Payment solutions for Swiss associations – 5 practical guides

In Switzerland, there are over 100,000 clubs and associations – and sooner or later, almost every one of them faces the question: How do I collect membership fees, donations, tickets, and event revenues digitally? Whether cashless at the club festival, membership fees via payment link, donations via an online form, merch and tickets in the club shop, or a central platform for the entire association – our five guides show you step by step for every payment occasion how to set up the right solution, what it costs, and which Swiss providers come into question.

This overview page summarises all five guides and helps you find the right entry point – whether you are planning a club festival, want to modernise the annual fee collection, or, as an umbrella association, want to bring 50 sections together under one platform.

Guide 1: Cashless payments at club festivals

QR code · Tap to Pay · Card terminal · Festival catering

At the club festival, bratwurst meets a shortage of cash: visitors have no cash, helpers juggle with change, and at 11 p.m. the treasurer is still rolling coins. This guide compares three methods for cashless payments at the stand – printed QR code (CHF 0 hardware), Tap to Pay on the helper's smartphone, and mobile card terminal – and shows you how to get ready to go in 30 minutes.

For whom: Sports clubs (local fun tournament, home game catering), music associations (annual concert with bar), Scouts (neighbourhood festival stand), shooting clubs (village festival), any club with 1–4 festivals per year.

Core topics: Three methods compared (8 criteria), cost calculation for 80–200 transactions, setup instructions per method, settlement for club accounting, three practical examples (football tournament, concert, Scout flea market).

→ To the guide: Cashless payments at club festivals

Guide 2: Collecting membership fees digitally

Payment link · Recurring · QR-bill · Club management software

The annual collection of fees is the biggest time waster for every club treasurer: Excel list, sending out QR-bills, following up for weeks, writing reminders. A payment link (Paylink) by email solves the problem: member clicks, selects TWINT or credit card, pays in seconds. The treasurer sees the payment immediately. This guide compares four methods – from the payment slip to club software – and calculates from when the switch is worthwhile.

For whom: Any club with 30+ members that collects annual or seasonal fees. Particularly valuable for gymnastics clubs, music associations, choirs, and martial arts clubs with monthly fees.

Core topics: Four methods compared (Excel vs. Paylink vs. webshop vs. club software), cost calculation for 200 members at CHF 120 each, recurring payments (recurring), practical example «Gymnastics club: from 6 weeks to 12 days», step-by-step instructions.

→ To the guide: Collecting membership fees digitally

Guide 3: Collecting donations as a Swiss club or association

Donation form · QR code donation · Recurring Donations · Tax fundamentals

For non-profit associations, booster clubs, animal welfare associations, and social projects, donations are the main source of income. This guide shows you how to set up an online donation form with logo and suggested amounts, offer QR code donations on site at the stand or on flyers, and automate patron contributions as recurring donations. In addition, it explains the tax fundamentals: When is an association allowed to issue donation receipts, and what is required for cantonal tax exemption?

For whom: Non-profit associations, booster clubs, animal shelters, parent associations, charities, social projects – all associations where donations are a central source of income.

Core topics: Four donation channels (form, QR, Paylink, recurring), provider comparison (RaiseNow vs. PSP vs. club software), TWINT-only QR vs. multi-payment method QR, patron tiers, tax exemption and donation receipts, cost calculation with CHF 15,000 in donations.

→ To the guide: Collecting donations as a Swiss club or association

Guide 4: Club shop – selling merch, tickets, and courses online

Mini webshop · Fan shop · Ticket sales · Course registration with payment

Ordering jerseys via WhatsApp, paying for concert tickets by bank transfer, reserving course spots with a handshake – that works until orders get lost and payments are missing. A mini webshop showcases the offer, takes the order, and collects the payment in a single step. Without programming skills, without your own website, set up in less than an hour.

For whom: Sports clubs (jerseys, caps, water bottles), cultural associations (concert tickets, theatre), course-offering associations (yoga 10-class pass, single cooking class booking), any club that wants to sell 3–20 products online.

Core topics: Three use cases (fan shop, ticket shop, course registration), comparison table (custom webshop vs. mini webshop vs. social media), combining on-site + online (pre-order + pickup at the event), cost calculation with 50 orders/month, step-by-step setup.

→ To the guide: Create a club shop

Guide 5: Payment solution for associations – one platform for all sections

Platform · Split payment · Sub-merchants · Association reporting

Umbrella associations with 20–500 sections face a structural problem: Each section has its own payment solution (or none at all), the association has zero overview and has to collect the association's share manually. The solution: A central payment platform where each section receives its own account with its own branding and payout. Via split payment, the association's share is automatically deducted with every transaction. No content in the Swiss market covers this topic – this guide is the first.

For whom: Cantonal sports associations, professional associations with continuing education offerings, music associations with regional sections, umbrella organisations with a section structure.

Core topics: Three architecture models (decentralised vs. platform vs. white label), split payment explained, sub-merchant onboarding, two reporting levels, three scenarios (sports association, professional association, music association), regulatory aspects (AMLA, FINMA, SRO), cost comparison with 40 sections and CHF 500,000 volume.

→ To the guide: Payment solution for associations

Which guide fits your club?

All five guides at a glance – sorted by payment occasion, Payrexx product, and typical club type.

All prices excl. VAT. Fees apply to Swiss consumer cards and TWINT. Status 2026, guide values.

Accounting and settlement for clubs and associations

No matter which payment solution your club chooses – at the end of the event or the collection cycle, the balance must be right. Modern payment service providers provide you with an online Dashboard with daily closing, CSV export, and breakdown by payment method. This considerably simplifies the work of the club treasurer and the audit by the auditors.

Booking in the Swiss chart of accounts for SMEs: You record PSP transaction fees as bank charges (account 6840) – without VAT deduction, as payment services are exempt from tax according to Art. 21 para. 2 no. 19 MWSTG. A transit account (e.g. 1090) accurately reflects the time delay between the member payment and the payout to the club account.

For most Swiss associations, the following applies: As long as the annual turnover remains below CHF 100,000 and the association is not registered in the commercial register as commercial, no VAT is incurred. Revenues from fees, donations, festivals, and shop sales are booked in the association's accounting as earnings – regardless of whether cash or cashless payments were collected.

All club payments from a single source

With Payrexx, you combine QR code payments, Paylinks, and a mini webshop via a single merchant account – with consolidated settlement and payout to your Swiss club IBAN. Non-profit organisations receive a 50 % discount on paid subscriptions.