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Apple's "Tap to pay" is coming to Switzerland: iPhone as a payment terminal

18.3.2025

Translation: machine translated

If you want to make cashless payments, a company in Switzerland will in future be able to hold an iPhone up to you instead of a payment terminal.

With "Tap to pay", retailers can accept contactless payments via an iPhone. The function has been available in neighbouring countries such as Germany and Austria since summer 2024. Now the method also works in Switzerland and other countries.

How "Tap to pay" works

The retailers use an iPhone Xs or newer. They also need the corresponding app from their payment service provider. Customers can then hold their card, smartphone or smartwatch close to the iPhone. The payment is then processed via NFC. Additional hardware such as payment terminals are not required.

Contactless payment no longer requires a payment terminal, just an iPhone and an app.
Source: Shutterstock

What you need to know as a customer

"Tap to pay" works for you with debit and credit cards from numerous service providers such as American Express, Discover, Mastercard and Visa. But it also works with digital wallets from Apple, Google and others. The same technology that encrypts payment transactions with Apple Pay is used for data protection.

What you need to know as a company

The advantage for you as a company is that you don't have to purchase a card terminal. There are also no activation costs or monthly fixed costs. However, the transactions are not completely free. The transaction fees incurred vary depending on the country and supplier. At SumUp in Germany, for example, a company pays a fee of 1.39 per cent per transaction, in Switzerland it is 1.5 per cent for debit cards or 2.5 per cent for credit cards.

It doesn't necessarily need an iPhone

"Tap to pay" is not reserved for Apple alone. Android devices with at least Android 11, NFC function and Google Play Services can also be set up as payment terminals. SumUp offers this option, but other payment platforms such as Zettle (Paypal) or Worldline with "Tap on Mobile" are also on board.

«Tap to pay» is also available on Android.
Source: Vagaro/ Unsplash

In Switzerland, companies have been able to accept payments with an Android smartphone for some time now. For example, with the above-mentioned company Worldline or also with Stripe. Worldline also does not charge any fixed costs. The transaction fee in Switzerland is 1.7 per cent up to a maximum of 3.50 francs.

Other than that, contactless payment with a smartphone via Twint is widespread in Switzerland. As a business, you can choose whether you want to accept payments via a payment terminal or just a QR code. The transaction fee via the QR code is a fixed 1.3 per cent. Worldline now also offers the combination of "Tap on Mobile" with Twint.

Header image: Shutterstock

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Michelle Brändle

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Michelle.Braendle@digitecgalaxus.ch

In my world, Super Mario chases Stormtroopers with a unicorn and Harley Quinn mixes cocktails for Eddie and Peter at the beach bar. Wherever I can live out my creativity, my fingers tingle. Or maybe it's because nothing flows through my veins but chocolate, glitter and coffee.

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