Bank fees, cars, rents: This will change in Switzerland in April

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As of April 1, 2024, SBB will no longer offer travel subscriptions. Travelers with these subscriptions were previously able to use all public transport in Switzerland. A 20-day SBB subscription costs 45 francs per day in second class, while a 30-day subscription costs only 40 francs per day. This is over now. However, SBB points out that travel subscriptions already purchased are valid for one year.

As an alternative, SBB recommends Half Fare Plus. Passengers aged 25 and over pay 800 francs for the cheapest Half-Fare Plus package. But you will receive a bonus of 200 francs. You can therefore buy (savings) tickets and (savings) day tickets for a credit of 1,000 francs.

Half-Fare Plus is particularly useful for any passengers who already have a Half-Fare subscription, as the savings are greater here. A half ticket card costs an additional 190 francs. New customers should therefore carefully consider whether the total of 990 francs is worth it to them.

Swisscom will increase the wages of its employees by 1.9 percent as of April 1, 2024. In a statement, Swisscom stated that all 10,000 employees subject to the collective bargaining agreement should benefit. At the same time, most employees receive an across-the-board pay increase that varies depending on their position in the pay band. Employees whose wages are above the pay range receive a one-time payment. Swisscom wants to take inflation into account.

Good news for patients with chronic heart failure (heart failure). Starting from April 1, 2024, the costs of care using the telemedicine program will be covered by compulsory health insurance (OKP). The Federal Public Health Office writes this in a statement. And also: “To improve the prognosis and treatment of these people and avoid inpatient treatment, close care is required, which traditional outpatient care often cannot provide.”

The program includes daily recording of body weight (television), regular education on the clinical picture, medication, prevention and coping strategies (telecoaching) and intervention of specialists in case of critical changes.

This service is covered by OKP for people who have been hospitalized for heart failure within the last twelve months. In addition to the initial medical order, additional orders are required three and twelve months after the initial order.

Starting April 1, 2024, the post office is making some changes to its Urgent express service. With this offer, shipments are delivered particularly quickly to recipients in more than 200 countries worldwide.

Now, in addition to documents and belongings, small items can also be sent. However, the postal service reduces the maximum weight of documents from 5 kilograms to 0.5 kilograms. The maximum weight for small items is 2.5 kilograms.

Maximum weights have been reduced slightly for goods and significantly for documents. The upper limit of liability in case of loss or damage drops to around 90 francs for documents, while the maximum goes up to 44,700 francs for goods.

According to the statement, Insel Group will increase wages by 2 percent as of April 1, 2024. Employees with an annual salary of up to 80,000 francs receive 975 francs more per year, while employees with an annual salary of 80,000 francs to 100,000 francs receive 650 francs more per year. There is no general wage increase for employees with higher wages. Additionally, according to the Insel Group, 0.4 percent of the wage bill is allocated for individual wage measurements and an additional budget is allocated for one-off payments.

According to their own information, approximately 11,000 people work in the İnsel Group.

As of April 1, 2024, St. Wales Kantonalbank (SGKB) and Thurgauer Kantonalbank (TKB) will remove account maintenance fees from private customers. This allows you to save up to 60 francs per year.

But there is also bad news: In the SGKB, withdrawals not made from cantonal banks will cost two francs each in the future. This is already the case in TKB. SGKB customers can currently withdraw cash free of charge from all ATMs across Switzerland.

Finally, the reference interest rate was increased to 1.75 percent. For many Swiss, this means that they will have to pay more rent from 1 April 2024. Landlords are allowed to increase rent by up to three percent. The determining factor is the rent without additional costs.

Important: Hosts must follow certain rules. The notification letter must be delivered via registered mail. Additionally, the increase must be notified at least ten days before the start of the notice period. Additionally, the letter requires the approval of the canton.

From April 1, 2024, new vehicles will need to be equipped with crash data recorders and new driver assistance systems. Assistance systems are used, for example, to warn of fatigue or distraction, to provide assistance when turning or reversing, or to perform automatic emergency braking in case of danger.

Additionally, pedal-assist e-bikes up to 45 kilometers per hour will need to be equipped with a speedometer from April 1. However, for now, this only applies to new e-bikes, not e-bikes already on the market. The purpose of the change is to ensure that maximum speeds are respected in zones with speeds of 20 and 30 km/h.

Source :Blick