Rating
The short answer: the best premium credit card in Switzerland right now is the Diners Club Gold Card, at CHF 100 in the first year. It leads our comparison of 34 Gold and premium cards.
A Gold credit card usually costs around CHF 200 a year. In return you receive travel insurance, a higher limit and, on many cards, a Priority Pass membership. Whether that pays off comes down to three numbers: how often you travel, how much you spend abroad and whether you would otherwise buy travel insurance separately.
Premium credit cards in Switzerland: how our comparison works
At GetRates, premium means Gold cards and Platinum cards under CHF 400 a year. Metal, Black and Platinum cards from CHF 400 are compared separately on our page of Platinum credit cards from CHF 400.
The table above ranks every card for a typical profile: about CHF 2,000 of spending a month, a fifth of it abroad, and two to three trips a year. Seven criteria count: insurance, annual fee plus foreign transaction fees, lounge access, rewards and yearly credits, welcome offer, services (concierge, free partner card, acceptance in Swiss shops) and customer satisfaction. When benefits are equal, the cheaper card ranks higher.
Sort by Annual fee, check the Foreign transaction fee (it decides what you really pay abroad) and expand a row to read the lounge and insurance details under Our take. With Add to compare you can check up to three cards point by point in our comparison tool.
October 2026 update: Visa and Mastercard versions with identical terms now share one row. Viseca's Gold card, sold by ten banks with the same benefits, is flagged as one product; each entry names the other banks. Ratings are shown on a scale from 2.5 to 5.
The best Gold credit card for your needs
The ranking shows the best all-rounder. If you already know what you need, this is faster:
- Strong travel insurance for a moderate fee: Diners Club Gold. Medical costs abroad up to CHF 1,500,000, cancellation cover up to CHF 40,000, 0.6% cashback (1.2% abroad) and a 1.2% foreign transaction fee. You will need a Visa or Mastercard alongside it for shops that do not take Diners.
- Simple cashback, no points: Cornèrcard Gold. 0.6% on CHF purchases, 1.2% in foreign currency, a 1.2% foreign transaction fee and legal protection on purchases. No lounge access.
- At your cantonal bank: Viseca Gold, the Gold card of most cantonal banks. AKB's version has the lowest annual fee, CHF 144.
- For Raiffeisen clients: Raiffeisen Gold. 0.5% cashback, CHF 198 a year, a 1.5% foreign transaction fee and cancellation costs up to CHF 15,000.
- For miles collectors: Cornèrcard's Miles & More Gold package with Visa and Diners Club. More in our comparison of Miles and More credit cards.
- For restaurants and hotels: the American Express Gold Card, also available through Alpian. A CHF 25 restaurant credit every quarter and 1 Membership Rewards point per franc, but a 2.5% foreign transaction fee and patchier acceptance in Swiss shops.
- For UBS clients: the UBS Gold credit card. According to UBS, from CHF 12 a month for existing clients, with a free Priority Pass membership.
Want unlimited lounge access and a personal concierge? Only luxury-tier cards offer that. Compare our Platinum credit cards from CHF 400.
How much does a Gold credit card cost?
CHF 80 to CHF 350 a year, usually CHF 200
- About CHF 7 to CHF 29 a month
- Travel insurance on almost every card
- Priority Pass membership on many, visits usually paid
- Rewards from 0.3% to 1% of spending
From CHF 400 a year
- Unlimited lounge access on many cards
- Higher insurance limits
- Concierge service
- Compared on our page of Platinum credit cards from CHF 400
Many Gold cards cost less in the first year. The current discounts are in the table above; they change all the time.
Hidden costs
Foreign transaction fees on Gold cards range from 0.84% (UBS key4 premium) to 2.5% (American Express Gold, SWISS Miles & More Gold). Most charge 1.75%. On CHF 5,000 of foreign-currency spending a year, that is CHF 42 to CHF 125 lost to fees.
