The Best 2026 Credit Card Strategy: No Fees and Maximum Returns
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Credit cards are an important part of your personal finances. They are tools that you need to use to your advantage.
The problem is that it is easy to misuse credit cards. You need to have a good credit card strategy to take full advantage of credit cards.
Since I have started improving my personal finances, I optimized my usage of credit cards. I have reduced the annual fee of my credit cards to zero, and I have now reduced all my credit card fees to zero! That’s right. I do not pay any fee using credit cards, even for foreign currencies. My credit card strategy is much better than before since I did not realize I was paying too much at that time!
In addition, I have also improved the cashback I get for each of my purchases. Now, I get up to 1% cashback on my purchases! On the other hand, I had to go from one single card to three credit cards to optimize my fees and cashback. Unfortunately, there is no free lunch.
In this article, I share my entire credit card strategy. If you want to save on fees and improve your cashback, this will help you! Indeed, if you are willing to go the extra mile, you can save money and generate some small income with credit cards.
Credit card strategy
When I choose a credit card, I want two things:
- minimizing the fees
- maximizing the returns (the cashback or bonus).
Contrary to what most people think, there are plenty of free credit cards in Switzerland. Unfortunately, most people still pay for their credit cards. And there should be free credit cards in most countries. And some of these credit cards have nice cashback. Sometimes, they even have higher cashback than paid cards.
It is essential to choose a free credit card. For instance, if your card costs you 100 CHF per year and has 0.5% cashback, you would need to spend 20,000 CHF per year to get even. Most people do not spend that much on their credit cards! A free card with 0.25% cashback would have given you back 50 CHF instead of 0 CHF! Unless you spend a lot on your credit cards, and you probably should not, you should always opt for a free credit card.
The annual fee is not the only thing that needs to be minimized. Most cards charge a very high fee on currency exchange, for instance! This foreign fee needs to be taken care of as well! And withdrawals from a credit card are also almost always expensive.
The second thing you want with your credit cards is the highest cashback possible.
In Switzerland, the cashback is pretty bad. But in some countries, you can find cashback of several percentage points. First, you want some real cash as a bonus. If the cash is only usable in some shop you never go to, you do not want it. Ideally, it is real cashback going toward your credit card bills. Or it could be cashback in a shop that you often go to.
Some people also choose based on the credit card insurance they can get. I generally do not use credit card insurance, but this may be something you want to consider as a criteria.
Many people will say you should avoid credit cards for good finances. However, this is a personal finance myth. If you use them properly, they can be a good tool.
Foreign currency fees
If you make purchases in other countries or in foreign currencies, you need to be careful about currency exchange fees. In our household, About 20% of our card payments are paid in foreign currencies. For this, weI need to use another card with minimum currency exchange fees, and this extra card is an essential part of any credit card strategy.
All credit cards available in Switzerland charge a substantial fee for purchases in foreign currencies. Sometimes, they are also charging based on the country, not only the currency. For instance, my credit card charges a fee for everything abroad, even if it is in Swiss francs.
Eliminating foreign currency exchange fees is definitely what will save you the most in your credit strategy. Compared to my base card, I save 2.5% on each international purchase! It is much more than the cashback I get on my domestic purchases.
The best credit card strategy
Now that we know the goals, we can move on to what I consider to be the best credit card strategy.
1. Domestic Purchases- Certo One Credit Card
A great Swiss credit card with excellent cashback (up to 1%!), very flexible, and with a good mobile application.
- No yearly fee
- 1% cashback in three shops
The Certo One credit card is a great credit card. This card has 1% cash back, but only in three shops. Other shops have 0.25% cash back. It is real cashback, removed from your bill.
I have configured three shops based on my shopping history. I currently use Lidl, Galaxus and Landi. I am sometimes changing the last one because we do not have a third shop that we use very often. However, most of our groceries are bought at Lidl, and most of our online shopping is done at Galaxus. So, a significant portion of our expenses has 1% cashback.
If you want more details, I have an entire article about the Certo credit card.
2. International Purchases – Alpian debit card
Alpian is a premium digital bank, aiming to help affluent people with their money without paying the outrageous costs of traditional private banks.
Use the code POORCH to receive up to a 120 CHF reward.
