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Paying with your mobile phone is commonplace these days. Instead of always having to carry your wallet and physical credit card with you, you can simply Hold your smartphone up to the payment terminal and the purchase is paid for.
However, to be able to pay completely digitally, you need a digital credit card in the background. This can be a physical one that you have digitised, often However, it is easier and cheaper with a virtual credit cardwhich is ready for immediate use.
In this article you will learn how to virtual credit card works in Switzerlandwhich are the best providers for an instantly usable virtual card and what costs and fees you can expect.
Here you can find our top recommendations for virtual credit cards in Switzerland. Click directly on the provider for more details:
🥇 Yuh - Free Yuh debit card with full banking services
🥈 Revolut - Virtual cards including disposable cards for secure online shopping
🥉 Wise - Ideal for foreign currencies with minimal exchange fees
⭐ Swissquote - Free virtual debit card for Swissquote customers
⭐ N26 - Free instant credit card for euro transactions
⭐ Other banks in comparison - Complete overview in the Swiss bank comparison
A virtual credit card is a digitally available mapwhich you can use to pay online or in a shop. Instead of having to use a plastic card for this, however, this stored virtually in an app and you pay directly with your smartphone. Such online credit cards are particularly practical as they are usually Ready for immediate use are.
Two types of virtual cards:
In this article, we look at both types.
A virtual card is labelled with a Payment system such as Google Pay, Samsung Pay or Apple Pay linked to your bank account via an app. This allows you to monitor your credit card digitally at any time. In fact, these days they are almost exclusively debit cards. Instead of you incurring debt for payments, as you would with a traditional credit card payments are deducted from your account in real time. Is your account balance at zero? Then that was your last payment until you have credit again. This is also called prepaid.
This is how payment works:
In the publisher's app you can see all map details such as card number, expiry date and check digit. More importantly, you can see the following in your customer portal All transactions on your digital cards and can also activate additional services.
To use the online credit card on the Internet, you can enter these details as normal, as if you were copying them from the plastic card. Incidentally, the payment service providers are the same as for physical cards Mostly Visa or Mastercard.
The most important advantages at a glance:
Your key to success! Discover our top recommendations from real testimonials.
You can obtain a virtual credit card in two ways:
With online banks simply install the app and you will then usually receive automatically the virtual map. To use the virtual credit card Ready for immediate use you can apply for it conveniently online.
This is how it works after the application:
In the meantime there are Numerous providers for virtual credit or debit cards in Switzerland. Here our Top providers at a glance:
Yuh is a Innovative financial appwhich is the result of a co-operation between Swissquote and PostFinance. Here you receive the following when you open automatically receive a free virtual card. The Yuh debit card can be used completely free of charge for in-store purchases or online payments.
More than just a card:
Yuh is therefore particularly suitable as a Comprehensive support for all your finances. By the way: A real Yuh credit card does not exist, as the virtual card is a debit card.
Even with Revolut you will receive a personalised Free Virtual Card. In addition to the regular virtual credit card, you can even get a Create disposable card for online shops. A card number and check digit are generated once and deactivated again after payment. This means you can use a one-off virtual credit card immediately throughout Switzerland and internationally.
Special advantages of Revolut:
The financial app from the UK originally became known for its particularly low exchange rates. Important to know: The Deposit protection for Swiss customers is not as high with Revolut as with Swiss banks.
The Swissquote Light debit card offers a modern digital solution for cost-conscious Swiss traders. As a completely virtual card without physical execution, it offers numerous advantages without incurring monthly fees.
The free Light version was specially developed for digital-savvy users who mainly carry out their banking transactions online. By dispensing with a physical card, Swissquote saves on production costs and passes this benefit on directly to customers - in the form of a fee-free card.
A special highlight are the trading credits of 0.25%, which are automatically credited with every payment. These can be used directly for trading activities at Swissquote, which is particularly interesting for active traders. Those who pay with cryptocurrencies even benefit from double trading credits (0.5%), which makes the card particularly attractive for crypto enthusiasts.
