Visana — the health insurance that pays loyalty back
Visana — the health insurance that pays loyalty back.
Visana is the Bern-rooted insurer that rewards staying healthy and staying put. A 20% no-claims bonus on supplementary, multi-year contract discounts, and regional pricing strength in the alpine cantons — the value compounds if you commit.
At a glance
- Satisfaction
- 5.0/6(Comparis 2026)
- Basic from
- CHF 587.20/month(Zürich example, 2027)
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Premium calculator · official BAG tariffs
What Visana charges in 2027
2027 premiums shown, as published by the Federal Office of Public Health on 29 September 2026.
Zürich · premium region 1 · adult 26+ · (not needed if you're employed 8+ hours a week)
CHF 566
a month at Visana in 2027 — +4.4% since 2026
Cheapest for the same cover
Sumiswalder · CHF 471
CHF 1'139 a year less than Visana
Visana since 2016, against the market
A calculator sees the price. It can’t see your supplementary contract, your model’s referral rules or how your insurer pays claims — that’s the review. Free · 45 minutes · In English · With Robert.
Visana for expats — the verdict.
Strong employer group plans, solid accident cover, and a 20% no-claims bonus system — with limited English and an individual-supplementary range that's less competitive. Visana fits employees inside Visana group contracts; individual English-first buyers usually do better elsewhere.
- English service
- Limited English
- Supplementary pricing
- Age-banded + no-claims bonus + multi-year discounts
- Digital
- myVisana app (SIQT Award 2025) + myPoints
- Tends to fit
- Employer-group members, accident-cover buyers
Visana fits if.
- You're in Bern, Solothurn, or Aargau — Visana's basic premiums are among the cheapest in these cantons
- You're healthy and expect to claim little — the 20% no-claims bonus rewards low usage
- You want bundled supplementary rather than assembling components — Gesundheitspaket S/M/L are clean packages
- You value a traditional insurer with 150+ years of regional heritage and a physical agency network
Probably wrong if.
- You need English-language support — Visana's website is DE/FR/IT only, and phone support in English is inconsistent
- You're in Zürich or Geneva where Visana's pricing advantage disappears
- You want a short commitment — the best discounts require 3–5 year contracts
- You're 65+ and need new supplementary — entry age capped at 70, and the age-band premium at this stage is steep
Visana — at a glance.
Founded
1996
Roots to 1870 (KKB Bern)
Headquarters
Bern
Mittelland
Insured persons
~848K
Part of Atusana group (with Atupri)
| Category | Visana |
|---|---|
| Languages | DE, FR, IT (EN limited) |
| Moneyland 2025 | 7.8 / 10 (Good) |
| Bonus.ch 2025 | 5.3 / 6 — alongside Helsana and SWICA |
| Digital experience | myVisana app (SIQT Award 2025) + myPoints fitness |
| Pricing model (supplementary) | Age-band + 20% no-claims bonus + multi-year discounts |
| Regional strength | Bern, Solothurn, Aargau — among the cheapest basic premiums |
Sources: Visana scope of services 2026 · moneyland.ch 2025 · bonus.ch · visana.ch
Products you'd actually choose.
Visana's supplementary range is bundled rather than modular. These are the four options that come up in expat consultations.
Gesundheitspaket S
Budget supplementary bundle closing the key KVG gaps. Emergency transport, basic alternative medicine, limited dental. The minimum layer for expats who want some coverage without a large premium.
Coverage limits on S are tight. Alternative medicine and dental caps may run out by mid-year for regular users.
Gesundheitspaket M
Mid-tier bundle adding dental, check-ups, alternative medicine, and psychotherapy. The package most expats land on — broader than S without the premium jump to L.
The 20% no-claims bonus applies here — but only if you claim nothing all year. One physiotherapy visit resets it.
Spital Flex
Flexible hospital coverage: choose your ward at each admission with a co-payment for upgrades. Lower base premium than committed semi-private or private.
The co-payment on semi-private or private upgrades can be steep for longer stays. Model the expected length of stay before choosing Flex over committed.
Spital Semi-Private / Private
Committed hospital tiers. Semi-private: twin room, senior physicians. Private: single room, chief physician. The products where the age-curve and the no-claims bonus interact most.
The no-claims bonus softens the age-band climb — but one hospital claim wipes it. At 55+, the premium without the bonus can be punishing.
Two services come with most plans: TelDoc (the Telmed basic model via the Well app) and myPoints (the fitness bonus programme — earn up to CHF 120/year for staying active).
The age-curve, in one chart.
