Cash Withdrawals: How to Avoid High Fees and Charges

April 7, 2026 - Ralf Beyeler

Cash withdrawals can be expensive. This moneyland.ch guide explains the possible costs of cash withdrawals, and tells you how to avoid paying to withdraw money.

Although many consumers are increasingly using cashless payment services, cash continues to be very popular.

Every month, residents of Switzerland make a total of 10 million cash withdrawals at ATMs using Swiss cards. The combined amount of cash withdrawn every month is around four billion francs.

Are the fees higher or lower depending on how much money I withdraw?

The fees vary depending on where you withdraw money, and which card you use.

Banks and credit card issuers differentiate between cash withdrawals with debit cards and cash withdrawals with credit cards. Using a debit card to withdraw money is much cheaper than getting cash advances with credit cards. Swiss debit cards are always either a Debit Mastercard, a Visa Debit, or a Postfinance Card. When you make a cash withdrawal with a debit card, the money is deducted directly from your bank account balance.

For withdrawals with debit cards, the fees you pay can vary depending on whether you withdraw money at ATMs from your own bank, at other Swiss ATMs, at supermarket tills, or at ATMs outside of Switzerland.

Never use credit cards for cash withdrawals at ATMs

Using a credit card to get cash is much more expensive than using a debit card. Using a Swiss debit card costs between 0 and 2 francs per withdrawal at Swiss ATMs, and around 5 francs per withdrawal outside of Switzerland. Making a withdrawal using a Swiss credit card, on the other hand, typically costs at least 5 francs at Swiss ATMs and 10 francs at foreign ATMs.

The Migros Cumulus credit card is an exception to this rule, as it can be used to get cash at the tills of Migros supermarkets without any withdrawal fees.

Do I pay fees to withdraw money at my own bank?

Many Swiss banks do not charge their own customers any fees to withdraw money at their own ATMs in Switzerland.

As long as you use ATMs from the same bank that issued your debit card, you typically will not pay any fees. For example, a UBS customer can withdraw Swiss francs at UBS-branded ATMs in Switzerland without paying any cash withdrawal fees.

Some Swiss banks let you make withdrawals at ATMs from certain other Swiss banks without paying any fees. For example, customers of cantonal banks can normally make fee-free withdrawals at all ATMs from any cantonal bank. The same applies to Raiffeisen banks: You can use a debit card from any Swiss Raiffeisen bank to make fee-free withdrawals at any Raiffeisen ATM in Switzerland.

Do I have to pay fees when I withdraw money at ATMs from other banks?

Many banks charge a fee when you withdraw money from an ATM operated by a different service provider. This fee is usually at least 2 francs per withdrawal.

The way that fees are structured varies between banks. Some banks charge a fee for all withdrawals. Other banks give you a certain number of free withdrawals.

Some Swiss banks offer bank packages or optional add-ons that include fee-free withdrawals at ATMs from other banks. But you pay an ongoing monthly fee for the package or add-on.

The moneyland.ch private account and bank package comparisons always account for the cost of withdrawals at ATMs from other banks.

Can I withdraw money at the tills of supermarkets?

Many supermarkets give you the option of withdrawing cash at the till using a debit card. But not all banks and not all supermarket chains offer this service. Cash withdrawals at tills are either free of charge, or cost 2 francs per withdrawal.

Some retailers also let you make cash withdrawals at the till using Twint. The fee is either 1.50 francs or 2 francs, depending on the amount you withdraw.

You can find more information in the guide to making cash withdrawals at Swiss supermarkets.

How much does it cost to withdraw money at the bank counter?

Many Swiss banks let you withdraw money at the counter in a branch office. Typically, this is only possible at the bank where you have the account that you want to withdraw from. An increasing number of banks no longer let you withdraw money at the counter at all branch offices.

Examples: UBS charges its private account customers 2 francs per withdrawal made at the bank counter. Valiant charges 5 francs per counter-based withdrawals, for withdrawals of 2000 francs or less. Postfinance customers, on the other hand, can withdraw money at the counters of Swiss post offices without paying any fees.

How expensive are cash withdrawals outside of Switzerland?

Most Swiss banks charge a cash withdrawal fee of around 5 francs per withdrawal when you use your debit card to get money at foreign ATMs. Bank WIR charges 2 francs per foreign withdrawal, and Neon charges a fee equal to 1.5 percent of the amount withdrawn.

In addition to fees, you should also check your bank’s currency exchange rates. That is because banks charge hidden fees in the form of markups on currency exchange rates.

You can find more information in the guide to make payments and cash withdrawals in foreign countries.

Can I make cash withdrawals with my phone?

You can use Twint in combination with the Sonnect app to withdraw money at many Swiss retail outlets.

An increasing number of ATMs worldwide are now NFC-enabled. Theoretically, it should be possible to make cash withdrawals at these ATMs with Apple Pay and Google Pay. In practice, though, this does not always work reliably. Generally, the fees that apply to the debit card or credit card linked to your mobile wallet also apply when you make cash withdrawals using your phone.

Simple tips for avoiding cash withdrawal fees

These simple tips can help you save money:

Use your bank’s ATMs: If your bank does not charge fees for withdrawing money at its own ATMs, then it makes sense to always withdraw money that way.
Use a debit card instead of a credit card: Using a debit card for ATM withdrawals costs much less than making cash withdrawals with a credit card.
Withdraw money at supermarkets: With certain cards, you can make fee-free cash withdrawals at the till at certain retail outlets.
Use a card with good currency exchange rates: A moneyland.ch study shows that service providers like Bank WIR, Alpian, and Wise have very favorable exchange rates.
Turn down offers to pay in Swiss francs: If an ATM asks you if you want the withdrawal to be charged in Swiss francs, turn down the offer and choose the local currency instead.
Watch out for additional fees: If an ATM charges you an additional ATM fee, wait on withdrawing money until you find one that does not charge an additional fee. ATMs from Euronet and Travelex, for example, normally have ATM fees.