Reduce payment fees – what card payments in Switzerland really cost

Payment fees are one of the few cost items that Swiss SMEs can control directly. Anyone paying 2% on every sale instead of 1% loses CHF 100 net margin on monthly sales of EUR 10'000 – every single month. This guide shows what card payments actually cost in Switzerland, how to compare different providers, and when a subscription model is cheaper than the turnover-based alternative.

This guide shows you concrete fee calculations for Swiss business sectors, explains the difference between in-person and online fees – and gives you the basis to systematically reduce your business's payment costs.

1. Why payment fees have become a margin issue

According to the Deloitte 2026 Retail Industry Global Outlook, 82% of retail executives expect margin increases – while 73% concurrently adjust their selling prices upwards. In an environment where every cost category is under the microscope, payment fees are particularly relevant: they apply to every sale, they can be fixed contractually, and they vary significantly between providers.

For Swiss SMEs, there is an additional specific factor: TWINT and PostFinance Pay are cheaper payment methods than international credit cards – but only if you have a provider that supports these methods natively. Anyone relying only on a provider without TWINT misses out on the cheapest payment channels and at the same time risks losing customers.

2. In-person payments: What a transaction actually costs

The most common mistake when comparing fees: only percentages are compared, not fixed fees per transaction. For small amounts (CHF 8–20), a fixed fee of CHF 0.15 can massively increase the effective percentage.

Example: a CHF 0.15 fixed fee on a CHF 8 transaction already corresponds to a 1.88% fixed portion – even before the percentage fee is applied.

The following table shows the effective costs per transaction with a receipt value of CHF 30 as well as the online fee comparison (as of May 2026). Worldline prices are not publicly available and have not been included.

Note on SumUp: The 0.99% rate for "Payments Plus" applies to debit and credit cards – but exclusively to cards. Neither TWINT nor PostFinance Pay are available on SumUp.

SumUp is a card provider – Payrexx is a Swiss PSP

This is the crucial difference that pure fee comparisons obscure: SumUp is a card reader provider. Payrexx is a complete Swiss Payment Service Provider with TWINT, PostFinance Pay, QR bill, subscription payments and online checkout from a single system.

The following overview shows what each provider actually supports:

A hairdressing salon or food truck with a 30% TWINT share that switches to SumUp won't lose these customers to fees – they will lose them altogether. They won't pay differently, they will leave.

3. Total monthly costs: Subscription vs. turnover-based

Whether a subscription model is cheaper than a purely turnover-based billing system depends on the monthly turnover and payment mix. The following table shows three typical scenarios for Swiss SMEs (as of May 2026). Calculation based on POS transactions:

From CHF 4'000–5'000 monthly card turnover, a subscription model is almost always worth it. Below that, the turnover-based option without fixed costs is cheaper – especially for seasonal businesses such as food trucks, pop-up stores or weekly markets. Important: as soon as TWINT is in the mix, the comparison changes fundamentally, as SumUp simply does not offer this option.

4. Online payments: Fees for Swiss e-commerce

With online transactions there is no POS infrastructure, but there is higher fraud risk and card-not-present surcharges. Payrexx communicates the following fees for Swiss online merchants (as of May 2026):

With the Premium plan (CHF 49/mth.), the Visa/MC fees drop to 1.35% + CHF 0.18. This is worth it starting from a monthly online card turnover of around CHF 30'000 – depending on the payment mix. For merchants with a very high share of TWINT, Premium is less beneficial, since TWINT fees are identical on Standard and Premium.

5. The break-even: when which plan pays off

For the Standard plan (CHF 19/mth.): the subscription advantage over the Free plan becomes apparent from a monthly turnover of around CHF 2'500–3'500 with a typical Swiss payment mix. Below this threshold, the Free plan is attractive for occasional transactions.

For the Premium plan (CHF 49/mth.): the lower transaction fees amortise the higher subscription cost from around CHF 20'000 monthly turnover. For seasonal businesses with fluctuating turnover, the Free plan with Tap to Pay (also included) is often the most sensible entry option. POS terminals require at least the Standard plan.

6. The hidden costs: What fee lists don't show

In addition to transaction fees, there are other cost components that are often missing in comparisons:

Particularly relevant for Swiss SMEs: Payrexx bundles all payments – POS, Online, Tap to Pay, Payment Links – in a single weekly or monthly payout to the IBAN. This saves bookkeeping effort, which does not appear in any fee list.

Checklist: systematically optimize payment fees

• Analyse current payment mix: What % Debit, Credit, TWINT?

• Calculate break-even: subscription vs. turnover-based on the basis of real monthly figures

• Check TWINT share: No TWINT = potential loss of customers in Switzerland

• Activate PostFinance Pay: opens up further payers at no extra cost

• Pay attention to fixed fees for small receipts: CHF 0.15 for a CHF 8 receipt = +1.88% effective

• Include terminal rental costs in the overall calculation

• Seasonal businesses: check Free plan + Tap to Pay instead of subscription

• Compare Online and POS: Anyone needing both benefits from an integrated provider

Payrexx offers Swiss SMEs transparent, publicly viewable fees: TWINT POS at 1.25%, Debit card POS at 0.95% + CHF 0.15, Credit card POS at 1.25% + CHF 0.15 – all via the Standard plan for CHF 19/mth., including TWINT, PostFinance Pay, QR bill and online payments from a single system.