Spital Semi-Private — monthly premium by age
The CHF 150 you pay at 30 becomes CHF 670 at 70. This is the age-curve trap.
| Age | Monthly premium (CHF) |
|---|---|
| 30 | 150 |
| 40 | 220 |
| 50 | 350 |
| 60 | 500 |
| 70 | 670 |
Visana Spital Semi-Private: the CHF 150 you pay at 30 becomes CHF 670 at 70. The no-claims bonus can reduce this by 20% in healthy years — but one claim resets it. The underlying curve is age-band, same as CSS and Helsana.
No-claims bonus — how it compounds.
Visana's 20% no-claims bonus on supplementary premiums is unique among mid-size insurers. If you don't claim anything on your supplementary in a calendar year, next year's premium drops 20%. The bonus resets if you claim — even once.
Combined with a 3-year multi-year contract (2% discount) or a 5-year contract (3% discount), the stacked savings can offset a meaningful portion of the age-band climb. For healthy, low-usage expats, this is Visana's genuine competitive edge.
The catch: the bonus is binary. One physiotherapy visit, one prescription, one claim of any kind — and the 20% discount disappears for the following year. For expats who use their supplementary actively, the bonus is theoretical. For those who rarely claim, it's real money.
"Visana rewards the years you don't need your insurance. The 20% no-claims bonus is the closest thing in Swiss health insurance to a loyalty dividend — as long as you stay healthy enough to earn it."
Where Visana frustrates you.
English support is unreliable. The website is German, French, and Italian only. Phone support in English can involve 15+ minute waits and inconsistent language capability. For English-only expats dealing with the insurer directly, this is material friction.
The multi-year contract lock-in cuts both ways. The 5-year contract saves 3% — but if your employer relocates you in year two, you're still on the hook for the contract term. The 3-year is the safer bet for most expats.
Visana's pricing advantage is regional, not national. In Bern and Solothurn, they're competitive. In Zürich and Geneva, CSS, Helsana, or Concordia often undercut them on basic premiums. Don't assume the Bern price applies everywhere.
This is the kind of thing we read the contracts for.
Some of the people we've advised on Visana.
Hua-Ling · 29 · Taipei → Bern, 2024
Young professional, healthy, expected to claim nothing in her first year. Visana's no-claims bonus means a 20% reduction on supplementary premiums the following year if she doesn't claim.
We placed her on Visana Gesundheitspaket S — the budget bundle. If she claims nothing, next year's premium drops 20%. Over three years of low usage, the savings compound meaningfully.
The no-claims bonus turns healthy years into cheaper years. At 29, that's most of them.
Conor · 41 · Dublin → Solothurn, 2024
Relocating to Solothurn for a pharma role. In Bern and Solothurn cantons, Visana's basic premiums are among the cheapest — regional pricing strength from 150 years of local roots.
We placed him on Visana basic with the Med Direct Hausarzt model. In Solothurn, Visana's Standard basic is cheaper than CSS, Helsana, or SWICA. The regional advantage is real.
In Bern and Solothurn, Visana isn't the cheapest because they cut corners. They're the cheapest because they've been there the longest.
Chiamaka · 35 · Lagos → Zürich, 2024
Wanted a single bundled supplementary product rather than assembling components. Visana's Gesundheitspaket M bundles ambulatory, complementary medicine, dental, and psychotherapy into one contract.
We placed her on Gesundheitspaket M with a 3-year multi-year contract for the 2% discount. The bundling simplicity was worth more to her than CSS's myFlex modularity — she wanted one product, not three.
Modularity is a feature for people who enjoy comparing tiers. For everyone else, the bundle is the answer.
Mikael · 47 · Oslo → Aarau, 2023
Existing Visana supplementary, considering the 5-year multi-year contract for the 3% discount. The trade-off: lower premium vs locked-in commitment. If his employer relocates him, he's still on the hook for the contract term.
We recommended the 3-year contract instead of the 5-year. The 2% discount captures most of the savings with less lock-in risk. For someone on an expat assignment, flexibility is worth the extra 1%.
The 5-year contract saves 3%. The 3-year saves 2%. The difference is one percentage point and two years of optionality.
Nkechi · 63 · Abuja → Lausanne, 2023
Late-career diplomat, arriving at 63. Visana's supplementary entry age is capped at 70 — she made it, but barely. At 63, the age-band premium is steep and the health declaration added an exclusion on a pre-existing condition.
We placed her on Visana Spital Semi-Private. The exclusion was narrower than what Sanitas or CSS offered. The 20% no-claims bonus softens the age-band premium if she stays healthy.
At 63, the entry cap isn't a deadline — it's a countdown. Every year you wait narrows the options.
★★★★★
“She assisted and guided me through the entire process of obtaining my Swiss pension refund.”
Ryan K. · Google
★★★★★
“What I appreciated the most is that she was trying to help me solve my problem, not simply sell me an insurance policy.”
Thomas P. · Google
★★★★★
“After several bad experiences with other brokers, working with Mr. Robert Kolar was a completely different experience.”
