Best way to buy swiss francs
 

We are travelling next October to Switzerland and I'm trying to find the best way to buy Swiss francs,I've heard that by way of ATM's you get the best rates,and also that Wells
Fargo can let you change money 3 times without foreign fees.Can any one advice please?

Don't know about Wells Fargo, but yes, ATMs in Switzerland give you by far the best exchange rate. If your bank back home adds a fee it's per transaction, not a percentage, so simply withdraw a good chunk only a few times (rather than piddly amounts daily) and the fees won't add up to much. If you have an account with Schwab or one of the other institutions that don't charge and refund ATM fees, better still.

You need to make sure you call your bank and tell them to A) increase the daily allowance (in case of an emergency) and B) tell them when and where you're going, or else their anti-fraud system will block your attempts at withdrawing (and you'll blame the Swiss banks for it...).

Do the same for any credit cards you intend using on your trip.

Depending on what time and where you arrive in Switzerland, you might want to have a few Francs on you already. You can buy a small amount at your departure airport, the rate won't be as good, but for a small amount it won't make much of a difference, you simply pay for the convenience.

I have yet to call my bank and advise them about using my ATM card in Europe and I have never had any difficulties withdrawing cash. I do, however, notify my credit card issuer about my travel plans.

Well I never contact my bank or any of my CC companies. But since I travel quite a lot - I'm sure they expect it by now.

If this is a rarity for you it may be a good idea to let them know.

Thanks for answering, and yes I always contact the credit cards and banks,good idea of raising the amount that I can get daily for emegencies.
Thank you again