Swiss hair salons and barbershops benefit from cashless payment solutions: TWINT is used by over 6 million people in Switzerland, and around 81 % of brick-and-mortar stores already accept the payment app. For salons, this means: anyone who does not offer a card terminal or TWINT loses potential walk-in customers and makes the tipping issue unnecessarily difficult. The right payment solution depends on turnover volume, the desired TWINT integration, and whether appointment booking and payment should be linked.

This guide explains step by step which payment solutions are suitable for hair salons and barbershops in Switzerland, what they cost, and how to set up tipping, appointment booking, and accounting properly.

1. Why Swiss customers want to pay cashless in hair salons

Payment habits in Switzerland have changed significantly in recent years. According to the Swiss Payment Monitor by ZHAW, the debit card is the most frequently used payment method in brick-and-mortar retail, followed by cash and TWINT. For hairdressers and barbershops, this change has three concrete effects.

First: customers simply expect to be able to pay cashless. A salon that only accepts cash no longer feels up to date – especially among younger customers, who see debit card, TWINT, or Apple Pay as standard. Second: TWINT has particularly high penetration in Switzerland. In 2025, 901 million transactions were processed via TWINT, 65 % of them in-store. Third: cashless payment solves an everyday problem in the salon – the tip. If customers do not have cash with them, the tip is often lost. A tipping function on the terminal or via the payment page makes it easy to leave a tip anyway.

In addition: salons that want to introduce advance payment or no-show fees when booking online absolutely need an electronic payment solution. Without card payments or TWINT, such models cannot be implemented.

2. Terminal, Tap to Pay or QR code: Which solution is right for the salon?

For hair salons and barbershops, four basic approaches come into question: a physical card terminal, Tap to Pay on the smartphone (iPhone or Android), a pure TWINT QR code, or a PSP-based QR code that covers TWINT as well as credit cards and other payment methods. Each variant has advantages and disadvantages that depend on turnover volume, technical setup, and the desired payment methods.

Physical card terminal

A classic card terminal – such as from Worldline (formerly SIX Payment Services), SumUp or Payrexx – accepts debit cards, credit cards and contactless payments (Apple Pay, Google Pay). Worldline and Payrexx terminals also support TWINT and PostFinance Card. SumUp terminals do not accept TWINT. Payrexx offers POS terminals (Nexgo N5, N6 Mini, N86) with integrated SIM card from CHF 9 per month (introductory price) – the devices work independently of the smartphone and do not require Wi-Fi in the salon. For salons with regular card turnover from CHF 3’000 per month, a Worldline or Payrexx terminal is worthwhile because of the lower transaction fees compared with SumUp.

Tap to Pay on iPhone or Android

Since March 2025, Tap to Pay on iPhone has also been available in Switzerland. The smartphone becomes the card terminal – without additional hardware. Providers such as SumUp, Worldline, Stripe and myPOS support the iPhone version for debit and credit cards as well as Apple Pay and Google Pay. On Android, several providers offer SoftPOS solutions, including Payrexx Tap to Pay: the app turns any NFC-enabled Android smartphone into a card terminal and accepts cards as well as TWINT, Apple Pay and Samsung Pay – an advantage over the iPhone version, which does not support TWINT. The transaction fees for Payrexx Tap to Pay are 1.65 % + CHF 0.15 per transaction, with no monthly fixed costs for the first device. For sole proprietors and mobile hairdressers, Tap to Pay is an uncomplicated entry-level solution. Limitation: a stable internet connection (Wi-Fi or mobile network) is mandatory.

TWINT QR code (static or dynamic)

A static TWINT QR code at reception is the simplest option: the customer scans the code with the TWINT app and enters the amount herself. Transaction fee: 1.3 %. This solution is suitable as a supplement to the terminal or as a standalone option for very small businesses. The downside: only customers with the TWINT app can pay – tourists or people without TWINT are left out.

PSP-based QR code (e.g. Payrexx QR Pay)

An evolution of the pure TWINT QR code is QR codes generated through a payment service provider. The principle: the QR code can be scanned both with the TWINT app and with the normal smartphone camera. In the second case, a payment page opens where the customer can choose between TWINT, credit card, PostFinance, Apple Pay and other payment methods. This is particularly practical for salons with international clientele or walk-in customers without TWINT. The QR code can be configured with an open amount, fixed amount or minimum amount and placed at reception as a poster or sticker. The salon does not need its own Wi-Fi for this – the internet connection runs via the customer's smartphone.

Comparison of payment solutions

Many salons combine two solutions: a card terminal or Tap to Pay for the main turnover and a QR code as an additional option. Anyone who wants to cover all payment methods through a single QR code should opt for a PSP-based QR code rather than the pure TWINT QR.