If you are often paying with your card in another country, you could consider using Alpian for this. Alpian is a Swiss digital bank. And they only have a low surcharge when paying abroad or in foreign currencies.
Using Alpian over your other cards could save you a lot of money! Most people do not realize they pay a large fee when they purchase in another currency. You will only pay a 0.2% surcharge with Alpian. Most credit cards are above 2%.
The downside of Alpian here is that it is a debit card. In most cases, it will work just fine. But there are a few cases where it will be refused. Renting a car and reserving hotels often require a credit card. It is because they make a reservation for the money instead of taking the money out. And this is not possible with debit cards. One way around it is to require payment in advance, in which case debit cards should be fine. But this is not always possible.
When this is not possible, you will have to use your credit card. It will not be free, but this will work.
For more information, I have made an entire review of the Alpian bank account.
There are also some other alternatives if you prefer:
- Neon (our review)
- WIR Bank Top (our review)
Strategy with more cashback
I am happy with my current credit card strategy, and it is getting better and better. But there are always things that I could improve.
If you want to optimize cashback, you can introduce an extra credit card to your strategy: the Swisscard American Express. This card gives 1% cashback on every shop. The issue with this card is that American Express cards are not well accepted in Switzerland. This means that if you use this card, you still need a secondary card for when Amex is not accepted.
So, for this strategy, the ideal is to get:
- The Swisscard American Express
- The Certo One from the previous strategy
- The Alpian card from the previous strategy
In the past, I was using this strategy. But to simplify my strategy, I decided to only keep the Certo and the Alpian card. However, you could improve it by using both. It is up to you to choose between cashback and simplicity.
Do you have any idea how to improve my credit card strategy?
The simplest credit card strategy
Now, some of you may wonder whether we could make things simple. Many people do not want to carry two or three cards with them. And I completely understand that.
The simplest credit card strategy would be with fewer cards. In this case, you have to sacrifice some cashback. However, unless you spend a lot with your credit cards, this is probably not a huge deal for your finances.
If you want the simplest credit card strategy, you have a few choices.
- If you ever buy something in foreign currency, you need a card with free foreign exchange. In this case, go with Alpian. You will be able to use it in Switzerland, abroad, and online. If you do not need a real credit card (for hotels, cards, …), you can simply use Alpian.
- If you need a credit card and never buy anything in foreign currency, you can simply use the Certo Mastercard. It is free, and you can earn cash back. This card is well accepted in Switzerland.
- If you need a credit card and pay in foreign currency, you will have to go with both Alpian and the Certo Mastercard. But you would generally only need to carry one: Alpian for foreign currencies and Certo for rentals and domestic purchases.
The simplest credit card strategy is qgood The important part is to save money on the fees. The cashback is a little bonus, but it is only a tiny optimization.
7 Tips for credit cards
Credit cards are powerful tools for managing personal finances. However, they may be dangerous if not used correctly.
It is the reason why some people think that we should not use credit cards. If you feel you cannot control your use of credit cards, you may be better off without them. But if we use them well, they can help you a little towards Ffinancial independence
1. Do not carry credit card debt
First and foremost, you should never carry a balance on your credit card.
Just after borrowing money from a loan shark, this is the worst kind of debt you can have! This kind of debt has at least 10% interest and can go as high as 20% interest. This fee is a lot of money you will lose if you start having credit card debt!
2. Do not withdraw money with your credit card
Also, you should never withdraw cash with your credit card.
Most Swiss credit cards have high fees for cash withdrawals. However, withdrawing money is not what credit cards are about. For instance, the Amex from Swisscard has a 3.95% fee on withdrawal with a minimum of 5 CHF. Of course, if you are in an emergency and this is the only thing you can do, it is not so bad to pay this interest. However, you should be careful to use it only in case of an actual emergency!
3. Always use the correct card
You also need to make sure you are using the correct card for the correct thing.
In my current credit card strategy, I am using three credit cards. For each of my purchases, be it in a store or online, I have to think about which card I should use. Choosing the correct card is important because a 2.5% fee on foreign currency purchases will entirely remove all the bonuses with your credit card.
