Seeing as I only shop there for emergency supplies it may come as a surprise that I am holding them in such high esteem. However it would seem that they have started the ball rolling on a great idea - FREE Credit Cards

Today I received my second offer from Jelmoli Bonus Card Visa - has anyone received anything else know of anything else?

Migros announced first I think but it aint available until Autumn perhaps.

It's a start.

Although, I'm an untrustworthy "L" permit holder so I'll have to stay with UBS (free first year), but perhaps Coop/Migros/Jelmoli will shake things up and make the banks drop their charges...

UBS gave you a credit card with you beign on an L permit?

I would like to sack UBS, I have a good salary, a contract of permanent employment, an 18 month contract on my apartment, and yet they refuse to give me a credit card. My GF, who is a student, has no income has one with a 5 grand limit, but she's swiss...

I feel like a teenager with my dinky little maestro card.

Does that mean they will accept credit cards? I know that they do in the Migro City, but once you are out of the "tourist" zone.... In the first months I was here (2003), I went shopping at the Migros DIY that used to be out along the Badenerstrasse. Painstakingly collected a pile of hardware bits-n-bobs and fronted the counter with my Visa card. Got an "are you stupid" look from the cashier. With about 10chf cash in my pocket, I made a hasty retreat.

er... yes... but after CornerCard said no though.
I'm British, bank with UBS, and used to work with them at Opfikon.
I also wrote "kontigent ausgeschöpft" on the form, because I was permie when I arrived and still got an "L"...

However, the Glattbrugg UBS branch is used to ausländers of all shades wandering in, because of Opfikon UBS, maybe that helped...

My husband got an accounnt with Credit Suisse and an offer of a credit card (which he turned down) after only being here 6 weeks with no permanent apartment, no permit and only a 3 month woork contract!! he's since got a permit and got permanent employment but he was never asked, he literally went into the bank asked for an account filled some forms in and within 15 minutes he had a bank account - we thought it was very easy considering other stories we'd heard

Funny when I first arrived I went to the same UBS branch with my then L permit - contracting and they were also happy to provide me with a UBS CC but only if I deposited 15K with them as security and the limit was only 10K! So I went to diners who gave me one no problem...

Richard

Hmmm, isn't your hubby Swiss?

nope, we were really shocked that it was so easy to get one, although at the time he was on a temp 3 month contract with the same company he is now permanently employed with and as with most contracts it was a good monthly wage so i think they just saw pound signs and said yes straight away no questions asked, although now he's earning a normal wage as a perm employee and no where near the monthly figure he was earning contracting, so it may just come down to money?? which is a bit rubbish!!!

I am going to get a credit card from Coop; great idea until they charge for it - announced about 2 weeks back I think. The online application system was canned as you could get details of other applicants via a simple hack of the URL.

I have already signed up for a Coop card. Can let you know if it turns out badly. But I could not find any major problems in the fine print except you need to pay them regularly of course, and what I find annoying is, you cannot setup a direct debit in advance. You have to ring them once to setup a way to deduct your debts automatically every month.

By the way, I think the previous poster is right. It depends a lot on the branch you go to. I got a UBS account without even having a permit yet. I only had a letter stating that I would be employed.

So if you get turned down for an account or cc, just pick another branch, preferably bigger and with more foreigners as customers. There is no harm in trying. Also, I find with these things, (body) language is everything; if you ask, well, do you think it is possible I could get .... they will start to think. If you say, do you have the credit card form so I can fill it in, they will often hand it to you as you sound so convinced you can get one. Anyway, I often founds this works, even if you know you might not fully qualify, just pretend in your attitude that you do.

Coop Supercardplus policies are stupid. I do NOT recommend the COOP Supercardplus. They demand a copy of the einwohnerkontrolle with my address, while my permit already has my new address on it. This means queing for 30min and paying 20 CHF in your Gemeinde, or more. In addition, they do not tell you this. On the form it says you only need to include a copy of your permit.

Beats the card being free. I will wait until Migros comes out with a card, the Migros M-Budget card I believe.

sounds like fun - which permit do you have?
and if they try this with me.....I'll just not bother. But having sent a copy of my C permit and the Ol' Lady's Swissie passport, they might sing a different tune to this Swinglishman

B, so yes perhaps C is good enough.

Found out today though that foreign transactions are billed at 2.5%, whereas the also free Migros card charges 2%. At say 3000 CHf per year in transactions, this is a 15 CHF difference. UBS has free cards right now for the first year and they charge between 0.3% and 1%, or so they claim.

So I think Migros has the better deal, or otherwise UBS.

I can confirm that UBS charge 0.3% on GBP transactions, at their forex rates. I've not used it for EUR yet.

Hopefully, by the time it comes to me paying a yearly charge UBS will make their cards free thanks to Coop, Migros and Jelmoli...

UBS itemises the charge on foreign transactions and thus their claim is correct

I think I'd use my eternally-free cards abroad and for Swissie purchases (and backup) I'd use the Coop card.

If I am permitted one by them, of course

This Jelmoli card is free if you spend 300 chf in a year. Must that be spend at any store or only at their store?

Also, anyone know their % rate?

"up to a maximum of 15%", I believe.

Sorry, I meant the rate you pay for foreign transactions. I ignore the other rate as I try to stay in the black

Clear as, erm, mud:

2.2 Fremdwährung
Bei Transaktionen in einer anderen Währung als der Kartenwährung wird der jeweils anwendbare Umrechnungskurs um einen Bearbeitungszuschlag erhöht. Ferner wird beim Bargeldbezug im In- und Ausland eine Kommission in Rechnung gestellt. Der aktuelle Bearbeitungszuschlag, die jeweiligen Bargeldbezugskommissionssätze sowie die anwendbaren Umrechnungskurse können bei Jelmoli jederzeit erfragt werden. Einzelne Werte werden überdies jeweils auf der Monatsrechnung ausgewiesen.

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