open an account that you use simply for traveling. I use Charles Schwab investors checking. Never any ATM fees and never any foreign transaction fees. This has worked well for me.

Carol's suggestion is the best one. I use a credit union account with the same features. Barring that, there are no "ATM owner" fees if you use an ATM at a bank in Switzerland, and Switzerland is the land of banks. 300 CHF in your pocket it is likely to cost you $10. You can also call B of A to see if any Swiss banks are in their network.

FYI, there use to be two ATMs in Murren, but while we were staying there last August the one next to the Coop grocery was removed. The one at the Stechelberg-Murren-Schilthorn lift station was still open. As others have suggested, credit cards and ATMs are the way to go. Also, if you are a hiker be sure to pick up a copy of Kev Reynolds Bernese Alps Walkers Guide http://www.amazon.com/bernese-alps-walkers-guide/dp/1852844515. Half the fun is reading about the hiking routes and deciding which ones to do.

Just go to your local credit union and open an account. Credit unions "usually" offer free checking/savings free checks (if you still use those), free bill pay, etc. They also give you debit cards that can be used to withdraw money at MUCH cheaper rates than banks. I bank at my local CU and there is ZERO service charge when I w/d currency from ATMS (like the one in Murren).

BTW - your Swiss Travel Pass will get you all the up to Murren on one side of the valley and all the up to Wengen on the other side (and everything in between).

ATM fees are going to be almost insignificant compared to the overall cost of a trip to Switzerland. If a $5 ATM fee concerns you... well, just wait until you order your first meal. This country is anything but cheap.

If you have time, open a Charles Schwab account. I think you need a savings ( I forget what they call it) account to open a checking. I think we have literary $2.00 in it, but then put money into the checking and use the ATM. We don't have a Chales Schwab in my area that has regular banking, so I have to send money by mail. Call them, they are very, very helpful. There are no fees associated with them and if you did get a fee they reverse automatically. They also let you set the daily limit very high so you can get a lot of cash. We bank with Wells Fargo, but I would never use them due to fees. We only use Charles Swab for our travels.

There maybe credit unions or other banks just as good, but it is easy to overcome the fee problem, just get a better account for travel!

Another advantage, I think, is that we also bring our Wells Fargo ATM card as backup. We've never used it, but it feels good that if we did have a problem we wouldn't be in dire straights.

No need to bring any Swiss Franks (CHF) from home, although some do like to arrive with a modest amount of local currency. Just get 400-500 CHF out of an ATM when you arrive in Switzerland. If you use all of it, get more at another ATM. If (somehow) you don't, then use it to pay down your last hotel bill.

I agree that it's not worth worrying about bank fees in the grand scheme of things. If you do want to minimize fees, you can open a new account at TD Bank (if one is near you), Charles Schwab, or a credit union. All other methods of getting money will have higher total costs than using an ATM in Switzerland.

As said, if you have a Swiss Pass, you only need to buy tickets for travel above Mürren (the Allmendhubel and Schilthornbahn) or Wengen (to Kleine Scheideg and the Jungfraujoch). Show your pass when buying tickets to get the discount (25-50%). For all other travel, just flash your pass.

And yes, Switzerland is expensive. My restaurant dinners (dining alone) were 30-40 CHF; however, the quality of meals in Mürren was high, so I didn't feel ripped off. There are supermarkets in Mürren, Lauterbrunnen, and Wengen; my lunch was often a bag of trail mix bought at the supermarket, which not only saved money, but was convenient when I was out and about.

Just one more note. I have a debit card, and hubby has a debit card. You can take out the maximum from each card on the same day.

I just want to take a minute to thank everyone for all the replies - this was all extremely helpful! I always had this notion that using an ATM overseas was the expensive way of getting foreign currency, so it was nice to see how wrong this concept was. I will be taking advice from the replies and getting myself a new "travel account" with Charles Schwab. As others have mentioned, it's free to setup and there are no international fees associated with it (unlike my current bank). Even though Switzerland is already expensive, paying extra/hidden ATM fees would have greatly vexed me =)

Thanks again!
John

I dumped my "big bank" long ago, and the only thing I miss about them is that stupid service charge! My Credit Union provide ALL the services the big bank provided but the CU does it with no charge!

I know the "big banks" must have millions of customers, or else they wouldn't be so big, but I always wonder why individuals use them. Convenience? Is that worth the fees and impersonal treatment? Or is it just inertia, too difficult to seek out a better alternative? Lots of alternatives that actually provide value for their customers. If you plan to travel much, seek them out!

One additional note is that since you like hiking and plan on doing a lot, hiking to the top of the Schilthorn may be a possibility. If you hike up and down, you will have fabulous hiking, see the top, stop at the restaurant, and hike down. You can also hike one direction by taking the gondola up or down and hiking the opposite direction. The hike is 5 miles in one direction and not technical with about 5,000 feet of elevation gain. It is not an easy hike, but is doable for someone who is prepared. I am not sure of the exact cost of the gondola to the top, but recall that it was not inexpensive.