4. Be careful of hidden fees
A complete ebook giving you the cheapest resources to manage your money in Switzerland!
All the cards I am using are free. However, that does not mean that everything is free with those cards. I already mentioned interest on credit card debt and withdrawal fees. But a lot of credit cards have other services that are paid.
For instance, all free credit cards allow you to pay if you want a paper statement. Some credit cards, however, require you to pay if you need to call them. Thus, you have to be extra careful about what you do with the card.
5. Do not let cashback blind you
There is also one subtle thing about cashback that you need to be aware of. Sometimes, people use the excuse of cashback to buy more expensive things.
For instance, between my Amex and my Certo MasterCard reward program, I get 2% cash back when I shop at Migros. However, many things are more expensive there. Overall, it is estimated that grocery shopping at Migros is at least 40% more expensive than at Lidl. Compared to that, the extra 1% cashback bonus is negligible. Cashback should only be considered a bonus for shopping for cheap things.
You should never buy something because it will give you some extra income. If you lose 100 CHF and make 1 CHF back, you will still have lost 99 CHF! You are much better off with your 100 CHF!
6. Keep your credit cards safe
You should consider your credit cards as sensitive material.
Always be careful when you type your PIN. If you suspect something is not safe, do not use your credit card! And if you think someone got your PIN, change it immediately or block the card! If you lose the card, you should immediately report it as stolen to make it blocked!
7. Credit card companies are not your friends
Overall, you need to understand that these credit card companies are in it for the money!
They are not offering free cards just because they are nice! Most people make many mistakes with their credit cards, and credit card companies exploit these people! Do not make mistakes with your credit cards, and you will have a powerful tool in your wallet!
Conclusion
An optimized credit card strategy consists of reducing the fees to zero and maximizing the cashback from purchases. To achieve these goals, you need two different cards:
With this credit card strategy, you never pay any fee and have a 1% cashback with the Certo in three shops and 0.20% in other shops. If you want to make it simpler, you can switch to one card. And if you would like to optimize it further, you can switch to three cards.
If you are used to United States credit cards, you may wonder why I did not talk about travel hacking. In fact, in Switzerland, travel hacking with credit cards is bad. There are a few options from Swiss and Miles, for instance. However, their bonus is not very interesting, and their credit cards are not even free! These cards may be good if you spend a lot of money. However, that is not the point of this blog spending a lot of money.
Finally, please remember that credit cards are powerful tools if used correctly. If you are not using them correctly, they can be very dangerous to your personal finances. You need to never carry a balance on your credit card. If you carry a balance, you are much better off with no credit card.
And if you want to keep it simple, it is also possible. Remember only to use free cards, which will minimize foreign exchange fees.
Finally, all this is about optimization. Just having the best credit cards will not make a huge difference in your way to financial independence, for instance. It is good to do it. But there are things you can do to save money that will matter more.
What is your credit card strategy? Do you have any tips to share?
More reading
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What is The Best Credit card in Switzerland for 2026?
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TCS Travel Mastercard Gold Credit Card Review – 1% cashback!
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Is there a cap on the Swisscard cashback, 1% cashback on unlimited purchases?
I don’t think there is a cap, no.
Hi!
Thanks for the post!
A couple of remarks. I’m using the Neon as my primary and only bank. The trick is that its card is not debit but prepaid. It means that merchant still can block money on it, however you cannot pay in the swiss post offices because they accept only truly debit cards.
For payments abroad, I use the Wise, it is just slightly less fees and a bit more relaxed conditions for cash withdrawals.
Hi Pavel,
I did not know you could not pay in the local post offices, thanks for letting me know. I have not had to pay there in many years.
Do you mean for payments when abroad or transfers to another country? Payments when abroad should be more or less the same, no? But transfers to another country is indeed cheaper with Wise.
Are you sure you cant pay in Post Offices with the neon debit card? Its usually some post offices only accept postfinance cards and others accept the Visa and Mastercards too. You may have stumbled to tge one that only accepts Post finance cards. The accepted payment methods are described for each branch on the Post website
Hello poor swiss,
Thank you for this useful post. I have some questions:
1) When ordering with swisscard, you always get two cards. This is for me 1) cashback amex, and 2) cashback world MasterCard. Do I understand correctly that the cashback is 1% for 1) and 0.3% for 2)? This is not explicitly mentioned in their website. In that case can I cancel the world Mastercard?
