Get informed about the rewards programs used by Swiss credit cards, and see how the value of these Swiss credit card rewards programs compares in terms of potential savings.
When you pay for purchases using a credit card, your credit card’s issuer earns money from the merchant fees paid by stores. In order to encourage you to use your credit card for payments, Swiss card issuers reward you with points, cash back, or airline miles for card-based spending.
This guide provides a clear overview of Swiss credit card rewards programs that give you points or cash back. You can find an overview of Swiss airline miles credit cards here.
What kind of credit card rewards programs are there in Switzerland?
Some Swiss credit cards are linked to the customer loyalty programs of large Swiss retailers (like Coop or Migros). But in addition to those, many Swiss credit card issuers offer their own rewards programs.
Credit card rewards programs from Swiss card issuers:
The cash back program from Cornèrcard rewards you with cash back rewards equal to either 0.5 percent (classic cards), 1 percent (gold cards), or 1.5 percent (platinum cards) of the amount you spend.
You have to actively redeem your cash back rewards for cash back payments into your credit card account. It does not happen automatically. You can redeem your cash back once you have collected 25 francs of rewards. Cash back rewards that are not redeemed expire after one year.
Verdict: For every 100 francs of purchases, you get either 50 centimes, 1 franc, or 1.50 francs worth of rewards, depending on which card you use, and whether or not you actively redeem your cash back.
The Cashback credit cards from Swisscard reward you with 0.25 percent cash back for purchases paid with the Visa and Mastercard cards, and 1 percent cash back for purchases paid with the American Express card.
Your total cash back rewards are automatically credited to your credit card account once a year.
Verdict: For every 100 francs of purchases, you get either 25 centimes (Mastercard, Visa) or 1 franc (American Express) worth of rewards.
The Poinz Swiss Loyalty cards from Swisscard also reward you with cash back. The reward rates are similar to those of the Swisscard Cashback program (0.25 percent when you pay with the Poinz Visa card, and 1 percent with the Poinz American Express card).
The difference is that the cash back rewards from Poinz are not automatically credited to your credit card account. You have to actively redeem your cash back using the Poinz mobile app, for which you will have to open a Poinz account. You have to collect a minimum of 100 francs of cash back rewards before you can redeem them for a credit to your card account.
Verdict: For every 100 francs of purchases, you get 25 centimes (Visa) or 1 franc (American Express) worth of rewards.
The Pointup program from Swisscard rewards you with either 1 point or 1.25 points per 1 franc of spending.
The value of 1 point is either half a centime (when redeemed towards the cost of your credit card’s annual fee) or just over one-fourth of a centime (when redeemed for a 10-franc gift card).
Verdict: For every 100 francs of purchases, you get either 50 or 65 centimes worth of rewards towards your card fee, or 27 or 34 centimes worth of rewards towards gift cards.
The Keyclub program used by UBS credit cards rewards you with either 2 points (standard cards), 4 points (gold cards), or 6 points (platinum cards) for every 1000 francs of spending.
Keyclub points expire on December 31 or the next year (after the year in which you earned them).
The value of 1 Keyclub point is 1 franc. Points can be redeemed for either gift cards from various Swiss retailers, merchandise, or for airline miles.
Verdict: For every 100 francs of purchases, you get either 20, 40, or 60 centimes worth of rewards.
The Postfinance credit card rewards program gives you cash back equal to 0.3 percent (classic and standard cards) or 0.5 percent (gold and platinum cards) of your spending.
The accumulated cash back is automatically transferred to your Postfinance private bank account in June and December.
Verdict: For every 100 francs of purchases, you receive either 30 or 50 centimes worth of rewards.
The Membership Rewards program from American Express rewards you with either 0.5 points or 1 Membership Rewards point per 1 franc spent, depending on the card you use. The value of 1 point is normally 0.005 francs.
Membership Rewards points do not expire.
Verdict: For every 100 francs of purchases, you get either 25 or 50 centimes worth of rewards.
The Surprise program from Viseca rewards you with 1 point for every 1 franc spent.
Surprize points expire after three years (on December 31 of the third year).
You can redeem Surprize points towards your credit card’s annual fee at the rate of 12,000 francs for a one-time 50-franc reduction. If you have a co-branded Viseca credit card from your bank, you can redeem your Surprize points for cash back paid into your bank account at the rate of 9000 points for 20 francs or 18,000 points for 40 francs of cash back. Points may have a lower value when you redeem them for merchandise or gift cards in the Surprize store. For example, for 5500 Surprize points you get a 10-franc SBB gift card.
Verdict: For every 100 francs of purchases, you get 42 centimes worth of rewards towards covering your annual card fee (22 centimes worth of rewards when redeemed for cash back, and around 18 centimes when redeemed for gift cards.
The Libertycard rewards program used by the Libertycard credit cards issued by Bonuscard rewards you with 1 Liberty point for every 1 franc of purchases. For purchases from mobility merchants (including gas stations, public transportation, and airlines), you earn either 2 or 4 points per 1 franc spent, depending on which credit card you use.
Liberty points expire after two years.
Points can be redeemed for gift cards at the rate of 100 points for 40 centimes of value, or for cash back at the rate of 100 points for 20 centimes of value.
Verdict: For every 100 francs of purchases, you get 20 centimes (cash back) or 40 centimes (gift cards) worth of rewards. A better rate applies to travel purchases.
The Certo One credit card from Cembra Money Bank rewards you with one percent cash back for purchases from three merchants of your choice. You receive 0.33 percent cash back for purchases from other merchants.
The cash back you collect is automatically credited to your credit card account every three months.
