PostFinance
Swiss bank
FINMA bank, esisuisse

PostFinance E-Trading

PostFinance

Overall Rating

3.7/5

Annual cost (ETF investor)

CHF 110

ETF CHF 5k on SIX

CHF 20

FX fee

1%

Custody fee

CHF 72 a year, credited as brokerage

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Our take on PostFinance E-Trading

Your Swiss Finance Companion
Adrien Missioux
Adrien Missioux•

CHF 72 custody fee, CHF 0 net cost. PostFinance's credit trick works, but only if you trade.

PostFinance E-Trading ranks #5 among 10 brokers. It's cheaper than its price list suggests, about CHF 110 a year for our ETF investor, because the custody fee comes back as trading credit. It suits PostFinance clients who invest a few times a year and want a state-owned Swiss bank holding their portfolio.

Who pays nothing net, and who pays CHF 110 a year?

PostFinance charges CHF 72 a year in custody, CHF 18 per quarter, then credits the same amount back as brokerage credit each quarter. Place at least one trade per quarter that costs CHF 18 or more in commission and the custody fee effectively disappears. Our ETF investor pays CHF 80 in commissions and CHF 30 stamp duty, with custody netted out: CHF 110.

Who pays the full CHF 72? Anyone who doesn't trade. Unused credit expires, so a pure buy-and-hold portfolio pays custody with nothing to offset it. Small orders are pricey too: a CHF 1,000 trade on SIX costs CHF 12 here versus CHF 3 at Saxo. Our starter profile pays about CHF 81 a year.

What Actually Stands Out

A state-owned Swiss bank holds your portfolio. For many investors that matters more than a few francs of commission. Cash is covered by esisuisse up to CHF 100,000, Swiss shares get share register entry, and your trading runs alongside the PostFinance account you already use every day.

The range is solid for a retail bank: 17 markets, with stocks, ETFs, bonds, funds and even crypto. There's an ETF savings plan from CHF 1, but it charges 1% per purchase, which is steep next to the 0% savings-plan ETFs at neon. For a CHF 500 monthly plan, that's CHF 60 a year in fees alone.

What Most Reviews Miss

The FX margin is about 1% on foreign-currency purchases, and some sources report 1.2%. Buy CHF 8,000 of US stocks and you lose around CHF 80 on the exchange rate alone. On top, US orders cost USD 20 up to USD 1,000 and USD 30 up to USD 5,000. For a US-heavy portfolio, PostFinance is one of the most expensive options we rank.

The eTax statement costs CHF 97.30, one of the highest in our table, while Saxo and neon charge nothing. There are no fractional shares, no options and no demo account. And the commission tiers stay steep for big orders: CHF 160 for a trade under CHF 100,000 and CHF 300 at the top.

The Bottom Line

PostFinance E-Trading makes sense if you already bank there, trade a few times a year and want a state-owned Swiss bank. FX-heavy and pure buy-and-hold investors pay too much. And if you're investing for retirement, fill one of the best pillar 3a solutions first: the tax deduction beats any broker fee saving.

Verdict: Fair value for occasional traders who use the credit; expensive for FX-heavy portfolios and passive holders.

Best for: PostFinance clients who trade at least once a quarter, investors moving a portfolio in who want transfer costs covered, Swiss stock holders who value a state-owned bank and share register entry
Consider alternatives if: you buy and hold without trading, so the credit expires unused, you buy mostly US stocks and would pay a 1% FX margin, you don't have, or don't want, a PostFinance banking package

Pros

  • CHF 72 custody credited back as brokerage credit
  • Transfer-in costs covered up to CHF 800
  • State-owned FINMA bank with esisuisse cover
  • ETF savings plan from CHF 1
  • Share register entry for Swiss stocks

Cons

  • FX margin of about 1% on foreign purchases
  • eTax statement costs CHF 97.30
  • Transfer-out costs CHF 108.10 per position
  • Unused brokerage credit expires

Broker Details

At a Glance

  • FINMA-licensed bank, esisuisse protection
  • ETF savings plan
  • Access to 17 exchanges
  • CHF IBAN

What does it cost you per year?

