Credit card usage in Switzerland
A traveler started a thread wondering about the need for a PIN when using credit cards in Switzerland, especially since they're from the U.S. They seek clarity on whether they will need a PIN for their American Express and Visa cards during their upcoming trip next week to Leysin.
- Always check if your card supports PIN transactions before traveling to Switzerland.
- Having a Visa card is generally safer for use in Switzerland than American Express, as Visa is more widely accepted.
- Consider carrying some Swiss francs (CHF) in cash for places that may not accept cards or where card processing issues may arise.
- If you face card issues at a merchant, contact your credit card company immediately, as the resolution process may differ from what you're used to.
AI-generated summary-
Hello! I am reading that using a credit card in Switzerland is slightly different than in the U.S. Is it true that a PIN number is needed to verify the transaction in Switzerland?
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Ho CJwebs,
Yes, a PIN# is required here and has been in Europe for a long time. Also in Canada actually. Do you not have a PIN for your US credit card? That surprises me as I thought it was a normal thing everywhere! 🙂
FYI, in the U.S. a PIN number w/credit cards is only necessary for cash advances. Otherwise, only a signature is required for larger charged amounts, & nothing else required for smaller amounts. Thanks, Lucas, for this valuable info, as I would have traveled not knowing my PIN, rendering the card useless for my purposes. 👍
Oh I see – I didn’t know that! 🙂
So far smaller amounts you have the tap system? And then for large amounts a signature?
I’m guessing if I used my CDN credit card it would prompt for the pin always…or perhaps just a signature.I haven’t had to sign for my credit card in many years (but it is easier to remember one’s signature than a PIN # if you never use it!)
Happy travels!
Hi, Lucas! I have no clue what the procedure would be regarding the use of a CDN credit card in the U.S., but yes, signatures are easier to use than PINs, though not as security proof. Thanks for the well wishes! You have been an immense help in educating me on some of the unknowns in Switzerland. Looking forward to the visit!
Hello – I’m still not clear about using a credit card in Switzerland. Will I need a PIN to use my American Express card while I’m there? I’ll be notifying Amex that I’ll be abroad so they are aware it’s not fraudulent use but I don’t have a PIN for my card. What about my Visa card? I’ll be there next week in Leysin. Thanks!
I can’t be 100% sure that you can’t use your credit card if it doesn’t have a PIN. I’d say 50/50.
They may still be able to swipe it on the machine and print a bill for you to sign. But all machines here are designed for CHIP and PIN cards.
Visa is much more accepted here than American Express, so I would bring it as well even if it doesn’t have a CHIP and PIN either.
Maybe Slowpoke or another American can chime in if they use their credit card without issues in Switzerland without a PIN.
I have now been in Switzerland for three weeks and I have used my U.S. visa card at restaurants and grocery stores without a problem. No pin has been needed, just a signature.
HI Lucas-
My experience matches Arthur’s.
I Have an AMEX card with a chip, and it has a PIN, since sometimes (rarely) I use it for cash.
Wherever AMEX is accepted in Switzerland, I have used it routinely. A European chip+pin card would need no signature. The AMEX card’s information is used to create the transaction, but a signature substitutes for the PIN. I have to sign.
[In the USA, it is common to allow small purchases, such as those less than $50.00, to proceed without the signature.]
So, the card is a “chip+sign” card. European banks have agreed on the more advanced chip+pin system, and some special issue American credit cards can be gotten that will work on that system. However, chip+sign is the approach chosen by USA banks, for a lot of complex reasons having to do with liability laws and costs.
I also use VISA and/or Mastercard, with the same procedure being necessary. Those cards have chips, too, and PINs. One gives trouble…the card reader asks for a PIN sometimes, but not others. I don’t use it in Europe.
When I buy train tickets at an SBB ticket machine with the AMEX card, no signature is possible. The ticket machine does the normal process of displaying the cost on a separate small window, and asking if the amount is OK. I agree, and my ticket appears.
Hope that helps.
