Credit card comparison Switzerland 2026

Credit card, debit card or prepaid: the difference

Credit cards, debit cards and prepaid cards look the same and often carry the Visa or Mastercard logo. That is why they are easily confused. The key difference is billing: with a credit card you pay later, with a debit card immediately and with a prepaid card only up to the balance you have loaded.

Revolut, neon, Yuh or Wise issue debit cards, not credit cards. That is why they are not included in this comparison.

→ You will find these cards in our neobank comparison.

What a credit card costs

What a credit card costs depends on more than the annual fee. Fees for purchases abroad, cash or paper statements can add up to more than the annual fee itself over 2 years. Swiss credit cards come with these costs:

• Annual fee: CHF 0 to 900 a year, often with a discount in the first year.
• Membership: The TCS cards require TCS membership, CHF 32 a year.
• Foreign currency: Processing fee of 0 to 2.5 % per purchase.
• Exchange rate markup: The issuer converts foreign currencies at its own rate, in the comparison 1.75 to 3.11 % above the market rate.
• CHF payments abroad: With 61 of 65 cards, a payment in francs to a foreign merchant also costs a fee.
• Cash: abroad, 4 % with 50 of 65 cards, at least CHF 10.
• Instalments: 9.5 to 12 % interest if you do not pay the statement in full.
• Paper statement: for example CHF 1.95 a month with the Supercard.

Free credit cards: 15 cards with no annual fee

15 cards never charge an annual fee, not even from the second year. With the Cornèrcard Classic and the American Express Card, only the first year is free; after that they cost CHF 100 and CHF 140 a year. For the TCS Member Mastercard, you need a TCS membership.

Is a gold or platinum card worth it?

21 gold and 9 platinum cards cost considerably more than standard cards. In return, you get more bonus, higher limits, insurance and, with 6 cards, access to airport lounges. This is how costs and benefits rise at the same providers:

The extra cost is only worth it if you really use the benefits. At UBS, the Gold card earns 0.2 % more bonus than the Classic. Its annual fee is on average CHF 75 higher in the first 2 years. You only recoup that from CHF 37'500 in spending a year.

Visa, Mastercard, American Express

Whether you have a Visa or a Mastercard hardly matters in Switzerland. The differences lie with American Express and card duos:

• Acceptance: Visa and Mastercard are accepted almost everywhere in Switzerland and worldwide. American Express is accepted less often, especially in smaller shops, cafés and restaurants, because merchants pay higher fees for it.
• Card duos: That is why, for example, the Amex from the Cashback Cards by Swisscard and from poinz only comes as a duo with a Visa or Mastercard. Where Amex is not accepted, you pay with the second card.
• Costs: The provider sets the annual fee and the processing fee; in the comparison, they are always the same for Visa and Mastercard from the same provider. With the exchange rate markup, the network can make a difference: For the Supercard, PostFinance and UBS, Evaluno uses 2.14 % for Visa and 2.03 % for Mastercard until we have our own measurement.
• Diners Club: In the comparison, Diners cards only come in the Cornèrcard Miles & More combined offer, together with a Visa.

Credit cards with cashback

How cashback works: Part of every purchase flows back to you, usually as a credit on your card statement or account, and with some cards only above a minimum amount. With Swiss credit cards, it is at most 1 % on purchases in francs, and up to 1.7 % in foreign currency with the Cornèrcard Platinum. 18 of the 65 cards offer cashback, 32 collect points and 12 miles.

What a bonus brings: With CHF 12'000 in purchases a year («High use» profile), 1 % cashback comes to CHF 120 a year. The bonus only covers an annual fee if you spend a lot: to offset the CHF 198 of the Raiffeisen Gold with 0.5 % cashback, you need CHF 39'600 in spending a year.

Credit cards with points programmes

How points programmes work: For every franc you spend, you collect points and later exchange them for vouchers, discounts or rewards. The provider sets how much a point is worth. For the comparison, each point is converted at a fixed value in francs:

Credit cards with Miles & More: collecting miles

How Miles & More works: Miles & More is the frequent flyer programme of the Lufthansa Group, which also includes SWISS and Edelweiss. With a Miles & More credit card, you collect miles with every purchase and later redeem them for award flights, upgrades to a higher class or rewards in the Miles & More Shop. 12 cards from Swisscard and Cornèrcard collect miles. They are not included in the costs because their value depends heavily on how you redeem them.

Credit cards abroad: foreign currency fees and cash

If you pay in euros or another foreign currency with a Swiss credit card, the provider charges a processing fee of 0 to 2.5 % per purchase. Only 4 of the 65 cards do without it: the Swisscard Kreditkarte, the two Supercard cards and the Migros Cumulus Visa Free. You still pay the issuer’s exchange rate markup with these cards.

With EUR 6'000 in purchases a year («High use» profile), the difference between 0 and 2.5 % comes to EUR 150 a year. The exchange rate markup comes on top: at 1.75 to 3.11 %, that is another EUR 105 to 187 a year.

Dynamic currency conversion: always pay in the local currency

If a terminal or online shop abroad offers to let you pay in francs, decline and pay in the local currency. Otherwise the merchant uses its own exchange rate. On top of that, with 61 of 65 cards a payment in francs to a foreign merchant costs a fee, for example 1.5 % with the Supercard.

Cash abroad

Abroad, cash costs 4 % with 50 of the 65 cards, at least CHF 10. You can only withdraw cash entirely free of charge with the PostFinance Visa Platinum and the TCS Travel Mastercard Gold. With the Migros Cumulus Visa Free, 2 withdrawals a year up to CHF 500 are free. If you withdraw foreign currency, the exchange rate markup comes on top.

Applying for a credit card: requirements and process

Requirements: As a rule, you need to live in Switzerland, be at least 18 years old and, as a foreign national, hold a B or C permit. The provider checks your income and creditworthiness and then sets the limit. For some cards you need an account with the bank, for example at PostFinance and Raiffeisen, and for 3 cards a membership (TCS or IKEA Family).

Process: Fill in the application online, confirm your identity, wait for the credit check. It usually takes a week or more for the card to arrive.