ATMs in Switzerland keep asking Charge in EUR or Charge in USD - what does that mean? Shows high charges for this
Happens all over Switzerland - especially at ATMs from Euronet or Travelex. It’s always better to choose local currency (CHF) to avoid their inflated conversion. I compared both once out of curiosity - choosing “USD” added a 7% markup vs my Wise card’s actual rate. If you're asked “Charge in your currency?” just hit “No” and choose CHF.
I was super confused by this at first - the ATM in Geneva airport said “Charge in EUR?” and I thought that’d be easier. But the conversion rate was awful. I lost nearly 10 CHF on a single withdrawal. My bank support later confirmed I should’ve chosen Swiss Francs only, not EUR or USD. Learned that lesson fast.
I saw this message pop up every time I used my UK card in Zurich. It feels like it’s helping you, but “Charge in GBP” came with a crazy fee baked into the rate. I finally Googled it while in a Coop cafe - turns out DCC is notorious for hidden markups. Since then, I always decline conversion and stick to local CHF.
That’s Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC). The ATM is offering to convert the amount into your home currency (like USD or EUR) - but with a terrible exchange rate and added markup, usually 6-8%. I learned the hard way in Interlaken when I accepted USD - I paid $12 extra on a 200 CHF withdrawal. Always select CHF (Swiss Francs) and let your bank handle the conversion.