3. Tipping on the card terminal: How the tipping function works in Switzerland

Tipping is common in Swiss hair salons, but not a given. As more and more customers pay cashless, the question arises: how does tipping work on the card terminal?

Pre-set tip amounts

The most common solution is pre-set tip options on the terminal display. Typical levels: 5 %, 10 %, 15 % or a custom amount. For a haircut for CHF 65, the customer would see, for example, "CHF 3.25 / CHF 6.50 / CHF 9.75 / Other amount". The advantage: the customer does not need to calculate, and the tip is booked directly with the payment.

Technical implementation

Whether the tipping function is available depends on the provider and the terminal model. Worldline offers the function on its newer Android terminals (e.g. Axium series), configurable via the merchant portal. In SumUp, the tipping function can be activated in the app. SoftPOS solutions such as Payrexx Tap to Pay as well as the Payrexx POS terminals also offer a configurable tipping function – the advantage: whether via smartphone app or physical terminal, the salon can offer tip options without additional configuration steps. For online payment pages – for example when booking appointments – a PSP can display a tipping option directly on the payment page.

Tax treatment

Tips received via the card terminal are part of the payment flow for accounting purposes and must be booked correctly. In Switzerland, tips are generally subject to AHV if passed on to employees (Art. 7 lit. c AHVV). For VAT, tips that the customer gives voluntarily and in addition to the agreed price are not subject to VAT according to Art. 18 para. 2 lit. j MWSTG, provided they are clearly separated from the service price. In accounting, it is advisable to keep tips in a separate account (e.g. account 2279 "Pass-through tips" in the SME chart of accounts).

4. Appointment booking and advance payment: combine online booking with payment

Many hair salons now use an online booking tool – for example via their own website, Instagram or Google. Linking booking and payment solves two common problems: no-shows (customers who do not show up) and the administrative effort for reminders.

No-show fees and advance payment

To reduce no-shows, more and more salons require a credit card on file or advance payment at booking. A no-show fee of CHF 30–50 is typical, and is charged only if the appointment is not attended. Alternatively, the full amount or a deposit (e.g. 50 %) can be charged at booking. Implementation requires a payment service provider (PSP) that enables credit card payments and ideally also TWINT via a payment page.

Integration with booking systems

Booking systems such as Treatwell, Shore or Salonkee can be connected to a PSP via APIs. The process: the customer books an appointment online, is redirected to the payment page, pays by TWINT or credit card, and only receives the booking confirmation after successful payment. A PSP with Swiss payment methods ensures that TWINT, PostFinance and credit cards are available – not just Visa and Mastercard.

5. Costs and fees: what hairdressers in Switzerland really pay

The total costs consist of purchase or rental costs, transaction fees, and any subscription fees. The following table shows a realistic comparison for a salon with CHF 5’000 card turnover per month.

Important: The effective fees depend on the payment mix. In a typical hair salon, the share of debit cards is higher than the share of credit cards, which lowers average costs. At Worldline, fees are also negotiable – anyone who can prove annual card turnover of over CHF 50’000 will usually receive better terms. SumUp offers reduced fees with the "One" subscription for CHF 19 per month (0.79 % instead of 1.5 %), which pays off from around CHF 4’400 card turnover per month. The Payrexx POS terminals offer one of the lowest rates on the market with 0.95 % for debit cards and also cover TWINT and PostFinance under a single contract.

6. Accounting: correctly record card payments, TWINT and cash turnover

A common mistake among hairdressers: booking the payout from SumUp or Worldline directly as revenue. That is wrong – revenue is the gross amount paid by the customer, not the amount paid out after deducting the transaction fee.

Correct booking with transit account

The clean solution: a transit account (e.g. account 1090 "Transit account for card payments" in the SME chart of accounts). The booking process: at the time of sale, the gross amount is booked as income (e.g. account 3400 service revenue), with the offsetting entry to transit account 1090. When the payout is made by the terminal provider, bank account 1020 is debited, transit account 1090 is credited, and the difference is booked as an expense to account 6850 (bank charges/card commissions).

VAT treatment

VAT is always calculated on the full gross amount – that is, on the price paid by the customer, not on the paid-out net amount. Most hairdressing businesses are liable for VAT, as the turnover threshold of CHF 100’000 per year (Art. 10 para. 2 MWSTG) is reached quickly in salon operations. Hairdressing services are subject to the standard rate of 8.1 %.

Mixed payment methods

In practice, a salon has three to four payment channels: cash, card terminal, TWINT and possibly online advance payments. Each channel should be kept separately in the accounting. For cash, a cash book is still advisable (account 1000). Terminal revenues run through transit account 1090. TWINT payouts can be booked to a separate transit account (e.g. 1091) if payout cycles differ. Anyone who processes all payment channels through a single PSP simplifies accounting, as only one payout per settlement period appears on the bank account.