Alpian Private Account

Four currencies on one Swiss IBAN, a FINMA-licensed bank behind it, and no web banking at all.

The Alpian Private Account ranks #36 among Switzerland's 47 private accounts (3.5/5) and last of the 9 neobanks we rank, with 4.1/5. It's an app-only, four-currency account from a Geneva bank. If you hold real money in EUR or USD and already live in your phone, it fits. For cash and TWINT, it's clunky.

What Do You Give Up Going Digital?

No monthly fee, free opening, free closing. The only recurring cost is the metal Visa debit card at CHF 60, charged on issue, on replacement, and again on automatic renewal after five years. Spread over five years, that's about CHF 12 a year. Up to five virtual Visa debit cards come free, handy for online shopping and subscriptions.

What you give up is the desktop. There's no web banking, so everything from paying an eBill to downloading a statement happens in the iOS or Android app. You also give up free cash: CHF 2 per withdrawal in Switzerland in CHF, no free monthly allowance, and 2.5% abroad. Four ATM trips a month in Switzerland adds up to CHF 96 a year.

What Actually Stands Out

One Swiss IBAN holds CHF, EUR, USD and GBP. Card payments in those four currencies are free when they come out of the matching balance. Payments within each currency's own zone are free too, so a EUR transfer into the eurozone or a GBP payment within the UK costs nothing. If you're paid partly in euros or own a flat in Lisbon, that's genuinely useful.

Then there's interest on foreign currency. EUR earns 0.75% and USD 1%, but only on the slice between 10,001 and 500,000. Park EUR 50,000 and EUR 40,000 earns interest: EUR 300 gross, EUR 195 after the 35% withholding tax. Alpian SA also holds its own FINMA banking licence, and deposits are protected up to CHF 100,000 by esisuisse.

What Most Reviews Miss

TWINT only works as TWINT Prepaid. You top it up by QR transfer from your Alpian account, then pay from that prepaid balance. It's not the account-linked TWINT you get with a cantonal bank, so splitting a dinner bill means topping up first. CHF and GBP balances also earn 0%, in case you were hoping for interest on your Swiss francs.

Weekend conversions cost more. When your matching balance runs short, Alpian converts the gap at 0.20% on weekdays but 0.50% from Friday 21:00 to Monday 08:00. Converting CHF 1,000 on a Saturday costs CHF 5 instead of CHF 2. Payments outside a currency's zone cost 7 in the account currency, and the eTax statement for your tax return costs CHF 25.

The Bottom Line

Alpian makes sense as a second account if you hold EUR or USD, pay by card abroad, and never need a computer to bank. It doesn't work as your only account if you live on TWINT or pull cash every week. See how it stacks up in our best neobanks in Switzerland ranking.

Verdict: Strong multi-currency setup from a licensed Swiss bank. Weak on cash, TWINT and desktop access.