Switzerland to launch offline card payments by end of 2027

The government, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) and retailers across Switzerland plan to make offline card payments possible by the end of next year, while Visa and Mastercard are making it easier for expats to send international money transfers directly from Swiss banking apps.

Swiss stores to enable offline card payments by end of 2027

Swiss banks, payment providers and shops have confirmed that they will introduce offline card payments in Switzerland by the end of 2027. With more and more people favouring cards over cash, retailers want to try to avoid the “major chaos” that happens when card payments fail, reports 20 Minuten.

The Federal Office for National Economic Supply (FONES) further explained that electronic payments are a “key prerequisite for ensuring the supply of vital goods and services to the population” if telecommunications or payment infrastructures were to fail. The offering focuses on essential goods like food, medicine and fuel.

Card authorisation will happen “directly between the card and the payment terminal”, and the transaction will be processed once an internet connection is re-established. Offline card payments will require a physical credit or debit card that uses a PIN. Mobile wallets like Apple Pay, Google Pay or TWINT will not work offline.

Card providers to simplify international money transfers from Switzerland

Visa, Mastercard and PayInit AG have also announced plans to make international person-to-person (P2P) payments easier. PayInit is creating a shared platform that will enable Swiss banks to “integrate Visa and Mastercard services into their own digital offerings,” reports Watson.

The platform will be run by “certified technology from Opentech through its OpenPay Send platform.” The future service will allow card providers to “embed a seamless P2P experience directly into their own digital channels,” states a Mastercard press release. The system will work like TWINT in Switzerland, allowing users to send money abroad using only the recipient's mobile number or email address.

“Swiss consumers today expect to send money as easily as they send a message, whether to someone next door or across borders,” explained Daniela Massaro, country manager for Switzerland and Liechtenstein at Mastercard. A launch date for the service is yet to be confirmed.