New to Switzerland: The A to Z Guide to Saving from Day One

So you’ve taken the step of moving to Switzerland and are looking to get set up. Bank accounts, health insurance, mobile plans for your phone – finding the best match for your needs is difficult and getting ripped off is easy. This basic guide will help you find the best deals on most of your basic needs in a matter of minutes.

1. The right mobile plan. Getting a local mobile plan or prepaid mobile service will likely feature high on your agenda of to-dos. Only you know how many local and international calls you expect to make, how much time you will spend roaming and how much mobile data you need. You can quickly find the most affordable plan or prepaid service for your specific mobile needs using the unbiased, interactive Swiss mobile plan comparison

2. Home Internet, TV and phone. One of the first things you are likely to look for after finding a home is a broadband Internet plan. A TV plan may well feature second on your list – especially if you love football or other sports, or find TV from home a good cure for homesickness. A landline telephone plan might also make sense if you make a lot of international calls. Quickly find the best individual or bundled plans for your needs with the interactive Swiss bundled telecom comparison.

3. The right credit card. If you do any amount of online shopping or make online travel bookings, a credit card is almost a must. If you want to quickly and easily find the card with the lowest costs and the right benefits for your specific needs, just use the unbiased Swiss credit card comparison.

4. Private account. Having a Swiss private account (checking account) will make many aspects of your life easier, and may even be required by prospective landlords or employers. You can easily find the cheapest account to use based on the transactions you expect to make with the interactive Swiss private account comparison.

5. Compulsory health insurance. Like it or not, there is no way to avoid getting health insurance in Switzerland because all residents are required to take out a basic, compulsory health insurance. There are dozens of insurance companies which offer these, and as many differences in the premiums you pay. Finding the most affordable policy which meets your needs (or your family’s needs) is easy with the unbiased compulsory Swiss health insurance comparison.

6. Personal liability insurance. This covers liability claims against you for everything from accidental damages to your rental home to bicycle collisions for which you are at fault, and is highly recommended. Premiums are generally affordable, but coverage varies somewhat between insurers and you’ll want to make sure that your insurance matches your lifestyle. The personal liability insurance comparison makes finding the best match easy.

7. Rental deposit insurance. Swiss landlords typically ask for deposits equal to 2 or 3 monthly rents. If you have that kind of money on hand, putting down the deposit is generally the cheapest option. If you don’t, then rental deposit insurance provides an alternative. You can find the cheapest insurance using the interactive rental deposit insurance comparison.

8. The right retirement plan. In Switzerland, you can save extra for retirement using tax-privileged pillar 3a savings and investment solutions. Limitations apply to contributions and withdrawals. The pillar 3a retirement account comparison lets you compare the interest rates of pillar 3a accounts. If you have higher risk tolerance, you can use the pillar 3a retirement fund comparison to compare investment fund costs and past performance.

9. Supplementary health insurance. If you frequently travel to countries in which medical care is very expensive, getting supplementary health insurance can be beneficial. You can compare premiums and coverage using the supplementary outpatient insurance comparison. If sharing a hospital room with a stranger or getting treated in public hospitals is not an option for you, you could consider getting supplementary hospital insurance. The supplementary hospital insurance comparison makes comparing premiums and coverage easy.

10. The right savings account. Earning the highest possible interest on your savings is essential to keeping your wealth alive and beating inflation. Finding the account that pays the most interest is easy with the interactive Swiss savings account comparison.

11. Life insurance. If you have kids or other people who depend on you, chances are you might want to get term life insurance. You can easily compare life insurance based on your information using the interactive term life insurance comparison.

12. The right stock broker. If you want to invest your money yourself, you will need a brokerage account. You can compare the costs of using brokers based on the specific kinds of securities you expect to buy and sell using the interactive Swiss broker comparison.

13. Fixed deposits. Most Swiss banks offer medium-term notes (akin to bank bonds) as an alternative to fixed deposits – but fixed deposits are also available. Finding the most profitable long-term-saving solutions is easy with the Swiss fixed deposit and medium-term note comparison.

14. Wealth management. Have you got more money than you know how to manage? Lucky you. Before you hand your money over to a wealth management service, take the time to compare the costs. You can compare the costs of wealth management services offered by Swiss banks based on your specific needs using the Swiss wealth management service comparison.

15. Pet insurance. If you brought a furry friend with you, you might be wondering whether it is worth getting veterinary insurance. Save yourself the time and trouble of calculating whether or not pet insurance is worth getting and which insurance to get by using the interactive Swiss pet insurance comparison which does it all for you.

More on this topic:
Financial tips for newcomers to Switzerland
Health insurance guide for expats
Tax at source for expats explained
Tax deductions for expats explained
Health insurance for foreign students in Switzerland explained