Bank fees Part 2 – Abroad
Jan 1, 2019
In this part, we’ll explore what happens when you spend money abroad. Incidentally, this also includes online payments on Amazon, eBay, etc., which often incur overseas usage fees and exchange rate surcharges.
Update as of April 2025: We have published a new blog comparing our neon free fees (incl. fees abroad) to our main competitors in Switzerland. You can read it here to get insights on our fees differences, while the information below still explains in actual and clear terms what various overseas fee categories exist. |
Translation:
total costs per year (in CHF)
for the average Swiss user
-other, possible additional costs (on purchases & cash withdrawals)
-foreign fees (for transactions & cash withdrawals)
-cash withdrawals (at domestic ATMs)
Basic fees for account and card
All the data is taken from moneyland.ch (25 September 2018). The data corresponds to the average Swiss user, born 1991, online banking only. A comparison was made between the top 8 banks in terms of pricing: Freiburger KB, Appenzeller KB, UBS, CS, PostFinance, St. Galler KB, Luzerner KB, Cler, Hypothekarbank Lenzburg. The average of the 8 banks was used to depict the costs.
Overseas usage fees
Overseas usage fees can be divided into two categories: fees for cash withdrawals and fees for transactions. Both of these types can be either a percentage or a set amount.
You’re often charged a percentage when you make a payment with your credit card in a shop or online, typically set at between 1.5% and 3% of the amount in question.
Exchange rate surcharge
The exchange rate surcharge is by far and away the hardest fee to understand because it’s not a transparent charge. In other words, it’s not identified directly. When currencies are converted, banks can access an interbank rate that’s much lower than the exchange rate you’ll get to see. The following example illustrates how it works when you buy a bag overseas for 100 EUR.
Source: neon. Credits Icons: Price-Tag-Icon made by Gregor Cesnar, Bag: Free Vector Design
At the end of the day, you’ll pay 120 CHF for your purchase of 100 EUR. Your bank earns 7 CHF, a surcharge of 6.2% on the actual value of the goods.
It’s often hard to find out what your bank’s currency conversion surcharge is. Some banks declare it in a footnote within their detailed price lists, whereas others stress that you can call their customer service team and they’ll tell you. However, you can also calculate your bank’s currency conversion surcharge yourself. Every day, the interbank rate is listed on websites like oanda.com, for example. Check it out and compare this exchange rate with what your bank charges you.
