Additional fees for Parkingpay cause trouble in Grenchen – but they can easily be avoided
Because the direct debit system is being discontinued, customers have to make individual payments, which incur fees that are sometimes higher than the actual parking fee.
A frequently used Parkingpay badge.
Image: Oliver Menge
With the Parkingpay app you can now pay your parking fees in 1,100 locations throughout Switzerland and save yourself the trip to the cash register or ticket machine. This is also the case in Grenchen, in a total of 63 zones – parking garages and blue zones included. The parking fees are the same as if you enter your parking time at the machine or buy a ticket at the cash register. At least in most cases.
Some people see it a little differently: Previously, it was possible to pay Parkingpay charges by direct debit without being charged an additional fee. Now you can only pay by single payment with a credit card or Twint, where an additional fee of 25 centimes is charged each time, reports a regular short-term parker.
Additional fee higher than parking fee
If someone only parks briefly to run a quick errand, they may have to pay parking fees of 20 centimes, which means the additional fee is higher than the actual amount. At the end of the month, the additional fees could add up to 20 to 30 francs, i.e. 200 to 300 francs per year.
The question arises as to whether this increase was perhaps initiated by the city and perhaps even collected? We asked the Grenchen police inspectorate. In Grenchen, this is responsible, among other things, for parking space management (blue zones and parking meters).
Until about three years ago, you still had to apply the appropriate adhesive to the windshield.
Image: Oliver Menge
Upon request, the Grenchen Police Inspectorate stated that the city only charges fees in relation to Parkingpay in one case, namely when taking back annual parking cards that are no longer needed and still have a balance left on them. Here the city charges a processing fee of 20 francs, or you deduct this amount from the credit, which you refund.
These resident privileges are processed via the Parkingpay app so that you can control them. Otherwise the city does not charge any fees in this context.
Credit card payment fees
The additional fees for individual payments are charged by Parkingpay, explains Edith Riedweg, responsible for administrative and commercial police at the police inspectorate. If someone pays the parking fee via Twint, Postfinance, Apple Pay or other payment apps or a credit card, a surcharge of 25 centimes will be charged – but only for charges that are less than 20 francs.
Riedweg also confirms that, according to Parkingpay AG, the direct debit procedure will be discontinued at the end of the year and is no longer listed in the information about payment options on the Parkingpay website.
The app and account make it possible
However, there is one way to avoid the fees: you download the app onto your smartphone, register with Parkingpay and open a free account in the app into which you can make advance payments. Each parking fee is then deducted from this account at no additional cost – but this is only possible if the account balance is at least 20 francs.
You can also order a free badge, the size of a credit card, which you can use to open the barriers when entering and exiting many parking garages and also see your account balance.
More articles from these communities
