Whether by credit card, debit card or mobile phone: digital payment is now increasingly common in shops and restaurants. Find out what your company needs for digital payment processing, which charges apply and how you can save on costs.
To ensure that your company can accept all major debit and credit cards, TWINT and other mobile payment methods, you need a payment terminal and an acceptance contract for the cashless payment methods used.
The acceptance contract entitles your company to process one or more payment methods, such as credit cards, debit cards or TWINT, at your payment terminal or in your online shop. This agreement is concluded between your company and an acceptance partner. Depending on which payment methods you’d like to provide, you may have to conclude various acceptance contracts.
Put simply, an acceptance partner is a payment service provider that enables you to collect digital payments at the checkout on-site. It can issue a contract for the acceptance of the required payment method on behalf of the payment provider concerned, such as Visa, Mastercard®, TWINT or PostFinance, etc.
The best-known acceptance partners in Switzerland include Worldline, Nets, PostFinance and TWINT. As a full-service provider, PostFinance can provide the account required, as well as terminals and card acceptance – a one-stop service and expertise on the Swiss market.
The contract governs the rights, obligations, conditions and charges of payment processing.
If customers wish to pay by card at your payment terminal, the transaction is sent via the card provider’s network to the customer’s bank, where approval is requested. The money is then either debited from the customer’s account and paid into your account via the acceptance partner, or you receive a notification indicating the transaction has been declined.
The Payment Methods Survey 2022 carried out by the Swiss National Bank (SNB) provides figures on how frequently various payment methods are used for everyday payments:
| Payment method | Share of transactions 2022 |
|---|---|
| Payment method Cards |
Share of transactions 2022 46% |
| Payment method Cash |
Share of transactions 2022 36% |
| Payment method Smartphone apps | Share of transactions 2022 5% |
| Payment method All other payment methods |
Share of transactions 2022 13% |
You as the retailer cover any charges incurred during digital payment processing. Ideally, such charges are already included in the sale price calculation.
Costs are also incurred during the processing of cash payments – from staff costs to the inpayment of cash subject to charges. Cash payments also involve additional risks, such as the acceptance of counterfeit money, theft and break-ins.
For a purchase of 100 francs, fees range from 0.23 to 2.50 francs – depending on the acceptance partner and payment method. The charges generally depend on sales.
PostFinance Card is one of the least expensive options. A flat-rate fee of 0.23 francs is charged for purchases. Special micropricing applies for very small amounts.
By providing your customers with their preferred payment method, you’ll make payment as easy as possible for them and encourage them to make off-the-cuff and multiple purchases. In Switzerland, the PostFinance Card is very popular for payment processing, as over 2.5 million people have a PostFinance Card.
PostFinance, TWINT, Mastercard and Visa − these are some of the most common payment methods in Switzerland.
Use Combo payment methods now: PostFinance’s new service enables you to provide all major payment methods at your terminals with just one contract. It’s a one-stop service – including the account, checkout at the payment terminal, outpayment and local support.