Verdict: For every 100 francs of purchases, you get 33 centimes worth of rewards. For purchases from three merchants of your choice, you get 1 franc for every 100 francs spent.
The rewards program from Bonuscard rewards you with either 1 or 2 points (depending on the card) for every 1 franc spent at Bonuscard partner merchants. Purchases from other merchants are rewarded with 1 point per 5 francs of spending. Unlike most other credit card rewards programs, the Bonuscard program also gives you points for cash withdrawals.
Bonus points expire after two years.
You can redeem points for gift cards from Bonuscard partner merchants at the rate of 100 points for 1 franc of value. You can also redeem points for cash back credited to your credit card account at the rate of 100 points for 50 centimes of cash back.
Verdict: For every 100 francs of purchases from merchants that are not Bonuscard partners, you get 10 centimes (cash back) or 20 centimes (gift cards) worth of rewards. A higher rewards rate applies to spending at Bonuscard partners.
Credit card rewards programs from Swiss retailers:
The Ikea Family credit card lets you earn points which can be redeemed for goods from Ikea stores. You get 1 point for every 1 franc spent with the card. Important: You do not earn points for purchases from Ikea, but only from other merchants.
The value of 1 point is 1 centime. Once you have collected 500 points, these are automatically redeemed for a 5-franc Ikea gift card. Important: The Ikea gift cards you receive expire after six months.
Verdict: For every 100 francs of purchases, you get 1 franc worth of rewards. However, the short six-month expiry period of gift cards diminishes the value of this rewards program.
With the Manor Mastercard, you earn 2 points per 1 franc of purchases from Manor, and 1 point per 2 francs of spending at other merchants.
Points expire after two years.
Points can be redeemed towards the cost of purchases from Manor that are paid for with your Manor Mastercard at the rate of 100 points per 1 franc of purchases. You need to collect a minimum of 500 points before you can redeem.
Verdict: For every 100 francs of purchases, you get 50 centimes worth of rewards.
Supermarket operator Spar offers a credit card (the Spar Mastercard World) which rewards you with 1 Spar point for every 1 francs of spending at Spar, and 1 point per 2 francs of spending at other merchants.
Once you have collected 500 points, your points are automatically redeemed for a 5-franc Spar gift card.
Verdict: For every 100 francs of purchases, you get 50 centimes worth of rewards (1 franc worth of rewards for Spar purchases.
The Migros Cumulus credit card linked to the Cumulus customer loyalty program from Migros rewards you with 1 Cumulus point for every 3 francs of spending at non-Migros merchants. Other credit cards from Migros Bank also reward you with Cumulus points.
Important: You do not earn credit card rewards when you use the Migros Cumulus credit card at Migros. However, you can still earn the standard Cumulus rewards available to all Migros Cumulus members (1 point per 1 franc spent at Migros stores). To get these points, you have to present your Cumulus membership number at the checkout. This number can be found on your Migros Cumulus credit card, your Cumulus membership card, and in the Migros app. Because you do not earn Cumulus credit card rewards at Migros, it is advisable to use a credit card with a different rewards program to pay, and collect the Migros Cumulus points using the customer loyalty card or mobile app. That way, you earn both credit card rewards and Cumulus points.
100 Cumulus points have a value of 1 franc. Once you have collected 500 Cumulus points, your points are automatically redeemed for a 5-franc Migros voucher. These Cumulus vouchers expire two years after they are issued.
Verdict: For every 100 francs of purchases with a Migros Cumulus credit card, you get 33 centimes worth of value. Higher reward rates apply to some other credit cards from Migros Bank.
The Supercard credit card, which is linked to Coop’s Supercard customer loyalty program, rewards you with 1 point for every 3 francs spent at non-Coop merchants. Credit cards from Bank Cler can also be linked to the Supercard rewards program.
Important: You do not earn credit card rewards when you use Supercard credit cards at Coop stores. However, you can still earn the standard customer loyalty rewards available to all Supercard program members. Simply present your Supercard membership number at the checkout. This number can be found on the Coop Supercard credit card, the Supercard membership card, and in the mobile app. Because you do not earn Supercard credit card rewards at Coop, it is advisable to use a credit card with a different rewards program to pay, and collect your Superpoints using your membership card or the mobile app. This lets you earn both credit card rewards and Supercard points for spending at Coop.
Supercard points expire if you fail to collect any new points over a 12-month period. As long as you earn new Superpoints at least once every 12 months, your points will not expire.
100 Supercard points have a value of 1 franc. Points can be redeemed for Coop gift cards at customer service centers. You can also redeem points directly towards the cost of purchases from non-food departments in Coop City department stores, and for certain special promotional offers at Coop supermarkets.
Verdict: For every 100 francs of purchases, you get 33 centimes worth of rewards.
Are there other Swiss credit card rewards programs?
Yes. Other examples of credit cards that are linked to customer loyalty programs from retailers include the Fnac Mastercard and the Lipo Mastercard.
The Swiss motor club TCS offers its members a rewards credit card, the TCS Travel Mastercard Gold, that rewards you with 1 percent cash back for your spending.
Is using credit card rewards programs worth it?
That depends. You have to look at the total cost of using a credit card, and not just the rewards it offers. The interactive credit card comparison on moneyland.ch accounts for both rewards and costs.
It is also important that you never spend more than you would otherwise just to get reward points or cash back. Never underestimate the psychological urge to spend which often accompanies the use of credit card rewards programs.
More on this topic:
Compare Swiss credit cards now
Customer loyalty programs in Switzerland explained
Swiss cash back credit cards compared
How to use Swiss airline miles credit cards to get free flights
Credit card insurance benefits explained
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