Liechtenstein's currency, and how to pay without losing out

Liechtenstein has one foot in Europe and the other in Switzerland, and nowhere shows it more than paying for things. It’s in the European Economic Area yet uses the Swiss franc, takes euros in plenty of places, and still runs buses that won’t accept a single coin. Here’s how I’d sort my money out.

The Swiss franc, since 1924

The official currency is the Swiss franc, code CHF. Liechtenstein’s Office of Statistics dates it to 1924, when the customs treaty with Switzerland took effect and the franc became the official currency, with a monetary treaty added in 1980. Before that, from 1852 to 1919, the country was in a customs union with Austria, and breaking away from it is why Liechtenstein looks to Switzerland for its money today. The other money question people search for, is Liechtenstein a tax haven?, has an answer that has little to do with the franc.

There’s no Liechtenstein currency for everyday use. What there is, confusingly, is a long line of Liechtenstein postage stamps, which is a separate story. How the country fits with the EU, the EEA and Schengen without the euro is covered in Liechtenstein, the EU and Schengen.

Can you pay in euros?

In many places, yes. According to the tourist board, most places take euros, but nobody publishes the rate you’ll get. The one concrete example I’ve found is Malbun’s lift company, which accepts euros but gives change in francs, at a rate it reserves the right to adjust.

A neat illustration is the souvenir passport stamp, priced at CHF 3 or €3.30. Paying in euros is hardly a scandal, but it seldom works in your favour, and paying in pounds isn’t an option I’ve seen offered anywhere official.

Why I’d pay by card

I’d pay for nearly everything by card. Malbun’s lifts list a remarkable range, from Visa and Mastercard to Maestro, Amex and UnionPay, and the indoor pool in Eschen takes francs, euro notes or cards.

Here’s where people get caught out. With a UK card, a terminal will sometimes offer to charge you in pounds. I’d always choose francs. Choose pounds and the conversion rate is set by the shop’s payment provider rather than your own card issuer, which is the easiest way to overpay without noticing.

Two places your card won’t help

The first is parking in Vaduz. The municipality charges CHF 1.50 an hour in the centre, with the first hour free, and the meters take cash only, paid in advance. The alternative is an app such as parkingpay or EasyPark, or TWINT. Details are in parking in Vaduz and Liechtenstein.

The second is the mountains. The Pfälzerhütte takes cash only and converts euros at the day’s rate, and the Gafadurahütte states plainly that it doesn’t accept cards and takes francs or euros. If you’re heading up to eat or stay, bring cash from the valley. After a long climb, finding that your card is useless at the counter is the last thing you want. The huts and their prices are in Liechtenstein’s mountain huts.

And the buses?

The opposite story. LIEmobil accepts no cash on any bus. You pay the driver by contactless debit or credit card, or use the SBB Mobile or Fairtiq apps. Turn up at Sargans with coins and no card and you’re stuck. That’s one reason I rate the Liechtenstein Adventure Pass so highly, since it removes paying for every ride.

The cost nobody budgets for

There’s one expense no budget includes until you need it. gov.uk now lists Liechtenstein as a place where a GHIC or EHIC works for medically necessary state treatment, but it warns that the card won’t pay for things like repatriation, private clinics or changes to your plans. For hiking or skiing it also advises insurance that covers mountain rescue and helicopters. I wouldn’t travel without that cover, and the wider picture is in is Liechtenstein safe.

How much cash I’d carry

Very little. A few francs for a parking meter if you’re driving, and a bit more if you plan to eat or sleep at a hut, where a tip also has to go in cash (the custom is explained in tipping in Liechtenstein). Everything else on a card. And if you end up with francs left over, they’re the same Swiss francs used across the border, so nothing is wasted if Switzerland is your next stop. If you want to see what things actually cost, from museum tickets to ski passes, it’s all in Liechtenstein prices and budget.