TWINT in Your Online Shop: Which Payment Methods You Need

Anyone running an online shop in Switzerland sooner or later hits the same question: which payment methods do I need to offer so that customers actually complete the purchase? The honest answer is not "as many as possible" but "the right ones for your market". In Switzerland that mainly means TWINT, credit cards, PostFinance and mobile wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay. In this guide we explain why local payment methods influence conversion, what a payment service provider (PSP) actually does and how you can cover these methods with saldiaPay through one contract and one dashboard.

Why local payment methods influence conversion

The checkout is the last hurdle before the purchase – and this is exactly where many orders are abandoned. A common reason: the preferred payment method is missing. In Switzerland, TWINT has become the mobile payment standard, especially among younger buyers and for spontaneous orders placed on a phone. If you don't offer TWINT at checkout, you potentially lose exactly the customers who want to pay in two or three clicks.

That doesn't mean a single method is enough. Different people trust different routes: some prefer to pay by credit card, others rely on PostFinance, and still others use the wallet already stored on their smartphone. A good rule of thumb: offer the methods your target audience expects – and keep the checkout as short as possible. Local payment methods are not a nice-to-have here but a trust signal: a Swiss logo at checkout feels more familiar than a purely international payment window.

The four payment methods a Swiss shop really needs

Instead of an endless list, it pays to look at the methods that actually make the difference in Switzerland:

• TWINT – Switzerland's most popular mobile payment solution. For many customers it is almost a must-have at checkout.
• Credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex) – the international standard that nearly everyone expects and that also works for visitors from abroad.
• PostFinance Card & E-Finance – reaches millions of PostFinance customers in Switzerland who are used to this route.
• Apple Pay & Google Pay – the mobile wallets for a fast checkout without manual card entry.

In addition, purchase on invoice and installment payment can make sense if your range fits – for example with higher cart values. saldiaPay covers this too. The key point remains: you don't have to offer every conceivable method, only those that match your audience and your margins.

What is a PSP – and why do you need one?

A payment service provider (PSP) is the service that handles payments for you technically. Without a PSP you would have to sign separate contracts for each payment method, connect each interface individually and manage each statement separately. A PSP bundles this: it receives the payment at checkout, verifies and authorizes it, takes care of security and compliance and pays out your revenue.

saldiaPay is our Swiss PSP. With a single contract and one dashboard you accept all common Swiss payment methods – TWINT, credit cards, PostFinance and more – online and even without your own online shop. Settlement is in Swiss francs. This is precisely the difference from solutions where you end up juggling several contracts and several logins.

One contract, one dashboard: how saldiaPay bundles it

The practical advantage of a Swiss PSP shows in everyday use. Instead of piecing together transactions across different providers, you see all payments and payment methods centrally in one dashboard. This includes reporting, transaction history, automatic payouts to your bank account and export as CSV or PDF for accounting.

On the security side, saldiaPay provides PCI DSS Level 1, 3D Secure 2.0, fraud detection and encrypted data transfer – and the data is stored in Swiss data centers. So you don't have to handle card compliance yourself. Support comes from Switzerland in German.

It's also handy that you don't necessarily have to couple saldiaPay with a shop. Via payment links, payment pages, donation forms and digital invoices you can collect payments entirely without an online shop – for example for services, open invoices or donations. For on-site use or at markets there is also QR Pay.

How this works together with saldiaShop

If you don't have a shop yet or want to migrate, it's worth looking at saldiaShop. The Swiss e-commerce platform is hosted in Switzerland, hosting is included, and the Swiss payment methods are preinstalled via saldiaPay. Instead of integrating a payment solution from scratch, you activate payments in the shop. In the saldiaShop plans, online payments are provided for an additional CHF 5.

Technically, though, saldiaPay is not limited to saldiaShop. There is a hosted checkout page, an embeddable widget, plugins for WooCommerce, Shopify, Magento and Prestashop as well as a REST API with webhooks. This covers both an easy start with a ready-made shop and custom integrations.

Which saldiaPay plan fits?

saldiaPay starts at CHF 5 per month (billed annually) with the Easy plan, which includes Visa & Mastercard, TWINT, PostFinance and Apple Pay & Google Pay plus a basic dashboard. The Advanced plan from CHF 15 per month offers an advanced dashboard, phone and email support and, among others, TWINT (1.5 %) and TWINT BNPL (2.5 %). The Enterprise plan from CHF 49 per month targets high transaction volumes with lower fees – such as TWINT (1.3 %), TWINT BNPL (2.3 %) and PostFinance (1.8 % + 0.30 CHF) – plus priority support and custom rates on request. Which plan fits depends on your transaction volume. Prices may change.

Our honest advice: don't start with the largest variant but with the one that matches your current volume – and scale up as orders increase. If you prioritise TWINT in your online shop, also pay attention to the TWINT-related conditions of each plan.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

How do I offer TWINT in my online shop?

You need a payment service provider that supports TWINT. With saldiaPay, TWINT is included directly – through one contract and one dashboard, together with credit cards, PostFinance and Apple Pay & Google Pay. With saldiaShop the Swiss payment methods are already preinstalled via saldiaPay, so you can activate TWINT at checkout.

Which payment methods does a Swiss online shop really need?

Usually TWINT, credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex), PostFinance and Apple Pay and Google Pay. These cover the most common expectations in Switzerland. Optionally, purchase on invoice and installment payment complement the offer if your range fits. The key is to offer the methods your target audience expects.

What is a PSP?

A payment service provider (PSP) handles payments for you: it receives them at checkout, authorizes them, takes care of security and compliance and pays out the revenue. saldiaPay is a Swiss PSP that lets you accept all common Swiss payment methods through one contract and settles in CHF.

How much does saldiaPay cost?

saldiaPay starts at CHF 5 per month (billed annually) with the Easy plan. Above that there is Advanced from CHF 15 per month (advanced dashboard, lower fees) and Enterprise from CHF 49 per month (lowest fees for high transaction volumes). Which plan fits depends on your transaction volume. Prices may change.

Can I collect payments without an online shop?

Yes. Besides the checkout for your shop, saldiaPay offers payment links, payment pages, donation forms and digital invoices. With these you can collect payments entirely without your own shop – for example for services, open invoices or donations directly via link or form.