Switzerland - cash or card?

GlasweJen

I'm spending 10 days in Switzerland flying out early October. It's with my boyfriend who is wary of carrying lots of cash as we are staying at different hotels (doing the golden pass panoramic tour from Lucerne to Geneva).

Is there a good pre-paid travel card that allows Swiss francs or are we stuck with cash and travellers cheques?

benjus

Halifax Clarity credit card or Metro Bank debit card are the best bets.

If you really want a prepaid card, go for the Kalixa Pay card. Charge for ATM cash withdrawals, but no loading on the exchange rate.

Note that all of these options are in GBP - you don't need a card denominated in CHF. In fact, I would still advise you to get a GBP card even if you were travelling to the Eurozone or the USA, as a good GBP-denominated card (such as those listed above) is cheaper than a currency card.

CountryGoose

benjus wrote: »

Halifax Clarity credit card or Metro Bank debit card are the best bets.

Halifax or Metro really is the best way to go and you have time to apply.

Switzerland is still quite a cash based country, so don't be surprised if smaller places don't take cards. Also the cash machines tend to spit out high denomination notes - if you ask for 200F that's what you may well get! The good news is that most places don't even blink when presented with a big note - unlike trying to use £50 in the UK.