Switzerland

The debit card has overtaken cash as the most used means of payment in Swiss shops. The SNB’s 2025 diary found debit cards were used for 37% of in-person payments, cash for 30%, mobile payment apps for 17% and credit cards for 13%. Cash remains common at small retailers, in restaurants and for very small amounts, while public transport tickets are mostly bought through apps. At the till, TWINT works by scanning a QR code, and phone wallets such as Apple Pay make contactless card payments. PostFinance’s debit card is a domestic option, co-badged so that it can also run over an international card scheme.

Eurostat data show 86% of internet users in Switzerland bought online in the 12 months before the 2025 survey, above the EU average of 78%. Switzerland has four national languages, and shops selling nationwide usually need German and French versions, plus Italian for Ticino. Because Switzerland is outside the EU customs union and VAT area, goods shipped from abroad go through customs clearance and are subject to Swiss import VAT, which affects delivery times and final prices; foreign sellers should quote prices in CHF and make any duties and fees clear before payment.

Switzerland is outside the EU, so PSD2 and its strong customer authentication rules do not apply directly. The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) supervises banks and holders of the fintech licence, which allows public deposits of up to CHF 100 million; operators of payment systems and other payment service providers that fall under the Anti-Money Laundering Act must join a self-regulatory organisation (SRO). The SNB oversees systemically important payment systems, and instant account-to-account payments have been possible since August 2024. Under the Money Gaming Act, online casino games may only be offered by licensed Swiss casinos, and the Federal Gaming Board (ESBK) publishes a list of unauthorised sites that internet providers must block.

Switzerland has near-universal banking. The World Bank’s Global Findex 2025 (2024 survey data) put account ownership at 98% of adults and debit card ownership at 86%. In the SNB’s 2025 survey most respondents held debit and credit cards, mobile payment apps and online banking, yet 89% carried cash and only 2% favoured abolishing it. Satisfaction with options for withdrawing cash fell to 81% in 2025 from 88% in 2024 as the number of ATMs fell.