Dragos H. · Google
★★★★★
“Robert is the best person to partner with if you need to do difficult things such as relocate.”
E. Burke-Murphy · Google
★★★★★
“My session with Robert was one of the most efficient consultation sessions I'd ever had.”
Milad F. · Google
★★★★★
“I was looking to change a supplementary insurance plan, and Robert guided me with professionalism and patience.”
Diana M. · Google
★★★★★
“After returning to Switzerland from abroad, Robert was a tremendous help consulting me about all the changes.”
Steven · Google
★★★★★
“Highly recommend consulting Expat Savvy before making any online insurance comparisons.”
Zendaya B. · Google
★★★★★
“Working with Ben was great. Very prompt and responsive. Would highly recommend to anyone.”
Michele · Google
★★★★★
“Beide arbeiten Hand in Hand und haben die individuellen Anforderungen unserer Kunden immer im Blick.”
Katharina K. · Google
★★★★★
“She assisted and guided me through the entire process of obtaining my Swiss pension refund.”
Ryan K. · Google
★★★★★
“What I appreciated the most is that she was trying to help me solve my problem, not simply sell me an insurance policy.”
Thomas P. · Google
★★★★★
“After several bad experiences with other brokers, working with Mr. Robert Kolar was a completely different experience.”
Dragos H. · Google
★★★★★
“Robert is the best person to partner with if you need to do difficult things such as relocate.”
E. Burke-Murphy · Google
★★★★★
“My session with Robert was one of the most efficient consultation sessions I'd ever had.”
Milad F. · Google
★★★★★
“I was looking to change a supplementary insurance plan, and Robert guided me with professionalism and patience.”
Diana M. · Google
★★★★★
“She assisted and guided me through the entire process of obtaining my Swiss pension refund.”
Ryan K. · Google
★★★★★
“What I appreciated the most is that she was trying to help me solve my problem, not simply sell me an insurance policy.”
Thomas P. · Google
★★★★★
“After several bad experiences with other brokers, working with Mr. Robert Kolar was a completely different experience.”
Dragos H. · Google
★★★★★
“Robert is the best person to partner with if you need to do difficult things such as relocate.”
E. Burke-Murphy · Google
★★★★★
“My session with Robert was one of the most efficient consultation sessions I'd ever had.”
Milad F. · Google
★★★★★
“I was looking to change a supplementary insurance plan, and Robert guided me with professionalism and patience.”
Diana M. · Google
Illustrated portraits — households we've advised across all eleven Swiss insurers.
What Robert asks about Visana.
For Visana, the first question is 'which canton?' In Bern and Solothurn, Visana's basic premiums are genuinely competitive — and the no-claims bonus makes supplementary cheaper than it looks. In Zürich, the pricing advantage disappears and we're looking at other insurers. The second question is 'how often do you actually claim?' If the answer is rarely, the 20% bonus is real money. If it's quarterly, the bonus is marketing.
— Robert Kolar · Health insurance advisor
Visana in the wider market.
Visana isn't the only choice for these scenarios. The pages we'd send you to next:
- SWICA — for entry-age pricing instead of age-band + bonus
- Concordia — for family pricing in Central Switzerland
- CSS — for modular flexibility instead of bundled packages
- Helsana — for digital rewards and broader product range
- Changing insurer — the two deadlines: 30 November for basic, and the separate window supplementary opens when your policy lands
From our 2026 hospital cost index
What Visana charges — observed, not quoted from a brochure.
| Monthly CHF, new applicant | Age 26 | Age 38 | Age 53 | Age 65 | Max entry age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visana · semi-private | 129 | 129 | 177 | 362 | 69 |
| Visana · private | 199 | 210 | 341 | 603 |
Abroad, Visana pays a percentage of what basic insurance leaves uncovered — Privat Europa 100% in Europe but 75% elsewhere; Privat Welt 100% worldwide.
Six-canton average across both sexes, quoted live from the insurers' own calculators on 10 August 2026 — list prices before health underwriting. Full tables, availability map, and the tier-by-tier abroad comparison: Swiss Hospital Insurance Cost Index 2026.
From the Expat Health Insurance Index
How Visana priced the last decade.
Visana: CHF 414.30 → CHF 580.00 a month over the decade (+40%, market median +51.2%); steepest single year +10.5% in 2024. Basic insurance, adult, CHF 2'500 franchise, standard model, Zürich region 1 — officially approved tariffs. Full context, every insurer and the arrival-year simulator: The Expat Health Insurance Index.
Frequently asked.
What is Visana's no-claims bonus?
How do multi-year contract discounts work?
Is Visana competitive in Zürich?
Does Visana support English?
What is the supplementary entry age limit?
What happens if I leave Switzerland?
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