Up to 25 ICE trains from Deutsche Bahn (DB) travel daily from Switzerland to Germany and vice versa. Pointy-nosed fast whites reach not only Basel or Zurich, but also Bern, Interlaken and Chur.
Traveling in a train restaurant is particularly comfortable. With the bratwurst in onion sauce – the autumn menu – there is a light one. If that wasn’t enough to calm your nerves as the delay was severe once again, the friendly staff also serve Riesling and Pinot Gris.
But watch out! If you pay the bill in Swiss francs, you pay too much. The DB still expects a euro exchange rate of 1.20 francs. The result: Swiss gourmets pay around 20 percent more for the same offer than German gourmets.
DB uses the old euro-franc exchange rate
For example, 14.90 Euros have to be paid for the autumn menu. According to the current exchange rate, it is around 14.60 francs. However, DB 17.90 Francs – 3.30 Francs charge too much. Like all other drinks, snacks and main courses on the menu, Riesling and Pinot Gris are 20 percent more expensive as soon as ICE launches in Switzerland.
Deutsche Bahn explains the Swiss surcharge using an average exchange rate value determined “over a longer period of time”. “Real-time mapping is not technically possible,” a spokesperson said, emphasizing that DB customers can also pay by cash and card in Swiss francs as well as euros.
The trick: Swiss people incur additional fees when paying by card in Euros. Anyone who trusts Swiss money will lose anyway.
It is also unclear how the “average value” of CHF 1.20 was formed. The euro has not been this valuable since spring 2018 four and a half years ago.
Someone must have filled their pocket calculator with too many Pinot Gris or Rieslings.