Question Regarding phone contract for temporary "L" Visa holder.

ajr48 · #1 17.01.2010, 01:00

Hey everyone, will be moving to Zurich next week to start my new job and just had a quick question. A colleague over there said it is not possible to get any phone contract with an "L" permit. Even after recieving his residency card from the canton. Can anyone one confirm this for me, as I either need to bring an unlocked phone with me, or buy a pre-paid phone over there! Would rather have a contract, but need to know!!!!

Thanks in advance everyone!!!
-Jeff

Treverus · #2 17.01.2010, 01:09

The truth is a bit more complicated: operators have systems that evaluate the risk based on you permit type, nationality age... the whole data you can read out of the application form is processed very similarly in the way insurances work. When we arrived here, my wifes application for a contract was rejected, mine was approved. Our permit was logically the same, so the difference must have been the nationality (I am from the EU, she is from Asia).
I know that different operators have different acceptance levels with Swisscom being the strictest and Sunrise probably the easiest to get in with an L permit. So you might be lucky or have to stick with a pre-paid card. Thanks to a lot of MVNOs like all major supermarkets and some others all selling pre-paid packages, you will actually not end up paying more, but just not get certain high-end phones to subsidized prices up-front.

swisspea · #3 17.01.2010, 08:58

We got prepaid from migros. We felt no need to get a monthly plan or contract...no one phones us anymore since we moved here...they email or skype intead...

awdhil · #4 18.01.2010, 14:02

Hey u can... I took another contract with a phone on an L Permit.. Mind u I have been here only for 3 months now..

krusty düde · #5 06.07.2010, 15:49

I've been here a while now, so things may have changed. But the concern, as someone mentioned, maybe that you'll do a bunk before paying ya bill. But it was possible for me (with SwissCom) with an "L", I just had to pay a bigger deposit than normal is all.

(I got a landline and mobile tho' and only paid 1 deposit for the two).

And it is a deposit...so you do get it back, after a few bills of you proving you cough up on time.