Count Swisscom's days from network activation
Swisscom offers its tourist Prepaid Flat as an eSIM or physical SIM with unlimited data in Switzerland at a stated maximum download rate of 50 Mbit/s and unlimited Swiss calls. At the time of checking, it listed CHF 20 for seven days, CHF 40 for fifteen, CHF 65 for thirty and CHF 150 for ninety. These are Swisscom's own tariff claims; compare the live order and the length of the actual stay before purchase. A seven-day pass ending before the final rail transfer could leave the number active but the intended allowance expired.
Swisscom says the flat can be paid for before travel; validity starts when the eSIM first connects to and is used on its network. It issues a new Swisscom number; the home number does not move. A compatible dual-SIM phone can keep the home number for messages while using the Swiss one for data and calls. Check which line carries data before leaving the airport.
The operator also describes a practical limit to pre-arrival setup: logging in to My Swisscom for eSIM activation may trigger two-factor authentication requiring a Swiss number. Its advice is to try again after arrival or seek help at a Swisscom shop if that prevents activation. Swisscom lists help at major railway stations and Zurich Airport, and says a physical tourist SIM is bought in a shop. Carry an offline address and another connection until the eSIM has actually passed the login step.
Read Salt's daily charge and 30-day pack terms
Salt advertises a free PrePay SIM with CHF 10 starting credit. Its page listed unlimited surfing at CHF 1.99 per day at the time of checking, plus thirty-day domestic data packs of 1 GB for CHF 9.95, 5 GB for CHF 14.95 and 25 GB for CHF 29.95. The data packs apply within Switzerland and unused data expires at the date shown in the purchase flow. The operator also lists separate national call and SMS charges, so a Salt data pack should not be mistaken for Swisscom's combined tourist calling offer.
Salt says its domestic packs are chosen through its cost-control page over the mobile network, and that this route does not work over Wi-Fi. That matters if the SIM has just been installed and the visitor is trying to add a pack using only station Wi-Fi. Check the initial credit, mobile attachment and the purchase page before a longer journey. Salt lists top-ups in its stores, at SBB ticket machines, post offices, kiosks, ATMs and other shops.
For a one-week stay, the published CHF 1.99 daily charge is a different billing shape from Swisscom's seven-day flat, while a thirty-day Salt pack puts a fixed quantity of data against Swisscom's timed unlimited offer. Compare calls, tethering needs and the actual number of travel days, not just the smaller price. Keep a way to check and refill credit before travelling away from a major station.
Prepare a valid ID for Sunrise online registration
Sunrise advertises a prepaid travel eSIM that can be registered online for download. Its Unlimited CH basic rate page says data, calls and SMS within Switzerland are charged at CHF 2.50 for each 24-hour period of use, at the time of checking. The page also offers named Europe periods; their European data and Swiss call treatment differ, so read the live package rather than assuming a regional label includes every service in every country.
Sunrise's identification help says it must identify customers and keep a digital copy of a valid official document. It lists a passport, identity card or residence permit and says a driving licence is not accepted. Its digital flow calls for a document scan and a short facial video, with order processing after successful identification. A visitor planning to use that online path should prepare the document and a camera-equipped phone before travel; an unsuccessful check can delay the line.
The Sunrise page says its prepaid credit can be checked through *121#, its cockpit or its app, and lists online and in-person top-ups, including SBB ticket machines and supermarkets. That creates a different first-day choice from a Swisscom shop or a Salt data pack. Confirm the Swiss data allowance and the initial credit on the account itself after activation, then test a call before relying on the line for a mountain transfer.
Use the federal atlas for 4G and 5G expectations
The Swiss Federal Office of Communications publishes a broadband atlas with mobile maps showing expected 3G, 4G and 5G availability in 100-by-100-metre grid cells. It says the atlas is updated twice a year. The map can help compare the approach to an Alpine village, a lake shore or an overnight address instead of extrapolating from coverage in Zurich or Geneva.
The office says operator participation is voluntary and providers are responsible for their supplied data. An empty or coloured square is not a measurement inside a tunnel, cable car or hotel room. Ask accommodation about signal and download the next connection, ticket and address before leaving a station with access.
Use Zurich Airport and SBB as connection backups
Zurich Airport says passengers and visitors can use free internet for eight hours. Its passenger services page confirms the offer, while its detailed Wi-Fi instructions give registration by SMS or a boarding-pass route through an airport Wi-Fi station. If the local eSIM login needs a verification message, choose a route that can actually receive it; a boarding-pass station can be useful when the home number is unavailable.
SBB says free Wi-Fi is available at many of its stations. Its FreeSurf app is described for long-distance SBB trains, and it identifies conventional free Wi-Fi on certain international Giruno and Astoro trains towards Germany and Italy. Those are distinct services and may have different login needs. Check the service on the train being used rather than assuming every regional connection has the same on-board Wi-Fi.
Swisscom's FAQ says its shops can help at Zurich Airport and major railway stations. A traveller who cannot pass the eSIM two-factor step before departure can use airport Wi-Fi to reach support or locate a shop before boarding the next train. Keep the ticket and hotel address offline until the intended Swiss data line works without a Wi-Fi connection.
Check Swiss roaming and keep emergency voice service
The European Council says Switzerland belongs to EFTA but not the EEA. The European Commission's roam-like-at-home explanation covers EU and EEA countries and says additional third-country access depends on operator choice. A home plan that works without a surcharge in France, Germany or Italy therefore cannot be assumed to do the same when the train enters Switzerland. Check the exact home operator's Swiss data and voice price before crossing.
Salt's PrePay page says its domestic data packs work in Switzerland only and that using data abroad needs a separate roaming pack. Sunrise's Europe travel eSIM describes a regional data allowance with different treatment for calls and texts in Switzerland. These are operator product conditions, not a general rule for every Swiss prepaid line. Check whether the route crosses back into an EU country and switch data profiles deliberately if the Swiss domestic allowance ends at the border.
The Swiss federal travel portal lists 117 for police and 144 for medical emergencies as free calls. Save them with the next location or trailhead. Those numbers describe telephone help; neither the portal nor a data-plan description proves that a data-only eSIM can place emergency voice calls. Retain a voice-capable line and make sure the phone's calling profile is selected.
Networks our Switzerland plans use
These are the operators named on our plans for Switzerland, taken from the plan data, so the list follows the catalogue.
- Salt5G
- Salt Switzerland5G
- Sunrise5G
- Sunrise Communications AG5G
- Swisscom5G