Bern, July 24, 2025 — The Swiss Competition Commission (WEKO) has reached a landmark agreement with Visa to lower interchange fees for debit card payments at physical retail locations in Switzerland, and for the first time, to reduce cross-border fees on both debit and credit card transactions from the European Economic Area (EEA).
Interchange fees — the charges paid by retailers’ banks to cardholders’ banks during card transactions — are a major cost factor for merchants. Under the new deal, domestic in-person payments with Swiss Visa debit cards will be capped at an average interchange fee of 0.15%, with specific rates depending on the merchant category.
A base rate of up to 0.2% will apply generally, while a lower rate of 0.12% is set for essential goods, with a maximum charge of 36 Swiss centimes for purchases over CHF 300. The new cap applies regardless of whether the debit card is used physically or through a mobile wallet like a smartphone or smartwatch.
For domestic online debit card payments, WEKO announced that the maximum interchange fee will drop from 0.31% to 0.25%, effective November 1, 2025.
In a significant first, WEKO has also successfully negotiated reductions in cross-border interchange fees for cards issued in the EEA and used at Swiss merchants. Starting later this year, the fee for EEA debit card transactions will fall from 1.00% to 0.20%, and for EEA credit card transactions from 1.15% to 0.44%. This move is expected to save Swiss retailers over CHF 10 million annually.
The Visa agreement follows a similar deal WEKO reached with Mastercard in 2024. While Visa’s domestic rate of 0.15% is slightly higher than Mastercard’s 0.12%, it also applies to mobile device transactions — a coverage not included in the Mastercard deal.
The decision marks a significant step in WEKO’s efforts to promote fairer transaction costs for Swiss merchants and consumers alike.
Source: https://www.news.admin.ch/de/newnsb/TN62E0Z5SBWkDtlngfknQ
