Mary

<BR>Would someone please answer some questions on Swiss currency values compared to the US currency. I am trying to understand it for an up coming trip to Switzerland. <BR> <BR>I know that 100 centimes or rappen equals 1 CHF or Swiss Franc and the larger bills come in CHF 10,20,50, 100 etc. It's the "coins" which confuse me. Am I correct in that the coins for CHF 5, 2, 1 or basically like the US $1, $2, and $5 bills we use? (Except the exchange rate is not the same.) <BR> <BR>Are the 5, 10, 20, 50 centimes or rappens the small change coins such as our US nickles, dimes, quarters, and fifty cent piece? <BR> <BR>Last year I think I may have been giving shop keepers the 5 and 2 CHF coins thinking they were pocket change and I do not want to make that mistake again. I just ended up holding them in my hand and asking them to take what they needed. Hopefully, the people were honest!&lt;g <BR> <BR>With your kind help and information, I hope to enter Switzerland a wee bit wiser in their currency this trip! Thanks for any help you can give me.

Al

Let's see if this old, retired banker can cure what sounds like a bad (but not terminal) case of currency-itis. First, throw away any notions that coins and paper money are (as you put it) "basically like $1, $5, etc." Think of the situation like this. One U.S. dollar is worth about 1.65 Swiss francs. So how much is a Swiss franc worth in U.S. dollars (or cents)? The answer is simple. Just divide one by 1.65 or about 61 cents. Get yourself a little hand-held calculator and practice this a few times. Or use this web site: oanda -- and see what happens. They will give you a currency conversion chart that converts any currency into another, and that currency back into the original one. Dollars into francs, francs into dollars. Print out their little tables and stick them inside your wallet. And for heaven's sake, stop acting like a hayseed, holding out a handfull of coins and bills. That's like putting a sign around your neck saying: "I am stupid...take me to the cleaners." If you don't understand what amount you are being charged, whip out a piece of paper and a pencil and shove them at the shopkeeper, making like they should write down what you owe. Even cabbies will do that. In the wilds of even the most third-world of nations and not speaking a word of the local language, we have never had a problem -- money-math is universal.

Phil

Good evening (here in Europe) Mary: <BR> <BR>Yes, you are on the right track: <BR>the centime coins are small change, the franc coins will get you food or drinks in stores and transportation tickets. <BR> <BR>At 1.65 francs to the dollar, as Al pointed out, 5, 10, 20 and 50 centimes equal roughly 3, 6, 12 and 30 cents respectively. <BR> <BR>1, 2 and 5 francs are worth 60¢, $1.20 and $3 respectively. <BR> <BR>5, 10 and 20 centime coins have their value on the obverse, a woman's head on the reverse, the 5 centime coin being yellow. <BR> <BR>The 50 centime coin and the 1 and 2 franc coins have their value followed by "Fr." on the obverse (i.e. "1/2 Fr.", "1 Fr." and "2 Fr.") and a standing woman on the reverse. The 5 franc coin shows its value above a coat of arms on the obverse and a man's portrait on the obverse. <BR> <BR>Hope this helps, enjoy your trip <BR> <BR>Phil.

Mary

<BR>Thanks gentlemen for your kind help in educating this "past hayseed" concerning the Swiss Currency. I had no problem with the paper currency. It was really the coins which confused me and Oanda does not give me the information I was seeking. I feel I understand it now. Thanks, Phil, for explaining the individual worth of the coins I listed. <BR> <BR>I can understand why Al would think I was acting ridiculous. However, it was my first trip on a Bus Tour of 8 countries with 8 different currencies. I did have my "Cheat Sheet" for each country but when you are pushed through lines with other tourists through cafeterias which do "not" post prices of food except, outside the door, it can become very confusing handling so many different currencies each day. There was not time to pull out a tablet and write notes to the cashier. <BR> <BR>But thanks to you both, I feel this time I will be well prepared for any currency encounters. <BR> <BR>

Bob Brown

One thing about the Swiss coins, they have value and the larger ones are heavy, but nothing like some of the old English coins back in the days before the currency was converted to the decimal system. Something like 12 pence to the shilling and 20 shillings to the pound. And the penny was relatively huge. <BR>Sometimes in Switzerland I get such a pocketfull of coins I walk leaning toward the side that has all the coins.

Ed

I'm always a bit puzzled, to be honest, when there's confusion about 'foreign' money. <BR> <BR>If the price of the slice of pie at the cafeteria is 3.50 Swiss francs, the price is 3.50 Swiss Francs. You can cover it with a 20 franc note and get 16.50 change, or pay with a 2 franc, 1 franc and 50 centimes coin. It doesn't really matter what the exchange rate is, or how large or small the coins or bills are. <BR> <BR>If you're buying a car you may want to translate the cost ahead of time. With the franc at about 61 cents in US$s, just multiply the price times .6. If the car costs CHF40,000, that's &gt;roughly&lt; $24,000. Not a &gt;precise&lt; calculation, but close enough to know whether you can afford it. <BR> <BR>If, instead, you're pricing the menu by the door outside a restaurant, and you only want to spend $10 per person for each entre and the menu shows entres running from CHF25-CHF50, multiplying by .6 tells you this isn't the restaurant you want to eat at. <BR> <BR>But if it is a restaurant you can afford and the bill comes to CHF98, leave a 100 franc bill on the table and go back to your hotel having enjoyed a fine meal. When you get back home your credit card bill will show you the precise exchange rate calculated by the credit card company. <BR> <BR>More on Money and Exchange for travelers to Europe at www.twenj.com/moneyand.htm <BR> <BR>Rome.Switzerland.Bavaria <BR>w

Sjoerd

Many countries, most of them in Europe, have coins which are worth up to 5 US$. I have learned from my American friends that many Americans hate coins and think they are not worth much and mainly a hassle. <BR>Europeans treat coins as real money. <BR>I can understand that for a foreigner all these different coins in different countries can be confusing. Normally, the bigger and thicker they get, the more they are worth. <BR>When the euro will be introduced in January 2002, the largest coin will be 2 euro. (about US$ 1.90 at today's exchange rate) <BR>

frank

America is the only developed country still using notes for such small amounts as a dollar, hence Americans being unused to coins being valuable.I have heard this is mostly political , nobody wants to be the president who abandoned the dollar bill, but I have also heard that Clinton may do it , is this correct? <BR>In the UK we now have a £2 coin (I like them) worth around $3 - most European countries have a coin of this value. <BR>Hi Sjoerd, love your colourful Dutch notes, much prettier than the American greenback - IMHO when the euro is intoduced, the largest coin will be 100 euro........!

Bob Brown

I think that is a valid point about coins in the USA. We don't like them!! When was the last time you received a 50 cent coin in change? I have not seen one in years, except in proof coin sets. <BR>But I learned the value of coins in Europe early on. When in Paris and Switzerland, my wife and I have a "metal count" each evening to see how much we have gotten in change. It can be a considerable sum. I often end up with 100 francs or so in coins in France. <BR>Perhaps we have a mindset that has been predisposd by calling coins "pocket change". <BR>I agree others have pretty money. <BR>But American Green seems popular. <BR>Don't you just love that new picture of Old Hickory, Andrew Jackson. Looks just like an etching. (I like Franklin better.) <BR>