like most regular bank accounts do in England?
I know i can get a CC but i just want a regular visa/master debit card. Does this exist here in Swiz?

Sign up with Revolut.

This gives you much more flexibility with better exchange rates

Currently they have a special offer where you get the physical card for free ...

Even if you don't sign up for the free physical card now, it only costs about £5 (one off fee, not each year).

Also now they have a Swiss IBAN, so you can transfer funds from your Swiss bank account, directly into Revolut, without incurring a fee from your regular bank, i.e. UBS, Credit Suisse, etc.

I'm sorry, but I don't understand the post.

As a Swiss National, I'm always being thrown credit cards offers, especially through my bank account. Some free of interest, some with minimal, especially if you pay the amount at the end of each month.

Would like to know if it's difficult to find for non-CH nationals with a Swiss bank account?

A Visa/Mastercard debit card, looks like a credit card, but instead of a bill at the end of the month the amount is debited at time of purchase directly from the bank account.

Advantages: Full financial transparently and less risk for the bank as there is never an outstanding debt. Will also be issued if the client has a bad credit history.

Disadvantages: Blocking an amount for a rental deposit might not be possible. The linked account must always have enough funds or the transaction might fail. A fraudulent use will have direct impact on your assets.

In the end it is like a Maestro or V-Pay card but with the added advantage that it can also be used online. In the US Visa/Mastercard debit card have sometimes the option where you can choose at time of purchase if should be debited from the account or added to your running credit.

@OP: With a "Swiss Style" CC you normally pay off the outstanding debt each and every month. The interest in this case is 0%. The advantage in case of a fraudulent use: There is zero impact on your actual assets as you can contest the monthly bill.

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On Strike - ChatGPT knows more than I, so use it (or doesn't it?)

The OP is talking about a "credit" card that doesn't actually offer funds on credit. It's accepted by merchants who take Visa and/or MasterCard, but it debits each purchase from your bank account, which has to have sufficient funds (or an overdraft arrangement) in place to cover the purchase. It's called a debit card, and I don't recall seeing them in Switzerland, although I'd be surprised if they didn't exist here.

Your thumbs are quicker than mine.

The main advantage over Maestro et al. is that merchants see it as a Visa/MasterCard just like any other, i.e. it's accepted wherever Visa/MasterCard can be used, which is nearly everywhere worldwide. Can't say the same about Maestro!

Well, in that case - most banks offer pre-paid credit cards eg. UBS

I top-up within milli-seconds from my bank account directly from the on-line banking, via mobile. I use this when travelling, so that I have a controlled overview of my expenses, without having to worry about fraud or loss of the card.

I don't pay anything for this (no idea how it is for non-UBS employees).

I was also looking for this when I arrived in Switzerland a year ago, found nothing. Really hate using a CC but needs must. Take a look at UK bank Monzo and EU bank N26. Both offer Mastercard debit cards with no fees. Great new gen banks. Also, be aware of anyone offering you a "link" to a bank to sign up. That link about to Revolut has a hidden code that will give the nice chap a referral fee! usually 15pounds ish!

Not a bad option, but not the same as a debit card. Pre-paid cards have to be, well, pre-paid, i.e. they require planning and anticipation. With a debit card, all you need is the money in the bank. If you see a $10,000 once-in-a-lifetime bargain on your trip to the US, you just whip out your debit card and it's yours. With a pre-paid card, you would have had to top the card up with a lot of money, or you'd have to some nifty money-shifting on the spot via mobile banking (if you have your phone with you, it's not dead, and you can get data on it wherever you are at that time).

The "MakeaWishovertheRainbow" Bank have an excellent reputation.

Transferwise offers a mastercard debit card. The app is very user-friendly, and the raters are pretty good.

Was always something I missed while in Switzerland. Being able to use my Maestro card online. I remember back when I was but a young sprog I had a UK Maestro card which could be used online, I didn't quite understand why I couldn't use my Swiss Maestro card online.

The rest of us pay fees to UBS for the luxury of having bank accounts and cards with them.

Does not change the spirit of your post, but the debit cards I know are anyways capped to 3-5k CHF for single purchases or daily amount.

Very true but nowadays it's easy to lift these limits via the bank's app. For example, my Monzo account allows me to spend 10,000pounds a day. UBS V-Pay is currently 5k chf.

By the way, iv had this same argument with so many people over the years. The UK has such a good banking set up with its debit cards, its only when we are abroad that we see the downfalls of other countries. I am yet to find 1 country with the same debit card set up. Anyone talking about CCs being ok and safe bla bla bla are correct to an extent but the problem is that Maestro and V-Pay just do not offer the level of acceptance as a Visa or Mastercard Debit. There is a reason why teenagers and children are given Maestro and Electron cards! For example, i spent Xmas in India. My V-pay was not accepted ANYWHERE. So i used my CC. 1.75% charge for each transaction plus rubbish conversion rate. Tried my Portuguese Maestro, nope! Not accepted. I had to use the CC for the whole trip. I was lucky that i had my N26 account with some funds but nowhere near enough. Never again will i trust the V-pay or Maestro. The new banking services like N26 allow you to spend in Euros and the conversion rate is set by Mastercard so very near the XE market rate. The only bother being that we earn in CHF so it means i loose on transferring it to Euros but at Transferwise rates it's around 5euros per 1000chf so it's way cheaper to do this when travelling than using a CC.

Not all of us





No they don't you can set you own maximum or not at all is you so wish with Revolut.


Chf 3-5k is not enough to buy a last minute air ticket for anything but Europe.

And if it is $10'001 but the linked account has only funds for $10'000 you are back at square one. While you are fiddling with your bank accounts I pull out my unlimited CC and buy the one and only unique item.

As far as a I know Swiss banks and card providers the same ridiculous charges would apply regardless if its is a credit or debit Visa/Master card.

Could be, I wrote "the ones I know" ;-) With some cards the cap is explicitly mentioned in the contract.

I agree with who does not like Maestro circuit, I think it's a PITA and still don't get what exactly can or can not do. On the other side I always managed to have it working one way or another during my travels in North America and Europe, e.g. there was always a compatible ATM in the area.

Swiss banks perhaps. but most UK banks not so. Especially Visa or MasterCard Debit compared to credit.

And you have the luxury of not having to work for a company like UBS