As a student, you can benefit from various discounts in Switzerland. Banks are no exception. For working professionals, most banks still charge various fees—such as account management and card fees. As a student, you can get these for free at nearly all banks. Furthermore, some banks offer additional benefits, including higher interest rates, more cashback, or other perks such as free printing of thesis papers. In this article, I will show you which banks offer the best benefits for students.

What Makes a Good Bank Account for Students?

The Basics:

• No account management fees
• Free debit card
• Free credit card

Further:

• No fees for card payments abroad
• High interest on savings accounts
• Cashback on cards
• Free cash withdrawals

Let’s evaluate the best banks for students based on these criteria. All the banks presented here do not have any account management fees, so we will not mention this every time.

ZKB Student

Interest Rates

• Private Account: 0.25% up to CHF 25,000, then 0%
• Savings Account: 0.85% up to CHF 50,000, 0.2% up to CHF 250,000, then 0%

Visa Debit Stucard

• Annual fee: Free
• Payments in Switzerland: Free
• Payments abroad: 1.25%, maximum CHF 1.50 per transaction
• Cash withdrawals in Switzerland: Free at all cantonal banks; otherwise, CHF 2 per withdrawal
• Cash withdrawals abroad: CHF 5 per withdrawal

Standard Credit Card (Mastercard or Visa)

• Annual fee: Free
• Payments in Switzerland: Free
• Payments abroad: 1.75%
• Cash withdrawals in Switzerland: 4%, minimum CHF 10 per withdrawal
• Cash withdrawals abroad: 4%, minimum CHF 10 per withdrawal
• Cashback: Surprize points, about 0.2% cashback

Excellent Insurance Package:

• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
• Search and rescue costs
• Accident insurance for transport
• 24-hour assistance
• Baggage delay insurance
• Warranty extension
• Best Price Guarantee
• Shopping and transport insurance
• Online account protection
• Online legal protection
• Discount with Hertz car rental

Additional Benefits

• Stucard: Discounts at various companies, such as Starbucks or Transa
• Modern, easy-to-use online banking
• ZKB Night Owl: Free rides on the Zurich ZVV network on Fridays and Saturdays after 7 PM
• Free printing of thesis papers
• ASVZ discount: 10% off ASVZ courses

Conclusion

• Only for students up to 28 years
• Low cashback on credit card
• Great insurance package
• Stucard and Night Owl are fantastic

UBS key4 banking Pro

Interest Rates

• Private Account: 0%
• Youth Savings Account: 1% up to CHF 50,000, then 0.3%

Visa Debit Card

• Annual fee: Free
• Payments in Switzerland: Free
• Payments abroad: 2%, minimum CHF 1 per transaction
• Cash withdrawals in Switzerland: Free everywhere
• Cash withdrawals abroad: CHF 5 per withdrawal

Standard Credit Card (Mastercard)

• Annual fee: Free
• Cashback: 1 point per CHF 100 spent (up to CHF 1,000 per quarter), resulting in 1% cashback
• Payments in Switzerland: Free
• Payments abroad: Mastercard reference rate plus 0.5%
• Cash withdrawals in Switzerland: 4%, minimum CHF 10 per withdrawal
• Cash withdrawals abroad: 4%, minimum CHF 10 per withdrawal
• Insurance: only travel and flight accident insurance

Additional Benefits

• Cashyou subscription (value CHF 39 per year)
• CHF 50 starting credit
• Travel and flight insurance
• Free printing of thesis papers

Conclusion

• For students up to 30 years
• Attractive cashback of 1% on credit card payments
• Diverse additional services like insurance and starting credit
• Free cash withdrawals everywhere in Switzerland

Conclusion

Both ZKB and UBS offer excellent banking packages for students. Depending on your usage behavior, you can choose between the two. Let’s take a look at which bank is best for whom.

ZKB excels in the following areas:

• Top credit card insurance package
• ZVV Night Owl
• Super app
• Discounts through Stucard and at ASVZ

On the other hand, UBS offers advantages in the following areas:

• Attractive cashback of 1% on credit card payments
• Only 0.5% foreign currency fee on credit cards
• Free cash withdrawals everywhere in Switzerland

In conclusion, ZKB is better if you want insurance and discounts. UBS, on the other hand, is better for someone looking for attractive cashback, low foreign currency fees, and cash withdrawals. Both packages are among the best student offers in Switzerland and are therefore highly recommended.