OK, so I trawled the search funtion and also trawled the Finance section, but it was mostly 'where do I put my vast sums of cash or stop the taxman taking it'-type threads.
Using a Swiss debit card (UBS in this case), just how do you go about paying online for websites like Amazon or fleaBay? It doesn't seem to like that the number on the card is less than four inches long compared to the UK cards.
Any help gratefully recieved as Queasyjet broke my spotting scope and I can't do much birdwatching until I can get a new one, which relies on making online paymets...
Queasyjet's advice on their own baggage policy was 'you're probably better off contacting your insurer...', the useless bunch of gibbon-gristle...

Your EC card has a 16 digit number like UK ones, it just aint embossed on the card (well, my UBS one has).
If you're a sad receipt spotter like me, you notice these things.

I don't know if you can use the number online.

Your going to need a credit card to make online payments to shops like Amazon that are based outside CH. For smaller CH based retailers they will probably send the goods with a paying in slip so there's no advance payment needed or the will supply them COD (cash on delivery where you pay at the postoffice + a handling fee)

Otherwise, buying off ebay you can normally make a bank transfer via ebanking or by filling in a paying in slip at the postoffice. For Paypal you will need a credit card.

EC cards like your UBS one are not used for online purchasing (unlike Switch in England...)

No - but e-banking within Switzerland is soooo easy. yellownet.ch (postoffice account) is pretty straight forward too.

Molto crappi.
No way I'm getting a credit card, so that's a pain in the backside. So the easiest way to pay online for say, a telescope (to replace the one that Queasyjet broke) is to transfer money to my HSBC account and use the card for that (considering I'm not getting a credit card)?

If you don't want a credit card, that's probably the way to go. Keep in mind, though, that the transfer will take some time and cost an arm and a leg (UBS does "special" int'l transactions for CHF 10.- - takes 3 days for the execution, and another few depending who the receiving bank is).

If you're planning on making even just a few international purchases, why not consider the "free-ish" credit cards from Migros or Coop?

I'm pretty sure you will find a Swiss retailer who will deliver the telescope with a paying in slip that you can then pay at the post office.

I have bought bike parts and clothing, contact lenses, car parts etc this way, (with values of over 1000-. in some cases)

I've not seen a scope at anything approaching that price in CH, which is a pity, but thought I might get one while back in Blighty.

Luckily, got everything sorted this end, so hopefully, I should be able to sort out paying for it...

Cheers!

I'm in a similar position to you. Considered getting a credit card recently too, but decided that it was too much hassle. I made a payment to a company in another country recently through the bank, using an international bank transfer, but for online purchases, like Amazon, I just use the Switch card for my UK bank account, which I top up occasionally.

Eurochecks were handy. Pity they don't exist any more.

Hi Colonel

I actually wrote a reply this morning from work but for some reason, it hasn't shown up.

What I said was that you can buy a good spotting scope on the www.ricardo.ch site which is like a Swiss equivalent of Ebay. I purchase stuff there regularly.

I took a quick look and found lots of scopes, most of which don't have bids on them yet like this example: http://my.ricardo.ch/accdb/viewItem....leCondition=-1

The vast majority of stuff I've bought from Ricardo has been paid for at the seller's bank or at the Post Office. When asked, they enclosed a paying in slip (Einzahlungsschein) which I duly filled in and presented with the right amount of money and voila, a couple of days later I've received the goods.

HTH

Quite an old thread... But as the answer here wasn't entirely clear, and I just happened to stumble upon the same question myself, thinking maybe I could save the £3 credit card surcharge of a UK checkout page that offered an alternative of paying with Maestro debit cards, I quote what I found:

"Internet shopping with Maestro not yet possible with Swiss cards
The Swiss banks have not yet approved the use of Maestro cards on the Internet for e-commerce. Therefore, Swiss Maestro cards cannot yet be used on the Internet."

from: http://www.maestro.ch/en/ma_home/ma_...o_internet.htm

PostFinance have this FAQ:
Which PostFinance cards can I use to make payments online?
All cards ending in Direct with an ID/TC number on the back. The ID/TC number is needed so that the card reader can identify the card. Pictures and text at:
http://www.postfinance.ch/help/conte...shop/epay.html

I was thinking about the same thing.

I just arrived and I want to switch my iTunes store to Switzerland. But for that purpose I need to enter a Swiss credit card number.

Credit Suisse said I could apply for a credit card after my third month here but I was hoping to get going sooner.

I wonder if the Migros or Coop option would work

a. Could I get one so early in?
b. Would any of those work on iTunes?

Any advice would be appreciated.

what about one of those prepaid credit cards? no way I'd ever pay for anything online via a bank transfer!! thats just asking for trouble.

HI Guys,

I don't know much, or anything to be honest about swiss maestro. But in the UK at least, Maestro seems to be in the down turn.

Main reason is because large ecommerce enablers like Google Checkout and Paypal are now refusing to accept Maestro cards.

http://econsultancy.com/blog/4356-wh...ropped-maestro

Also, many people that before had Maestro cards as their Bank debit card, had it replaced by their bank for a Visa one - though debit. (ie. HSBC)

This move is also driving a lot of Online Retaillers to refuse, or not being able to accept Maestro cards.

So, I am myself wondering, besides maestro, is there a different debit card available in CH??

I work in the credit card industry.

The answer is, if your Maestro-Card has been issued in Switzerland, then no. If it has been issued elsewhere: yes.

HTH

Sorry to be reviving an old thread like this...but..
Is there any debit (not credit) card in Switzerland that works for Internet payments ?

I have one in Romania for example which is a Visa Electron, debit card and it works flawlessly with Paypal, online shopping, etc and it's a debit card; no risk in losing more money than I really have on it.

Since 2010, did anything change in Switzerland regarding this ?
I mean can I get a Visa Electron for example that works on the Internet or a meastro ? (or a prepaid that works on the internet ? ; the PostFinance Travel Cash Card..prepaid Visa doesn't work for example, they confirmed it).


Any helping hands ? and possibly with a positive answer

Nope still the same. You can get a pre-paid Visa card though.

Also if you pay your credit card balance off then you aren't charged any interest.

Call me paranoid but I'm feeling insecure knowing that I have a credit card for internet usage (as it allows to draw up quite a lot of money from it).
I am coming from a country that used to do a lot of carding some years ago and know the risk quite well.

Do the prepaid Visa work for internet purchases ?
I'm asking this because I asked my bank (PostFinance, but I might change it) if their travel cash card which was a pre-paid one was usable on the Internet and they said kindly: NO
The UBS product works ? Or could you advise on some choices for the prepaid Visa ?
I also saw some "special offers" like SBB prepaid Visa but I don't know the hidden catch with these and would like an advice that would save me from any masked expenses (plus having all the banking products in one place as not to make too much chaos in my disorganized way of being already).

Your best bet is the half price with prepaid visa. You pay 135 for the year and get a prepaid visa on your demi tariff.

First charge up is free then subsequent charge ups have a percentage fee. It's all on the SBB website.

You're paranoid