Swiss Bank Package Comparison 2024

Just use the free and unbiased bank package comparison to find the best bundled package for your banking needs.

The best bank package differs depending on your needs. There are many criteria which determine which bank package is best for you. These include:

• The costs: Fees and charges vary broadly between bank packages. While the flat fee which you pay for a bank package is important, it is not the only cost you need to consider. Incidental fees which are based on how you use your private accounts, debit cards and credit cards can be much more important, in some cases.
• Interest rates: If you have a lot of savings, then savings account interest rates are a key factor when choosing a banking package.
• Mobile banking: If you use mobile banking, then it is important to look at the mobile banking services provided. Get informed about possible mobile apps before settling on a bank.
• Branch offices: If you use physical banking in bank branch offices, then the availability of branch offices near you is important. The bank package comparison lets you select your canton of residence to limit results to banks with branch offices in your area.
• Additional services: Bank packages generally do not include stock brokerage accounts, asset management and financial advisory services, mortgages, retirement funds, bank safe deposit boxes, precious metal accounts, and other specialized banking services. If you want to do all your banking at one bank, then take the time to compare other services you need independently. You can then use a bank package from a bank which offers all of the services you need.

The interactive bank package comparison on moneyland.ch is the only Swiss comparison which accurately compares the costs and benefits of all bundled banking services.

With just one comparison, you can quickly compare multiple accounts and cards and find the total cost of each bank package based on your individual needs. Components which may be included in bank packages are:

• Private accounts for regular transactions (similar to checking accounts or current accounts).
• Debit cards for making both local and foreign purchases and cash withdrawals.
• Credit cards (or prepaid cards) for making local and foreign purchases.
• Savings accounts.
• Pillar 3a retirement accounts.

Many Swiss banks now bundle different banking services into packages. These “bank packages” have monthly or annual flat fees, rather than individual fees for each account and card.

Most bank packages include one or more private accounts, a debit card and a credit card. Bank packages may also include savings accounts or pillar 3a retirement accounts. Some banks offer special interest rates for the savings accounts or pillar 3a accounts included in bank packages.

By offering bank packages, banks provide a one-stop solution for all basic banking needs. But bank packages can be somewhat untransparent. Doing all your banking at one bank is not always the best financial move, and can also make migrating to better offers down the line more difficult. The bank package comparison on moneyland.ch makes choosing a bank package easier by making complex product combinations easy to compare.

If you are going to do all of your banking at a single bank, using a bank package can be more favorable than getting the same accounts and cards from that bank individually. In this way, banks encourage customers to use multiple services rather than a single product.

But if you are willing to use different banks, you can save money and/or earn higher yields by using stand-alone solutions. A possible disadvantage of this approach is that it can be less convenient than dealing with a single bank.

You can use the individual account and card comparisons on moneyland.ch to find the best available banking solutions from all banks:

Private accounts and debit cards
Savings accounts
Pillar 3a retirement accounts
Retirement funds
Mortgages
Trading
Asset management

The monthly flat fees of basic bank packages – often referred to as silver packages – typically total just over 100 francs per year. Higher-end “gold” or “platinum” bank packages can cost as much as 1000 francs per year. These flat fees always apply, regardless of how you use your accounts and cards.

But flat fees are just one factor. Transactions such as cash withdrawals, international transfers and foreign transactions with debit cards and credit cards can generate additional incidental fees. On the other hand, interest and rewards earned can balance or in the best case even exceed costs. The interactive bank package comparison accounts for all of these factors based on your specific banking habits.

The bank package comparison accounts for these factors, among others:

• Monthly or annual flat fees.
• Possible one-time costs for account opening.
• Fees for annual account statements.
• Fees for bank transfers within Switzerland made using online banking: local bank transfers; standing orders; direct debit orders (LSV+).
• Fees for international bank transfers made using online banking: SEPA and non-SEPA transfers.
• Cash withdrawals with debit cards at out-out-network ATMs in Switzerland.
• Cash withdrawals with debit cards outside of Switzerland.
• Possible fees for debit card transactions in Switzerland
• Foreign transaction fees for international debit card transactions.
• Credit card fees including foreign transaction fees and currency exchange markups.
• Total interest earned on the balances of private accounts, savings accounts and pillar 3a accounts are deducted from total costs.

