Moving in together? Try a free joint account

Yuhman 5 min read

Beginner

Account & Security

Joint accounts: four Mastercard cards, one account, zero stress

Are you the household CFO, or the one texting a weekly IOU? Shared costs as a couple, family, or housemates naturally means split bills. And as Switzerland moves away from the traditional “marriage penalty” and towards individual taxation, many couples are also rethinking how they manage money. Rather than fully merging their finances, a growing number prefer a hybrid approach: personal accounts for individual spending and a joint account for shared expenses. To help keep things simple, we’ve launched Yuh&Me: a free joint account, available in the Yuh app – designed to help two people pay, save, and budget from one space, while keeping their personal money separate.

Illustration of two people having coffee together at a table in a café

How to manage your money when moving in together? Make it mutual

A joint account is exactly what it sounds like: one space, accessed by two people. Think of it as a shared wallet inside your financial app: you both pay money in, you both spend from it, and you both see what’s going in and out. It’s designed to make shared spending simpler, from paying rent with your partner to splitting dinner costs with a flatmate. Less guesswork, fewer awkward reminders, and no need to monitor if someone is using more than their share of toilet paper.

Who can apply for a joint account?

Most joint accounts are available to people over the age of 18 who want to manage shared money with someone they trust. Depending on the bank, both applicants will usually need to meet the eligibility criteria, verify their identity, and agree to the account terms. It’s ideal for couples but also housemates, friends, or family members, as long as you’re both Swiss residents.

What can you do with a joint account?

With a joint account, you can usually:

Pay money in: for example, each person adds their share at the start of the month, or start a savings pot for shared goals
Use it for shared costs: rent, bills, groceries, holidays, pet food, toilet paper, emergency snacks
Make payments from one place: instead of one person paying and the other transferring later
Track spending together: so everyone can see what has been paid, what is coming up, and where the money went
Use your own card: each person may get their own debit card (physical or virtual) linked to the one account

Basically, if you both use it, both eat it, both sit on it, both stream it, or both forgot to include it in the budget, the money for it probably belongs in the joint account.

Is a joint account right for you?

A joint account could be a smart move if you regularly share costs with someone and want to make money admin easier. It can work well for partners, flatmates, or family members who want a clearer view of shared spending, bills, and savings.
That said, it’s not for every setup. If you don’t fully trust the other person with shared money, prefer to keep your finances completely separate, or you only share the occasional one-off expense, it may not be the right fit.

Things to agree before opening a joint account

A joint account can make shared budgeting much easier – as long as you both understand the assignment. Before you set it up, agree what it’s for, how you’ll use it, and what stays personal.
You might want to agree:

What the account will be used for: Bills only? Groceries too? Shared nights out? Holidays? Emergency household costs?
How much each person will pay in: Will you contribute the same amount, or split things based on income?
What stays personal: A joint account is for shared money, not necessarily every single thing you buy.
Who manages what: Will one person set up eBill? Will you both check the account regularly?
What happens if things change: If someone moves out, a relationship ends, or your shared expenses go up, how will you handle the account?

The goal is not to make things awkward, just to avoid future confusion. A joint account should simplify your life, not become the place where passive-aggressive payment references go to thrive.

Yuh&Me can help: the free Swiss joint account

Made for two people who share expenses, plans, habits, snacks, bills, Wi-Fi passwords, or all of the above, Yuh&Me gives your shared money its own proper space separate from your personal account, but still right there in the Yuh app. You can use it to pay household bills, split everyday costs, save for shared goals, and spend from the same balance without turning life into one long bank transfer request.
And because it’s built for Switzerland, it comes with the essentials: a Swiss IBAN, TWINT, eBill and Mastercard debit cards. No monthly fee, no complicated setup, no accountancy degree needed.

All the things Yuh&Me can do

Pay and split your bills

With Yuh&Me, your joint account is ready for Swiss life. You can approve digital invoices with eBill and use TWINT linked directly to your joint balance, so your shared payments come out of your shared money.

Keep shared money separate from personal money

A joint account does not mean merging your entire financial personality. Your personal and shared finances stay in the same easy-to-use Yuh app, but not in the same pot. You can switch between your personal Yuh account and your Yuh&Me account with a tap, while your joint account gets its own Swiss IBAN. Both account holders can see what is going on, and you both receive real-time notifications.

Free your finances with up to 4 cards

One shared account, two people, up to four cards. Each account holder gets a virtual Mastercard right away, linked to the joint balance. You can also order one physical Mastercard each, giving you up to 2 virtual cards and 2 physical cards in total, so you can both pay from the same shared pot at the same time – online, in-store or on the go – without playing card ping-pong.

Build your savings together

Create unlimited joint savings projects for the things you both care about. A well-deserved holiday. New sofa. Moving deposit. A why-is-the-washing-machine-making-that-noise fund. You can both add money any time, from any device, and track your progress in real time. Tiny dopamine hits included.

Oops-proof your purchases with Yuh Pocket

Life happens: phones drop, coffee spills, keys vanish into another dimension (hopefully not all in one day). With Yuh Pocket, eligible purchases made with your Yuh&Me card are covered by Pocket Insurance at no extra cost. There is no extra sign-up needed, and it’s available to both account holders from day one.

Joint accounts are a great way to spend less time untangling everyone’s expenses and more time doing literally. anything. else.

Your shared-money starter checklist

Before you create your joint account, here’s the low-effort, high-reward checklist:

Decide what expenses belong in the joint account
Agree how much you will each contribute
Link TWINT to your joint balance
Use eBill for digital invoices
Activate your virtual cards
Order your physical cards if you want them
Create your first joint savings project
Keep personal spending in your personal account

Then you’re good to go. Shared money, minus the awkward maths.

Get started

Open your free joint account

FAQs

Can unmarried couples open a joint account in Switzerland?

Absolutely – besties, siblings, and situationships are all welcome. As long as you’re both Swiss residents, you’re good to go. You just need to both be over the age of 18 and each have an active Yuh personal account.

What happens if one person wants to close the account?

Closing a joint account does not have to be a joint decision. Either account holder can initiate the process alone. Once submitted, the account is blocked and only the person who requested the closure can provide the IBAN for the remaining funds.

Can you have a joint account and still keep your personal account?

In the name of financial freedom, yes! Yuh&Me is for the “ours” stuff: rent, groceries, bills, toilet paper diplomacy. Your own account is still there for the “mine” stuff: your to-go coffee habit and impulse buys remain your little secret.

How do we split expenses fairly when moving in together?

Agree what counts as shared (usually rent, bills, groceries, internet, and household basics) then decide whether to split 50/50 or based on income. A joint account like Yuh&Me keeps shared costs in one place, so no one has to become a spreadsheet goblin.

Get started

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