Cash Back Credit Cards in Switzerland

Cash back credit card reward programs have an advantage over points-based reward programs in that rewards are credited to your account as statement credits. The points you earn with many credit card reward programs can normally only be redeemed for merchandise or services from a limited number of partner merchants. Cash back, on the other hand, is credited to your credit card balance and can be used to make purchases from any merchant that accepts credit cards.

When you use a cash back credit card, you earn cash back equal to a percentage of your spending. The higher the value of total purchases charged to the card, the more cash back you are rewarded with. Swiss cash back credit cards reward you with cash back for purchases from both Swiss and foreign merchants. However, you generally do not earn cash back on cash advances, prepaid account top-ups or money transfers. You also do not earn cash back on penalty fees and interest charges which are charged by your card issuer.

1. Swisscard cash back credit cards

On November 1, 2018, Swisscard launched a new credit card with no annual fee which rewards users with 0.25 percent cash back. This first-generation Cashback credit card was only offered for several months following its launch.

The initial Swisscard Cashback credit card was followed by a range of second-generation Cashback credit cards. Consumers can choose between two bundles, one combining Cashback American Express and Mastercard credit cards, and the other combining Cashback American Express and Visa credit cards. The Cashback Visa and Mastercard cards have a 0.25 percent cash back rate. The Cashback American Express rewards users with 1 percent cash back (5 percent welcome cash back in the first three months). The disadvantage of the American Express card is that it is not as widely accepted as Visa and Mastercard.

Cash back is credited to card balances at the end of each account anniversary year.

More information:
Cashback Visa and American Express credit card bundle
Cashback Mastercard and American Express credit card bundle

2. Postfinance cash back cards

All credit cards from Postfinance – both Visa and Mastercard – use a cash bonus program. Standard credit cards reward users with cash back equal to 0.3 percent of charged purchases (0.6 percent welcome cash back the first year). Gold and platinum credit cards have a 0.5 percent cash back rate (1 percent welcome cash back the first year).

Postfinance also offers a cashback prepaid card. Like standard credit cards from PostFinance, these prepaid cards let you earn 0.6 percent cash back as a welcome offer the first year, and 0.3 percent cash back after that.

Cash back is credited to your card balance in June and December.

More information:
Postfinance credit cards and prepaid cards

3. TCS cash back credit card

The TCS Mastercard Gold rewards cardholders with cash back equal to 1 percent of purchases charged to the card. It also entitles holders to discounts at certain gas stations. This credit card is issued by Cembra Money Bank.

More information:
TCS Travel Mastercard Gold

4. Certo One credit card

Cembra Money Bank's Certo One credit card was launched in 2022 as a successor product to the Cumulus credit card. Customers receive a cashback of 0.33 percent. With three selectable merchants, the cashback is as high as 1 percent.

More information:
Certo One Mastercard

5. Cornèrcard cash back credit cards

Cornèrcard added a cash back rewards program to many of its credit cards in February 2020. Cardholders earn cash back equal to 0.5 percent (standard cards), 1 percent (gold cards) or 1.5 percent (platinum cards) of purchases charged.

Cash back is not automatically credited to your card balance. You must log into the web portal or app and redeem your cash back. You must accumulate a minimum of 25 francs of cash back before you can redeem it. Unredeemed cash back expires 1 year after it is earned.

More information:
Cornèrcard credit cards

Compare cash back credit cards

The credit card comparison on moneyland.ch accounts for cash back in cost calculations. It also lets you easily filter and sort Swiss cash back credit cards.

Note that cash back is only one factor to consider when choosing a credit card. Comparing all costs and benefits is important. Some cash back cards provide complimentary benefits which can save you money. Some have few or no complimentary benefits but do not have annual fees. Some have very high fees which can partially negate the benefit of earning cash back. Which cash back card is the best choice for you depends on your individual needs.

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Compare prepaid cards and credit cards based on costs and rewards now