Avoiding transaction fees on Swiss train tickets
A traveler is looking for ways to avoid foreign transaction fees when purchasing half fare cards and day passes from SBB. They experienced high fees when buying Swiss Airline tickets and want to prevent that from happening again. They seek practical tips to make their ticket purchases cost-effective.
- Use a credit card that doesn't charge foreign transaction fees, like Capital One or Chase, for hassle-free purchases.
- Always pay in Swiss francs (CHF) instead of your home currency to save on costs.
- Be mindful of exchange rates, as some banks may inflate them, leading to hidden fees.
AI-generated summary-
What is the best way to avoid foreign transaction fees on SBB ticket purchases? I would like to purchase half fare cards and also some individual day passes. I was hit with some large foreign transaction fees on my Swiss Airline ticket purchases and hope to avoid the same mistake in the future. Thank you in advance!
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You can avoid foreign transaction fees by having a credit card that doesn’t charge any. Our Capital One card does not, nor does our Chase credit card. You will probably want a card like that for any travels overseas or actually any time you charge on an overseas website like you found with your Swiss Air tickets charge. I have used our Capital One card for all our train tickets, hotels, etc when we travel anywhere overseas and never had a charge for foreign transactions. Also have a Capital One debit card which I use at ATMs overseas… no fees on those either.
Hi Catherinemes,
There’s a few things to keep in mind: paying in Swiss francs (CHF) is almost always cheaper in the end than payment in your own currency. Plus, keep an eye on exchange rates. Banks may not charge a separate fee, but they often have their own inflated exchange rates. If you do the actual calculation, a translation without a fee can still be quite expensive.
You’ll always pay one way or the other if your home currency isn’t CHF. The trick is to keep costs down and knowing the exact costs of a particular bank.
For more details, please see “Cheapest way to pay in Switzerland’: http://www.myswissalps.com/swissfranc
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