If one uses AMEX, I recommend that they have a VISA or Mastercard available as a backup. Maybe 2.
I use my AMEX card a lot in Switzerland. It is a Delta Airlines branded card, and using excessively it gives me Elite status in the frequent flyer program, and generates enough “miles” to allow transatlantic business class trips occasionally for essentially no cost. (However, it is certainly not “free.” It has a substantial annual fee.)
For Frederick A-
Get a PIN. It won’t hurt and may help. But, you will not need it. Possibly, at some places you will be able to use it….maybe.
Slowpoke
Thanks for all the tips!
Thanks for the detailed reply Slowpoke! Good to know for the future.
I’m surprised Canada uses the Euro-style “Chip+Pin” system as we almost always follow the US lead on most things!
Thanks Arthur, good to know as I’m sure this will come up again from US tourists!
Many thanks to Lucas, Arthur & Slowpoke for clarifying this subject. I was especially interested in hearing why the U.S. uses the less secure chip/sign method. Perhaps I should take all my plastic…a woman on holiday with no way to buy anything is a nightmarish thought!
<<“I was especially interested in hearing why the U.S. uses the less secure chip/sign method. >>
It is not simple, but reasons include:
It costs money to install chip+pin2.
In Europe, it greatly reduced credit card fraud.
This article talks about some of the logic. I’ve read that there is more, related in some complex manner to limits of liability for fraud, but can’t find that reference.
http://www.quora.com/Why-is-the-USA-adopting-chip-signature-and-not-chip-pin
The article is good on why both c+p or c+s are/were not fully accepted in the USA. Speed.
Also, a good 2018 update.
Slowpoke
That tutorial is VERY enlightening in addition to interesting. Telling that the article points out America’s preference for speed/convenience over waste. Well, nothing is simple anymore. Thank you again, Slowpoke! You are an invaluable resource.
We were able to use our VISA and AMEX cards last December in Basel and Zermatt without any problems.
However in Zurich we had problems at an expensive restaurant and at the hotel. At the restaurant, none of the non-Swiss credit cards were able to be processed–this was late evening and 5 or 6 tables had non-Swiss people with non-Swiss credit cards. The restaurant manager had no way of getting assistance from her credit card processing company–she simply told everyone that they should go out and get cash from ATM’s in the neighborhood. Numerous people at different tables contacted VISA and AMEX and were told that the problem was the restaurant’s and that the charges were not submitted properly and were not being received by either VISA or AMEX, in other words, they weren’t declined since neither VISA or AMEX had received the charges. She finally took everyone’s information and asked us to wire her the money when we returned home. We found out that the charges were put through after we left the restaurant when we contacted VISA the next day. At the hotel, the desk clerk said the same thing, that our cards were declined, but VISA never got the charges and it took 45 minutes to sort that problem out. Unlike the US, there isn’t a system for a Swiss merchant to quickly resolve credit card issues. I have clients/companies who actually process credit card charges for various restaurants here in the US so I know that here my clients have to have personnel who are available 24/7 to help merchants–that doesn’t appear to be the case in Switzerland. If you run into this problem, don’t give anyone cash, contact your credit card company immediately and if necessary have them speak to the merchant. Note that other merchants in Zurich did not have this issue. It was definitely a problem that originated at these two merchants.
Hi Cam-
I never had the problem that you mention at two places in Zürich. However, I’ve heard about such cases. It is rare that that a merchant or hotel with good credentials would try to cheat you. Note the comment about wiring money. They had to trust you.
Wiring money is much easier to do in Switzerland and in Europe than it is in the USA. The USA has recently gotten ACH transfer, which performs the same function within the USA that is accomplished as a matter of course in Europe. As far as I know, USA to Europe wires still have to use the interbank transfer mechanism which is cumbersome and slow.
Since it was many cards of different types, it was definitely the restaurants problem. The fact that the charges went through the next day means that the restaurant fixed its problem, I suspect.
Since there are places that still only take cash, I always carry at least 300 CHF, usually 500 CHF in currency.
Slowpoke
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