Heya

Just a quick heads-up, got a letter from PostFinance today that they were upgrading their fees and blablabla and they had analysed my account and found that I fit best into their most expensive option (of course) .
So, starting on 01.07. they wanted to charge me 12.- per month, plus 5.- per month for any paper letters. Which gives a whopping 204.- fee per year for the honour of giving them your money .

If anyone here has a PostFinance account, you can log-in to their website and change the settings (quite well hidden, click on your name in the menu, then "My products", under "Fees", which is such a beauty in graphical design that my old brain couldn't find it for a solid minute, the tiny "Details" button on the right, and then "Check and adapt options", and there you can switch.
/RANT OVER

Hope this can be helpful to someone else. More details can be found here:
https://www.postfinance.ch/en/privat...g-package.html

Curious question, why would you want paper statements?

Let's just say I'm old. I like to have stuff I can touch, in binders, and know where I can find it again in twenty years.
PDF files on the computer, on the other hand... I can't imagine what will have happened to them in even five years.
I know there's next to zero chance of reading anything I did for university twenty years ago, unless I have it on paper.

And if it stays on the screen, it doesn't enter my brain. Same with books.
Maybe it's also about the principle, 5.- for a measly piece of paper.
And then of course their sister post.ch complains that nobody is sending any letters any more .

Get the PDFs, print yourself and put into the binder. It costs less than 5 Francs.

It’s not 5 francs for a piece of paper, it 5 francs to cover the cost of running a large printing, sorting and distribution operations for the small number of customers that still want printed statements.

The reason paper statements cost 5chf is because it is economically unfriendly and they are rightly trying to dissuade people from using it. If you aren't willing to learn new small IT-related things and/or adjust habits to fit with the changing times then that is the price you must pay for convenience.

You could buy a black and white laser printer that will do tons of prints reliably and cheaply... though of course it will take 1.5 years to make the initial investment worthwhile vs paying 5chf per month for the statements https://www.digitec.ch/en/s1/product...upplier=406802

Then after 10 years what do you do with your by now fat file of statements and other confidential information? Buy a shredder??

Perhaps he keeps them like Warren Buffet who has every tax declaration he ever made, over 70 years of confidential paperwork!

So! What's the alternative to PF?

I'm not quite as old as Buffet but I have all my payslips, except from the very first tax year I worked when I was 16 and all tax returns.... It's a fairly full box of papers now!

When I logged in there was a button on the right hand side of the landing page clearly indicating that I should check the changes. When I clicked on the button I found they had me on the lowest fees and that it will be canceled by the monthly discount amount. The letter about it arrived two days later.

Nothing was hidden and the change was expected.

Ooh, someone never had to buy one of those golden ink toner cartridges, where you want to print in black and white but the printer won't budge because you're out of CYAN. And then you use them so rarely that they dry out before you can use them a second time.

They must like you better than me! Even with a discount!
(See, if they're accepting YOUR money for free, they have to get even and ask for triple the base rate from us common folks)

Definitely agree, I have been printer-free for many years. Fortunately I have a thumb drive and friends who still have printers.

Well it would seem that you are not one of the common folks.... most common folks on here have savings, modest investments, mortgages etc. all of which will get them the discount canceling out the fees.

<<they had analysed my account and found that I fit best into their most expensive option>>

When did they announce that to start on July 1st? They should give you a cancellation period as you're free to move on if you don't agree with unilateral alteration of contract!
My bank also wants me to sign a dubious change of contract. At least I know now that PF is not the place to go if I need to take the consequences

Well, you'll use the printer (a lot) more often now, so one problem solved.

I've not seen a paper from the bank in years. Yet I too like hard copies of some things, so I print them out.

This. I sometimes wonder when that actually started.

__________________
If there is a God, then I believe he’s more insulted by religion than he is by atheism.

So what to do with any banking costs? There’s nothing you can do that will significantly save you money or worth time. Juggling between different institutions? Is that proverbial “CHF60” worth complaints? You need account for your incoming salary payment and other card transactions. Any other options?

If you feel bad about the fees start investing your money in some assets to beat the bank miserable interests, inflation and start feeling good about your money again. Time to take things in one’s own hands as banks won’t solve your financial problems the way you could if you take some initiative and study the markets.

__________________
🎾That's what we do to help English speaking expats community in Switzerland:
General Information About Swiss Tennis
Tennis Lessons Summer Winter Seasons
🎾🎾Our charity organization to help unprivileged kids to realize their dreams:
FMTF Supports Tennis For Children in Southern Africa

I also received the letter a few days ago and had read about it in the media before.

To me, the most affecting change (with the cheaper model that was proposed to us), is that from now on, we will get charged for cash withdrawals using PostFinance card from non-PF ATMs (2 CHF /w/d).

Wasn't that the case anyway?

Can't member the last time I made a cash withdrawal.. between all the electronic options and the current preference for electronic payments at the shops, I still have over 100 CHF in my wallet untouched for well over a year.

ups, just saw someone suggested the very same printer for 80 CHF