Switzerland-Only Mobile Plans

Let's be honest: most of us use our phone almost exclusively in Switzerland. Yet many people pay every month for roaming bundles they use once or twice a year at most. A Switzerland-only plan drops exactly that and focuses on what counts day to day: calls, SMS and internet from Geneva to Rorschach.

It suits anyone who rarely travels abroad. For a week of holiday in Italy, many providers let you add a roaming pass that you can forget about afterwards. It also works well for children, since no use abroad means no nasty surprises on the bill. The same goes for seniors who mainly make calls, send messages and occasionally check a timetable, and for second phones or work phones that never leave the country.

Unlimited calls and SMS within Switzerland come with most plans. Data allowances range from a few gigabytes up to unlimited. What is not included is use abroad: depending on the provider, your phone is either blocked there or charged at separate roaming rates, which can be steep.

In the comparison, look out for the note 'roaming not included' and read your provider's terms before you travel. Calls from Switzerland to other countries are a topic of their own, and depending on the plan they are covered separately.

You save the most by being honest with yourself. If you are mostly on Wi-Fi and only need news, maps and email on the go, around 5 GB will see you through the month. If you stream music daily, spend time on social media and watch the odd video on the train, you are more likely at 10 to 20 GB. And if you use your phone as a hotspot for your laptop or binge series, an unlimited plan serves you better. Without roaming, those cost surprisingly little.

Not sure? Pick a plan with a one-month term. That way you can adjust the allowance after a few weeks if it does not fit.

The monthly price is not everything. First check the contract term: many Switzerland-only plans run for just one month, while longer terms often come with lower promotional prices but tie you in. Then look at the activation fee, which ranges from free to around CHF 60 and can quickly eat up your savings in the first year. Also find out what you pay once the promotion ends, because some rates are only discounted for a limited time.

And the network? Budget providers run on the networks of Swisscom, Sunrise or Salt. So quality depends on the network, not the price: Wingo uses the Swisscom network, Yallo uses Sunrise.

No problem. With many providers you can switch on a roaming pass in the customer area or the app, just for the length of your trip. You pay for the foreign package exactly when you need it. With one-month plans you can even move to a plan with roaming before a longer trip and switch back afterwards.

If you regularly cross the border, though, a plan with roaming is the better fit. You will find suitable rates in our comparison of mobile plans with roaming for Europe and the USA. For everyone else: compare the rates above, choose a plan, done.