paging Ace & others who know Switzerland

Discussion in 'UK Motorcycles' started by wessie, Mar 6, 2008.

  1. wessie

    wessie Guest

    I'm off to Austria in the summer. Planning to stop in Switzerland on the
    way.

    As the Swiss insist on being awkward and have their own currency, I'm
    trying to work out how much of it to take in advance. I'd like to minimise
    the amount by using credit or debit cards. Are these widely accepted in
    petrol stations, supermarkets, restaurants & bars? Hopefully they aren't
    Germanic in their outlook and insist on cash only in a large proportion of
    outlets.
     
    wessie, Mar 6, 2008
    #1
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  2. Buying petrol with plastic is no problem at all, a lot of the bigger
    shops take plastic as well but IME the smaller shops and cheaper
    eateries are likely to be awkward and not take credit cards.
     
    The Roaming Boxhead, Mar 6, 2008
    #2
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  3. wessie

    wessie Guest

    thanks
     
    wessie, Mar 6, 2008
    #3
  4. wessie

    Champ Guest

    I've never had an issue paying for stuff in ch with a card.
    --
    Champ

    ZX10R | GPz750turbo | GSX-R 600 racer
    My advice as your attorney is to buy a motorcycle
    To email me, neal at my domain should work.
     
    Champ, Mar 6, 2008
    #4
  5. wessie

    Iridium Guest

    Slight diversion but is paying on card an issue in Germany then? What about
    France? I ask as I'm off to the Nurburgring in September and was planning
    on just putting everyone on my card. Should I bet getting a few quid out
    before I go then?
     
    Iridium, Mar 6, 2008
    #5
  6. wessie

    Eddie Guest

    Some places (e.g. Aldi) don't like credit cards, or even debit cards
    that look like they're credit cards (e.g. Barclays Connect).
     
    Eddie, Mar 7, 2008
    #6
  7. wessie

    Geo Guest

    Until someone who travels more often answers, my personal experience is that
    if your card has the sign of either Visa, MasterCard or Maestro you're ok.
    Switch and Delta aren't widely accepted in Continental Europe AFAIK.


    Geo
     
    Geo, Mar 7, 2008
    #7
  8. .... unless it's a Eurocheque card (not a Euro/Mastercard) as those are
    far more popular in Germany, mainly for historic reasons.
     
    The Roaming Boxhead, Mar 7, 2008
    #8
  9. Used my debit card in Aldi and the two supermarkets in Adenau on my last two
    trips without hassle.

    If you stick your drinks on the hotel / restaurant bill then the only thing
    you'll need euros for is snacks etc.
     
    Brownz \(Mobile\), Mar 7, 2008
    #9
  10. As others have said chf should only be needed in smaller outlets.

    Don't forget your vignette though if you plan on using the motorways, these
    can often be had cheaper via eBay than spending 40chf at a service station
    out there.
     
    Brownz \(Mobile\), Mar 7, 2008
    #10
  11. wessie

    wessie Guest

    I'm not planning on using motorways but you never know...I'll keep an eye
    on Ebay, thanks. Currently 1 on there. The Swiss tourist office does not
    list a separate bike vignette, so I guess one originally bought for a car
    will do?
     
    wessie, Mar 7, 2008
    #11
  12. AFAIK yes.
     
    The Roaming Boxhead, Mar 7, 2008
    #12
  13. wessie

    Colin Irvine Guest

    Yes, IIRC they're the same price.
     
    Colin Irvine, Mar 7, 2008
    #13
  14. wessie

    Andy Bonwick Guest

    Would you go away for a weekend in the UK without any cash in your
    pocket? I'd take a minimum of £100 in euros, pay using plastic where
    it was convenient and then change the remaining Euros when I got home.
     
    Andy Bonwick, Mar 7, 2008
    #14
  15. wessie

    Ace Guest

    They're the same thing.. And designed to be stuck on either the inside
    of a windscreen or any outside surface on a bike. Personally I used to
    keep mine in the transparent top of my tank bag, which also allows you
    to not have it permanently fixed, hence making it re-usable.
    Allegedly.

    FWIW If I were on UK plates and not planning to make a motorway border
    crossing into CH, I don't think I'd bother.
    --
    _______
    ..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (b.rogers at ifrance.com)
    \`\ | /`/ DS#8 BOTAFOT#3 SbS#2 UKRMMA#13 DFV#8 SKA#2 IBB#10
    `\\ | //'
    `\|/`
    `
     
    Ace, Mar 7, 2008
    #15
  16. wessie

    Ace Guest

    Yeah? Whereabouts?
    Yes. And most automated petrol stations (and there's a _lot_ of them)
    will take virtually any sort of card, as well as accepting both Euro
    and CHF notes.
    Not generally. It's very unusual to find any retail establishment that
    won't take cards. [1]

    So if you're just planning on passing through it's possibly not worth
    getting any out in advance, and just finding a cash machine if you
    change your mind. Restaurants often don't allow a tip to be left on
    the card transactions, but thios doesn't matter, as a tip isn't really
    expected anyway, and is always appreciated, even when it's just a
    round-up of 5% or less.


    [1] OTOH they're also perfectly happy to take cash for large
    purchases. Buying a new car or motorbike here is, um, interesting, as
    cash seems to be the only way to do so. But even quite small post
    offices, for instance, don't blink an eye when you walk in and ask for
    30,000 francs in cash. It's only 30 notes, after all.
    --
    _______
    ..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (b.rogers at ifrance.com)
    \`\ | /`/ DS#8 BOTAFOT#3 SbS#2 UKRMMA#13 DFV#8 SKA#2 IBB#10
    `\\ | //'
    `\|/`
    `
     
    Ace, Mar 7, 2008
    #16
  17. wessie

    Colin Irvine Guest

    Quite. And if you do have to buy one, don't subsequently send it to a
    friend to re-use 'cos he'll only bin his bike and nearly put a stop to
    his skiing and all.
     
    Colin Irvine, Mar 7, 2008
    #17
  18. wessie

    wessie Guest

    Actually stopping for 2-3 nights on the way back. I'm not organising the
    trip but the plan is to use one base hotel and have some day trips over
    passes and maybe the Jungfrau train thing.
     
    wessie, Mar 7, 2008
    #18
  19. wessie

    Ace Guest

    Oh right. Well if you're passing near Engelberg (<1 hour from
    Interlaken, whence the Jungfrau) feel free to drop in. Bads available
    - how many are you?

    --
    _______
    ..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (b.rogers at ifrance.com)
    \`\ | /`/ DS#8 BOTAFOT#3 SbS#2 UKRMMA#13 DFV#8 SKA#2 IBB#10
    `\\ | //'
    `\|/`
    `
     
    Ace, Mar 7, 2008
    #19
  20. wessie

    wessie Guest

    Thanks for the offer.

    I tried to get some UKRMers interested. There wasn't any interest so I'm
    booking that package trip I posted about last month. They brochure blurb
    is a bit vague. I'm waiting for them to send a fuller itinery.
     
    wessie, Mar 7, 2008
    #20
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