Everything PostFinance E-Trading charges in a year for our three investor profiles: custody fees incl. VAT, commissions, Swiss stamp duty and currency conversion.

Starter · CHF 10,000 portfolio, 12 ETF buys of CHF 500 a year

CHF 81 / year

ETF investor · CHF 50,000 portfolio, 4 ETF buys of CHF 5,000 a year

CHF 110 / year

Active · CHF 200,000 portfolio, 24 Swiss and 12 US trades a year

CHF 2'520 / year

Same profiles as the ranking. USD/CHF 0.80, EUR/CHF 0.94.

Price list

Swiss stock CHF 1,000 on SIX

CHF 12

Swiss stock CHF 5,000 on SIX

CHF 20

Swiss stock CHF 10,000 on SIX

CHF 30

ETF CHF 5k on SIX

CHF 20

US stock USD 1,000

USD 20

US stock USD 5k

USD 30

FX fee

1%

Custody fee

CHF 72 a year, credited as brokerage

Transfer out, per position

CHF 108.10

Minimum deposit

CHF 0

Commissions only, without stamp duty and currency conversion. Source: the broker's published price list.

Safety check

You contract with PostFinance, a state-owned, FINMA-licensed Swiss bank, so your cash is protected by esisuisse up to CHF 100,000 and your securities are held as segregated client assets.

Safety level

FINMA bank, esisuisse

FINMA-licensed bank

Yes

Cash protected by esisuisse (CHF 100,000)

Yes

Securities held separately from the broker's assets

Yes

Securities in custody belong to you and are returned if the broker fails. Cash is only protected up to the deposit scheme limit.

Swiss tax check

eTax statement

eTax statement CHF 97.30

Swiss stamp duty

Charged (0.075% / 0.15%)

Swiss share register entry

Yes

US dividends: 15% withheld at source with a W-8BEN form, claimable as a credit with the DA-1 form in your Swiss tax return.

Products and features

Exchanges

17

Savings plan

Yes

Fractional shares

No

CHF IBAN

Yes

Multi-currency account

Yes

Bonds

Yes

Funds

Yes

Options and futures

No

Crypto

Yes

Mobile app

Yes

Web platform

Yes

Demo account

No

Compare to Similar Brokers

PostFinance E-Trading
Interactive Brokers
neon invest
Yuh
Rating3.7 / 54.4 / 53.4 / 53.4 / 5
Annual cost (ETF investor)CHF 110CHF 20CHF 130CHF 130
ETF CHF 5k on SIXCHF 20CHF 5CHF 25CHF 25
FX fee1%0.002%Included0.95%
Safety levelFINMA bank, esisuisseEU/UK regulatedFINMA bank, esisuisseFINMA bank, esisuisse
Not sure? Compare with alternativesOur PostFinance account review

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a PostFinance account to use E-Trading?
Yes. E-Trading requires a PostFinance private account or banking package, so you can't open it as a standalone broker. If you bank elsewhere, factor that package in before comparing PostFinance with Saxo or IBKR.
Does PostFinance pay to move my portfolio from another bank?
Yes, PostFinance covers transfer-in costs up to CHF 800. If your old bank charges CHF 100 per position, that's eight positions moved at no cost to you. It's the only transfer-in refund among the 10 brokers we compare.
What does it cost to transfer securities out of PostFinance?
CHF 108.10 per position, the highest transfer-out fee in our data. Moving ten positions costs CHF 1,081. For small holdings, selling and buying again at the new broker can work out cheaper, even after stamp duty and commission.

How We Rated This Broker

60.0 points out of 100, shown as 3.7 out of 5.

Costs (45%): 16.30/45
Safety (20%): 20/20
Swiss convenience (15%): 11/15
Product range (10%): 6.80/10
Features (10%): 6/10

Ratings are updated monthly based on the latest available data. All brokers are evaluated using the same methodology. Deals, promo codes and commissions never change the score: every rank comes from published fees and verifiable features.

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