Last summer, while in Switzerland, I changed the arbitrary PIN PostFinance had send me to something I could remember. Then I returned to the States, and did not bother logging on to my account until a few days ago. At that time I used the cheat sheet I had written long ago, with the old PIN. Inexplicably I entered the wrong PIN three times, without stopping to think. The card reader then blocked the card

I sent an email asking for help, and was told that I had to phone, and was given a number. Though my email was sent in English, as was their reply, the number I was given was German only. A second email got me a number which, I was told, would connect me to an English speaker.

Not quite, the voice menu offered me Deutsch, Français or Italiano, no English. Since my French is adequate I chose that option. There was no way to reset my card and/or reader, so I was told that a new card would be sent, followed by the PIN in a separate envelope. Sure enough, I received both last week.

To my amazement the new card was FREE!!! I love Switzerland, but certainly do not associate it with anything cheap, let alone free

So now a very happy PostFinance customer in New Hampshire can start making apartment deposits.