2) It seems they charge you for every letter 1.95 CHF. I guess that means I have to pay 1.95 per month every time they send the monthly bill by letter. Is there any way to avoid this?
Hi Dimich
1) yes, you can choose with either MC or Visa as the second card. I believe that’s 0.2% for the second card. And I don’t think you can’t cancel the MC or Visa without canceling the Amex.
2) You can opt for the bill to be on the app. It may be by default, I have never paid a dime for the letters.
Hi Poor Swiss,
In this sentence, did you maybe mean 1%?: “This card has 0.33% cashback, and the cashback is not really in cash but in special cash that you can only use at Migros”.
I thought the Cumulus cashback is 1% (Migros) plus you have 0.3% cashback from the credit card, in that case in total 1.3% (if you are not using the annex).
Thanks,
CD
Hi,
No, the card has 0.33% cashback in most cases. If you pay in any shop but Migros, you will get 0.33% cashback. If you buy at Migros, you will get a 1% cashback. I don’t believe the two bonus stack to 1.3%, only 1% total.
Thanks, basically my strategy would be to scan the cumulus points card which I already have (no credit card) in Migros for the 1% cashback. Then pay with Amex (+1%) for a total cashback of 2%.
Exactly what I am doing :)
Hey
So If you top up your revolut card with the cumulus card you get cashback on the cumulus card?
Best
Mircea
Hi,
Currently, yes. If you top up your Swiss revolut account with a swiss credit card, you get the cashback.
Neon credit card is intriguing if there are no conversion fees for international purchases. Do you know by chance if you can get the card without having an account?
I currently have a (Transfer)Wise debit card, but it’s quite limited for larger amounts. For small amounts it’s very good.
I also have a DKB account (German bank) with a visa credit card, but I am looking to change the bank because they got cheeky: the credit card costs 30eur/year, they change the authentication process so lots of clients were left out, ATM fees, etc. Maybe you write an article on alternatives to Swiss banks. Some German banks are pretty solid both from a product and cost perspective.
Hi Daniel,
It’s actually a debit card, not a credit card. I have a tendency to mix both :(
So, you need a Neon account to get it.
I have heard good things about German banks indeed. I have already written about N26, Wise, and Revolut as alternatives. But I do not really recommend foreign banks for their money. THe ideal is having a single bank, Neon, to do both banking and payments abroad.
Hi Mr Poor Swiss,
Thank you for the amazing post. I took your advice and applied for the Swisscard AMEX Cashback. Just have a question on the application
What’s the question? :)
Thanks for sharing. You are pretty optimized – maybe to the maximum. Unfortunately, there is no “one card” solution. Maybe the Migros Cumulus Credit Card is not necessary? Even if you have spendings of CHF 50’000, the gain with the Migros Cumulus card are CHF 65 p.a., when not using the Cashback Visa/Master. In this case you could save one card.
I went back to the Swiss Miles and More Platinum; it is expensive but it fulfills my needs. I am also using neon for foreign currencies and closed my Revolut account.
Best,
Nick
Hi Nick,
Yes, I am pretty optimized but probably too much. I am thinking of dropping the Amex to simplify.
There is no perfect one-card solution indeed. But if I were to choose one card, I would use Neon. No fees beat some cashback.
Thanks for sharing your strategy!
Hi,
First of all, thank you very much for your amazing post.
It’s great!
I usually follow the same CC strategy with my Cumulus card.
I have a question.
Is it possible to pay the rent of the apartment (BVR payment) with the Cumulus Card or Amex in order to get the cashback?
Hi Lorenzo,
Thanks :)
I don’t think it’s possible in Switzerland. At least, I have never heard of anybody doing it.
I like using Apple Pay. Can you configure your credit cards to pay with Apple Pay? Will you still get cash back in that case?
And the same for revolut: I use my credit card to load my revolut. Would that give you cashback as well?
Thank you!
Hi,
I have never tried, but looking on the website, it should work indeed. And I believe you should get the cashback.
Yes, if you load Revolut with the Cumulus, you get the cashback.