A private account is part of everyday life. Salaries are paid into it, and bills are paid out of it. Most people use debit cards or credit cards to pay for purchases, and many use a savings account for their savings. Some people get all of these from just one bank, while others use multiple financial services providers.
Often, people use the same banking products for years without consciously thinking about what they really need. They use certain services all the time, while other services are hardly used. That begs the question: Should I use just one bank for all my banking needs, or should I use different service providers for specific services?
This moneyland.ch guide looks at the options.
Which banking services does this guide deal with?
This article deals with the following products for everyday banking:
What are my options if I want to use just one bank?
If you want to do as much of your banking as possible at a single bank, there are several ways in which you can go about it. The options also differ between individual Swiss banks. Some banks have more than one model for combining different services.
As a general rule, the options can be divided into three different models:
- Individual products: With this model, banks offer various accounts, cards, and other services as separate products, each with their own fees. Online banking is generally included as a complimentary service at no extra charge. Debit cards and credit cards, on the other hand, often have ongoing basic card fees.
- Bank packages without credit cards: These offers bundle a private account and a linked debit card for a combined package fee. You may have the option of adding savings accounts and retirement saving solutions (accounts, retirement funds) to the bank package. Credit cards are not part of the package, but can be applied for as a separate, stand-alone product.
- Bank packages with credit cards: These offers include a private account, a debit card, and a credit card for a combined package fee. The included credit card may have cardholder perks like complimentary insurance. Here too, you have the option of integrating savings accounts or retirement saving solutions.
Bear in mind that these models are very general. The exact services and conditions can vary broadly between banks.
Which banks offer stand-alone bank accounts?
Nearly all Swiss banks let you open a stand-alone account – be it a private account, a savings account, or a retirement savings account (with or without a retirement fund). Postfinance is a prominent exception to this rule, as it only offers accounts as part of a bank package.
Some Swiss banks – including the Basler Kantonalbank, Luzerner Kantonalbank, and Migros Bank – do not offer bank packages at all.
Which banks offer packages without credit cards?
Some Swiss banks – including Bank WIR, Postfinance, Raiffeisen, Valiant, and the Zürcher Kantonalbank – offer bank packages that do not include a credit card. The Banque Cantonale Vaudoise, Bank WIR, Valiant, and the Zürcher Kantonalbank, offer bank packages with no basic package fee that bundle a private account and debit card.
The table below gives you an overview of Swiss bank packages without credit cards.
Which banks offer packages with credit cards included?
Some Swiss banks offer bank packages that also include a credit card, in addition to a private account and debit card. Banks that offer these packages include Bank Cler, Postfinance, UBS, and the Zürcher Kantonalbank.
As the following table shows, bank packages with credit cards are available from 6 francs per month.
Should I do all my banking at just one bank?
Many people prefer to do all their banking at the same bank because they prefer having a single point of contact. In some cases, this may be a certain bank employee at a nearby branch office.
But getting all your services from one bank often comes with a cost premium. In many cases, it is cheaper to get stand-alone products separately from the bank with the best pricing for that specific product. Fees for basic financial transactions are largely similar across all banks, but price differences can be much bigger for other banking services. Numerous studies conducted by moneyland.ch have shown just how big the differences can be.
Service providers who specialize in international transfers, payments outside of Switzerland, and pillar 3a asset management often have much lower fees than the average bank. Using a no-annual-fee credit card can also work out much cheaper than using a paid credit card from your main bank.
How do bank package offers compare with each other?
Offers vary broadly between banks. Whether it is cheaper to get stand-alone products or a bundled package depends on which bank you use. Raiffeisen, for example, has the exact same fees in both cases. At Bank Cler, whether a bank package or individual products is cheaper depends on the value of your assets at the bank. The cost difference between stand-alone products and bank packages at the same bank can be as high as 174 francs per year.
A look at the table shows which banks have exceptionally low basic fees.
- Without a credit card: If you want to get a private account and debit card from one bank, but not your credit card, the Banque Cantonale Vaudoise, Bank WIR, the Basler Kantonalbank, Migros Bank, Valiant, and the Zürcher Kantonalbank offer relevant bank packages without any basic package fee at all.
- With a credit card: For a bank package that includes a credit card as well, Migros Bank (0 francs per year), Valiant (36 francs), and the Zürcher Kantonalbank (72 francs) are the most affordable.
The calculations only account for the basic, ongoing fees for private accounts, debit cards, credit cards, and bank packages. All of the banks included in the comparison provide local transfers in Switzerland via online banking and cash withdrawals at their own ATMs at no extra charge. UBS is the only exception, as additional fees may apply to financial transactions.
The calculations do not account for incidental fees that can apply in addition to the basic, ongoing fees. Among others, incidental fees include fees for card payments in foreign countries, cash withdrawals at ATMs from other banks, express transfers, instant payments, and international bank transfers.