Payment solutions for Swiss associations – 5 practical guides

In Switzerland, there are over 100,000 clubs and associations – and almost every one of them sooner or later faces the question: How do I collect membership fees, donations, tickets, and event revenue 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 are suitable.

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

Guide 1: Cashless payment collection at the club festival

QR code · Tap to Pay · Card terminal · Catering

At the club festival, bratwurst meets cash shortages: Visitors have no cash, helpers juggle with change, and at 11 PM the treasurer is still rolling coins. This guide compares three methods for cashless payment collection at the booth – printed QR code (EUR 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 (amateur tournaments, home game catering), music associations (annual concert with bar), scouts (neighborhood festival booth), shooting clubs (village fair), any club with 1–4 festivals per year.

Core topics: Comparison of three methods (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 payment collection at the club festival

Guide 2: Collecting membership fees digitally

Payment link · Recurring · QR-bill · Club software

The annual fee collection is the biggest time consumer for every club treasurer: Excel list, sending out QR-bills, following up for weeks, writing reminders. A payment link (Paylink) via email solves the problem: Member clicks, chooses 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: Every club with 30+ members that collects annual or seasonal fees. Especially valuable for gymnastics clubs, music associations, choirs, and martial arts clubs with monthly fees.

Core topics: Four methods in comparison (Excel vs. Paylink vs. Webshop vs. club software), cost calculation for 200 members at EUR 120, recurring payments, practical example «Gymnastics club: from 6 weeks to 12 days», step-by-step guide.

→ To the guide: Collecting membership fees digitally

Guide 3: Collecting donations as a Swiss club

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

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

For whom: Non-profit associations, booster clubs, animal shelters, parents' associations, charitable organizations, 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 levels, tax exemption and donation receipt, cost calculation for EUR 15,000 donation volume.

→ To the guide: Collecting donations as a Swiss club

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 via bank transfer, reserving course spots with a handshake – that works until orders get lost and payments are missing. A mini-webshop displays the offer, takes the order, and collects the payment in a single step. Without programming skills, without an own website, set up in under an hour.

For whom: Sports clubs (jerseys, caps, water bottles), cultural associations (concert tickets, theater), course-offering clubs (10-session yoga pass, single cooking course booking), any club wanting 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), combination of on-site + online (pre-order + pickup at the event), cost calculation for 50 orders/month, step-by-step setup.

→ To the guide: Creating 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 request the association's share manually. The solution: A central payment platform where each section gets its own account with its own branding and payouts. The association's share is automatically deducted on every transaction via split payment. 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 organizations with a section structure.

Core topics: Three architecture models (decentralized 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 for 40 sections and EUR 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. As of 2026, indicative values.

Accounting and settlement for clubs and associations

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

Booking in the Swiss SME chart of accounts: You book 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 clearing account (e.g. 1090) accurately reflects the time delay between member payment and payout to the club's account.

For most Swiss associations, the following applies: As long as the annual turnover remains under EUR 100,000 and the association is not registered as commercial in the commercial register, no value added tax applies. The revenues from fees, donations, events, and shop sales are booked in the club's accounts as revenue – regardless of whether they were collected in cash or cashless.

All club payments from a single source

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