You can find more information about the bases for calculations here.

Yes. Many bank packages for young adults and students do not have any basic flat fees. But incidental fees (like foreign transaction fees) may still apply.

Bank packages for adults, on the other hand, generally cost money. A basic package fee is charged on a recurring basis (monthly or annually, for example).

Most bank packages have the same fees for transfers as stand-alone accounts from the same bank.

The costs of local transfers and international transfers are clearly shown in the bank package comparison.

The basic annual card fees of debit cards like Maestro or Debit Mastercard are typically covered by the package flat fee.

The incidental fees of debit cards included in bank packages are normally identical to those of debit cards which come with stand-alone private accounts from the same bank. Incidental fees include fees for cash withdrawals at Swiss and foreign out-of-network ATMs, foreign transaction fees and currency exchange markups.

The bank package comparison clearly shows fees and charges applicable to debit cards for each bank package.

The basic annual card fees of credit cards are normally included in bank package flat fees. But other incidental fees may apply when you make cash withdrawals in Switzerland or abroad, or when you make purchases from foreign merchants.

The costs of using credit cards are accounted for in the bank package comparison on moneyland.ch and all fees are clearly shown in cost breakdowns. The comparison also accounts for markups on the Swiss franc to euro interbank currency exchange rate.

Closing private accounts which are part of bank packages is typically (but not always) free of charge. But many banks charge fees when you end your entire customer relationship (no longer use any of their services). For example, you may pay a 20-franc relationship termination fee.

Yes. Swiss banks offer special youth packages for teenagers up to the age of 20 or 25. These may include a prepaid card or a credit card – depending on the age of the user. Bank packages for young adults often have much lower fees or higher interest than regular adult accounts.

The comparison automatically accounts for your age based on your year of birth and shows bank packages for which you are eligible.

Yes. Banks offer special student accounts for students. In many cases, students up to the age of 30 can get student bank packages. These packages often have the same more favorable conditions that apply to bank packages for teenagers.

When you tick the “Are you currently studying?” box, student bank packages for which you are eligible based on your age are shown in comparison results.

The bank package comparison on moneyland.ch accounts for bank packages from these Swiss banks:

Banque Cantonale de Genève (BCGE), Banque Cantonale Vaudoise (BCV), Berner Kantonalbank, Crédit Agricole next bank (CA), Credit Suisse, Glarner Kantonalbank (GLKB), PostFinance, Raiffeisen, Schaffhauser Kantonalbank (SHKB), Thurgauer Kantonalbank (TKB), UBS, Valiant, Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB).

Bank packages are typically only available to residents of Switzerland. Swiss banks may let you keep stand-alone accounts when you leave Switzerland, and you may be able to open these as a non-resident in some cases. However, when banks allow customers to retain their accounts after leaving Switzerland, they generally charge non-resident fees in addition to standard account fees.

You can find a comparison of the non-resident fees charged by Swiss banks here.

Opening a new Swiss bank package is relatively easy. It does not require much more effort than opening a stand-alone private account.

Before terminating your existing bank package, make sure to check if any notice periods apply. If you make withdrawals above the notice-free limit without observing the notice period, you may be charged penalty fees.

If you have standing orders, you will have to cancel these and reinstate them on your new account. If you have direct debit orders, you will have to notify the third-party drawers of the change of account and set up new direct debit orders with your new account.

You also need to give your new bank account details to third parties which may make payments into your account. For example, you should inform your employer, your tax office, your health insurance provider, and other insurance providers. If you rent your home, you should also inform the property managers or owners.