The integrated multi-currency account with access to 13 different currencies makes the Light card the ideal companion for international payments. Although there are 0.95% fees for the main currencies when changing currencies, these can be completely avoided if the required foreign currency is already in the account.
The Light card offers the best value for money for most users. To offset the monthly fee of the Bright card (CHF 6.90) with the higher trading credits, monthly expenditure of over CHF 2,700 would be necessary.
Here more about the Swissquote credit cards experience!
Wise (formerly Transferwise) is a Specialised financial app for international payments. With Wise you can Virtual accounts in various foreign currencies open:
You can switch between these accounts at any transfer money at a very favourable exchange rate or exchange a currency directly with the transfer.
With your virtual account you will receive a virtual debit card free of charge, the Ready for immediate use is. With this card you can:
The only small disadvantage of Wise is that you have to order a physical card to activate a virtual one. However, this is also free and the virtual card is activated immediately. So you can simply leave the physical card at home.
N26 is a Well-known online bank from Germanywhich you can also use for euro payments in Switzerland. The standard subscription for private individuals also includes a free virtual map with it. By the way, the account is free of charge and the opening process is digital and fast. The credit card is then immediately available for use throughout Switzerland.
Important to know: You can currently do not hold CHF in an N26 account. A virtual credit card with this provider is therefore only worthwhile if you Regular income and expenditure in euros have. This solution is therefore not ideal for everyday life in Switzerland.
These popular providers, which you may recognise from the big bank comparison are Top digital banks for the Swiss. They do offer Mobile payment (Apple Pay, Google Pay, etc.), however not all the separate virtual credit cards like the specialised providers mentioned above.
Still worth a look: These banks often have other advantages that could be relevant for you. It's best to compare them in a comprehensive Bank comparison.
"Intelligent people learn from the mistakes of others".
We have compiled our top selection for you from all our tests and experience reports:
Good news about the costs:
All virtual credit cards presented here are Account management completely free of charge. That means concretely:
The only exception: If you want to pay in foreign currencies, every bank charges exchange fees. But the providers presented here are also particularly fair and inexpensive compared to traditional banks.
Be careful with traditional banks: If, on the other hand, you use a virtual card at a conventional bank such as the UBS apply for it, then significant fees are incurred. So it's best to check this before you apply for the card.
Your virtual card is managed completely via the respective app of the provider. There you have access to:
In the event of security concerns or loss of data, you can use the virtual credit card Lock immediately at any time and apply for a new one directly if required - all with just a few clicks in the app.
"Intelligent people learn from the mistakes of others".
We have compiled our top selection for you from all our tests and experience reports:
A Virtual credit card is a cost-effective and practical means of paymentwhich is becoming increasingly popular in Switzerland. All details are stored in a financial app and by linking it to Apple or Google Pay, you can Pay directly with your mobile phone.
The most important advantages summarised:
Nowadays, many traditional banks also offer virtual credit cards. However, the best providers are online banks or financial apps, which have particularly inexpensive and ready-to-use online credit cards. These not only offer a free virtual card, but with certain providers you can even generate several cards or disposable cards. Incidentally, you can also use the cards for foreign currencies with these apps, as the exchange fees are also kept extremely low.
Our top recommendations:
But take another look at the big bank comparisonto take other factors into account when making your choice.
Eric is the founder of Schwiizerfranke.com and certified IAF wealth advisor. Since 2019, he has been helping Swiss citizens to organise their finances comprehensibly, independently and efficiently.
📌 Note: This article is for information purposes only and does not constitute personalised investment advice.
Hello Eric
I don't understand how I can use the app to immediately block my credit card if I lose my mobile phone. After all, the app is gone along with the mobile phone.
What am I missing?
Kind regards
Dan
You're right, of course, Dan!
What was meant was the loss of the card data. If the mobile phone is lost, a new one must first be set up or, for example, the card provider must be called ... I have now formulated this more clearly in the article - thanks for pointing this out 🙂