In-person payments for hairdressers and barbershops in Switzerland: How to set up card payments, TWINT and tips

Swiss hairdressing 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 businesses already accept the payment app. For salons, this means: Those who do not offer a card terminal or TWINT lose potential walk-in customers and make the topic of tipping unnecessarily difficult. The right payment solution depends on turnover volume, the desired TWINT integration and the question of whether appointment booking and payment should be linked.

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

1. Why Swiss customers want to pay cashless in the hairdressing salon

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

Firstly: Customers simply expect to be able to pay cashlessly. A salon that only accepts cash no longer seems contemporary – especially to younger customers who regard debit cards, TWINT or Apple Pay as standard. Secondly: TWINT has a particularly high penetration rate in Switzerland. In 2025, 901 million transactions were processed via TWINT, 65% of them in present business. Thirdly: Cashless payment solves an everyday problem in the salon – the tip. When customers do not have cash with them, the tip is often omitted. A tipping function at the terminal or via the payment page makes it easy to leave a tip anyway.

In addition: Salons that wish to introduce prepayment or no-show fees for online booking strictly require an electronic payment solution. Without card payment or TWINT, such models cannot be implemented.

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

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

Physical card terminal

A classic card terminal – for example 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 additionally 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 EUR 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 EUR 3’000 per month, a Worldline or Payrexx terminal is worthwhile due to the lower transaction fees compared to 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 a card terminal – without additional hardware. Providers like SumUp, Worldline, Stripe and myPOS support the iPhone variant 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 transforms any NFC-enabled Android smartphone into a card terminal and accepts TWINT, Apple Pay and Samsung Pay in addition to cards – an advantage over the iPhone variant, which does not support TWINT. The transaction fees for Payrexx Tap to Pay are 1.65% + EUR 0.15 per transaction, with no fixed monthly costs for the first device. For sole traders and mobile hairdressers, Tap to Pay is an uncomplicated entry-level solution. Limitation: A stable internet connection (Wi-Fi or cellular) is mandatory.

TWINT QR code (static or dynamic)

A static TWINT QR code at the reception is the simplest variant: The customer scans the code with the TWINT app and enters the amount themselves. Transaction fee: 1.3%. This solution is suitable as a supplement to the terminal or as a stand-alone variant for very small businesses. The disadvantage: 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)

A further development of the pure TWINT QR code are QR codes generated via 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, fixed or minimum amount and placed as a poster or sticker at the reception. 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 via a single QR code relies on a PSP-based QR code instead of the pure TWINT QR.

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

Tipping is common in Swiss hairdressing salons, but not self-evident. Since more and more customers are paying cashlessly, the question arises: How does tipping work at 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 an individual amount. For a haircut for EUR 65, the customer would see, for example, «EUR 3.25 / EUR 6.50 / EUR 9.75 / Other amount». The advantage: The customer does not have to do the math themselves, 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. With SumUp, the tipping function can be activated in the app. SoftPOS solutions like Payrexx Tap to Pay and the Payrexx POS terminals also offer a configurable tipping function – the advantage: Whether via smartphone app or physical terminal, the salon can offer tipping options without additional configuration steps. For online payment pages – for example, with appointment booking – 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 in accounting terms and must be booked correctly. In Switzerland, tips are generally wages subject to AHV contributions if they are passed on to employees (Art. 7 lit. c AHVV). For VAT, the following applies: Tips given voluntarily by the customer in addition to the agreed price are not subject to value added tax in accordance with Art. 18 para. 2 lit. j MWSTG, provided they are clearly separated from the service price. In accounting, it is recommended to keep tips in a separate account (e.g. account 2279 "Durchlaufende Trinkgelder" in the SME chart of accounts).

4. Appointment booking and prepayment: Combining online booking with payment

Many hairdressing salons today 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 appear) and the administrative effort for reminders.

No-show fees and prepayment

To reduce no-shows, more and more salons require credit card details to be deposited or a prepayment at the time of booking. Typically, a no-show fee of EUR 30–50 is charged, which is only debited if the appointment is not kept. Alternatively, the full amount or a deposit (e.g. 50%) can be collected at the time of booking. For the implementation, a Payment Service Provider (PSP) is required, which 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: Customer books an appointment online, is redirected to the payment page, pays via TWINT or credit card, and receives the booking confirmation only 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 acquisition or rental costs, transaction fees and any subscription fees. The following table shows a realistic comparison for a salon with EUR 5’000 card turnover per month.

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

6. Accounting: Correctly booking card payments, TWINT and cash turnover

A common mistake made by hairdressers: The payout from SumUp or Worldline is booked directly as turnover. This is incorrect – the turnover is the gross amount that the customer paid, not the amount paid out after deduction of the transaction fee.

Correct booking with transit account

The clean solution: A transit account (e.g. account 1090 "Transitkonto Kartenzahlungen" in the SME chart of accounts). The booking process: Upon sale, the gross amount is booked as revenue (e.g. account 3400 Dienstleistungsertrag), with the offsetting entry to the transit account 1090. Upon payout by the terminal provider, the bank account (1020) is debited, the transit account 1090 is credited, and the difference is booked as an expense to account 6850 (bank fees/card commissions).

VAT treatment

Value added tax is always calculated on the full gross amount – i.e. on the price the customer pays, not on the net amount paid out. Most hairdressing businesses are subject to VAT, as the turnover limit of EUR 100’000 per year (Art. 10 para. 2 MWSTG) is quickly reached 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 prepayments. Each channel should be kept clean and separate in the accounting. A cash book (account 1000) is still recommended for cash. The terminal turnovers run through the transit account 1090. TWINT payouts can be booked to a separate transit account (e.g. 1091) if the payout rhythms differ. Anyone who processes all payment channels through a single PSP simplifies the accounting, as only one payout per settlement period appears on the bank account.