AMEX Credit card from Swisscard with 1% cashback

[assemblyrequired]

What are you using instead? Cumulus?

[SwissTeslaBull]

I’m not sure yet. I’ll use the Amex card until its expiration date at the end of summer. I’ll still use Revolut for all transactions that don’t involve CHF.

[ma0]

@SwissTeslaBull

until its expiration date

Are you planning to call them? Otherwise you’ll get a new card a few month before that date.

[DonaldDuck]

I think this was discussed before but Cummulus would not have surcharges? I guess Cembra credit card would also run into the same issue with purchased from Easyjet, booking, airbnb, etc?

[BPH]

To my experience, it’s even worse.

I had in total now three transaction pairs with a foreign payment processor - each once with cashback AMEX and once with the cashback Mastercard - and the 2.5% fee was only charged with the AMEX

[assemblyrequired]

I thought Cumulus and neon were the two that don’t charge any forex surcharges, but I could be wrong.

[almi]

@anneaun

I think there is a little confusion here. There are two dimensions to consider when it comes to transactions and which card to use (optimising on costs/revenue, not on simplicity obviously):

	Processed in CH	Processed outside CH
CHF	1	2
Other currency	3	4

1. That’s your normal day-to-day spending in physical stores and on online merchants based in CH.

• Use a free credit card with cashback (Swisscard Cashback, Poinz, IKEA, Cumulus, Supercard, etc.)

2. That’s usually online merchants based abroad, but selling in CHF for the CH market (e.g., plane tickets, streaming platforms, some merchants dispatching from abroad, etc.).

• Until now thought the best strategy was as (4), but seems it would be a good use case for Cumulus if they apply no foreign transaction processing fee and offer cashback. It can be large amounts (e.g., long-haul flights for a family of 5).

3. That would be stores (physical/online) in CH accepting payments in other currencies (e.g., Swiss airlines)

• Don’t bother, those merchants include a hefty FX markup, but if they don’t and the other currency is more preferable than defaulting to (1) then see (4).

4. Usual spending abroad (e.g., holidays)

• Use a credit card with no or low FX markup and no foreign transaction fee (e.g., neon, Radicant, Revolut, etc.). Don’t use Cumulus because of the FX markup.

Wanna revive this answer, as it showed well where Swisscard fits and where it doesnt. For people who don’t wanna bother about using a different card for #2 than #1, Swisscard is not the solution (e.g. @SwissTeslaBull).

For those that look for that extra cashback, it still is an option, but less attractive than before they started these fee shenanigans. I stay for the moment, but am close to leaving as well if things deteriorate further.

[kawansky]

For what it’s worth, I use the Certo card for Netflix and Spotify payments with no extra charges. I used to have them with Amex, but not anymore. I also use Cumulus daily without surcharges.

[Alxdr]

Do we have some recent experiences with Booking.com and Amex? I used my Amex last time in October to book a flight via Booking.com. Paid in CHF and no extra charges. Now it would be nice to save a few francs on my upcoming stays, but I do not want to risk it if they apply ‘foreign’ fees for CHF transactions abroad. Thanks in advance!

[Dr.PI]

I booked a hotel in Switzerland on booking.com almost a year ago, paid in CHF by Poinz AMEX card - no surcharge.

For booking abroad they (booking, Airbnb) charge couple of % markup on FX exchange rates, so it’s not worth paying in CHF if you have access to cheap currency exchange options (Revolut). There I pay in local currency. The trick is to change your currency to that of the hotel in your settings before you book, otherwise the apps do not give you such option (anymore?).

[markus654]

Does anyone know whether payments made locally(!) in CHF (e.g., at a Swiss restaurant) using a SumUp terminal count as domestic or abroad? I ask because SumUp is based in London and also lists London in the legal notice on its Swiss website.

I am therefore not sure whether a Sumup user has a contract with a Swiss company or a foreign company and how Swisscard judges this or can even distinguish between the two.

[assemblyrequired]

In my bill from Sept '25 I had a Sumup charge from a café, no fee was applied.

[Ed_Waadt]

Confirming that Sumup is okay. In my experience I have never had any fees at any terminal in Switzerland. The worst that has happened is that Amex was not accepted.

Beware of online payments, though. Easyjet for example bills from London and you pay the fee.