Can I use a credit card to pay my rent or other bills in Switzerland?

Is it possible to pay my regular bills like rent, utilities, health insurance, etc. using my credit card? I would prefer to use my credit card to pay my bills. That way I could track all my expenses in one place, and I would also have more financial flexibility with the line of credit I get from my credit card.

I have heard of services in other countries which let you pay bill by credit card. Is this also possible in Switzerland?

Recently, third-party services have become available which let you pay bills using a credit card. CrediBill is one example.

Typically, you open an account with the service provider and add a credit card which payments will be charged to. You can then scan your bills or enter bill information and the service provider will charge your credit card and pay the bills.

But it is important to note that these third-party services are not free. For example, the standard fee charged by CrediBill is 3% of the amount charged (2.85% for Cembra Money Bank credit cards and 2.25% for Swisscard credit cards). That means if you pay a 2000-franc bill using this service, you will pay 60 francs in fees.

As a general rule, paying your bills directly using the QR-bill or eBill provided or by making a bank transfer is preferable because you do not pay any fees.

It is worth noting that credit cards have become more widely accepted in recent years, with even some Swiss insurance providers and telecom service providers accepting credit card payments. If your credit card rewards you with cash back or points for purchases, paying by credit card when possible can be advantageous.

You can compare Swiss credit cards here:
Swiss Credit Card Comparison

Cembra now offers a Scan2Pay service in its app that lets you use your Cembra credit card to pay bills with the QR code.

It's worth mentioning that Scan2Pay has a fee equal to 0.8% of the amount you pay for your bill. But that's quite a bit cheaper than Credibill.

Of course, it doesn't make sense to use a credit card to pay bills since you have to pay those extra charges. But for people who are (very) temporarily in a tight financial spot, it's better than getting Mahngebühren or a Betreibung. Just be sure you will have the money to pay your credit card bill when the time comes.