Visa Gold or Mastercard Gold: what's the difference?
For you as a cardholder, the difference is small. The annual fee, insurance and rewards are set by the issuer, not the network. That is why Viseca and the cantonal banks, Raiffeisen, UBS, Bonus Card and LibertyCard offer their Gold card as both a Visa and a Mastercard on identical terms. Our table shows these twins in a single row.
Both networks are accepted almost everywhere in Switzerland and worldwide. American Express Gold and Diners Club Gold are different: they run on their own networks, which fewer Swiss shops accept. Plan for a second card. Details on acceptance and exchange rates are in our guide Visa or Mastercard.
What insurance comes with a Gold credit card?
Almost every Gold card includes travel insurance, but the cover varies a lot. Three examples, straight from the issuers:
- Raiffeisen Gold: cancellation costs up to CHF 15,000, luggage up to CHF 5,000, delayed luggage up to CHF 1,000, medical travel assistance up to CHF 250,000 and rental car deductible up to CHF 10,000.
- Diners Club Gold: medical costs abroad up to CHF 1,500,000 and cancellation cover up to CHF 40,000.
- UBS Gold: travel and aviation accident insurance, rental car deductible and a best price guarantee. Flight delays, lost luggage, medical treatment abroad and rescue and repatriation are only covered by the Travel Insurance Plus add-on at CHF 98 a year, which is included with the Platinum.
The UBS example shows what to look for: "travel insurance included" can mean an accident policy or a full package with cancellation and medical costs. Also check whether the trip has to be paid with the card. Which cards cover the most is in our comparison of the credit card with travel insurance.
Gold credit cards with legal protection
Legal protection is the exception on Gold cards. According to the issuers, these cards include it:
- Cornèrcard Gold: legal protection in disputes over the purchase of goods and services, including rental cars and online purchases. Private and traffic legal protection is only available as a paid add-on.
- Bonus Card Gold: travel legal protection, whether or not the trip was paid with the card, and shopping legal protection when at least 50% was paid with the card.
- Gold cards from LUKB, BEKB and SGKB (Viseca): online legal protection, up to CHF 10,000 per case at LUKB.
UBS does not list legal protection among the insurance included with the UBS Gold.
Additional card: what does the partner card cost?
If you share the card with your partner, you pay for the additional card every year. The differences are bigger than the annual fee suggests:
- UBS Gold and SWISS Miles & More Gold: the card set already includes two cards.
- ZKB Gold: CHF 25 a year. Viseca Gold: CHF 25 in the first year, then CHF 50.
- PostFinance Gold: CHF 40. Raiffeisen Gold: CHF 48, free in the first year for members.
- Most cantonal banks and Cornèrcard Gold: CHF 50.
- Bonus Card Gold: CHF 72. Diners Club Gold: CHF 100.
- American Express Gold: CHF 150.
With two cards, a Gold card with a higher annual fee can work out cheaper than one with a low fee and an expensive additional card.
Points, miles or cashback: what does a Gold card give back?
Cashback is the simplest: Diners Club Gold and Cornèrcard Gold pay 0.6% on CHF purchases and 1.2% in foreign currency, Raiffeisen Gold 0.5%.
Points programmes take more maths. The UBS Gold earns 4 KeyClub points per CHF 1,000; a point is worth CHF 1 with KeyClub partners, so 0.4%. The American Express Gold earns 1 Membership Rewards point per franc.
On CHF 24,000 of spending a year, 0.6% cashback brings CHF 144. That alone does not cover the annual fee of most Gold cards. The rest has to come from insurance and lounges you actually use. If you only want returns, the best cashback credit cards often serve you better.
Bonus Card and LibertyCard: from points to cashback
From 30 November 2026, Bonus Card, TUI Bonus Card and LibertyCard automatically earn cashback instead of points. The Bonus Card Gold will then pay 0.6% on CHF purchases and 1.2% in foreign currency, the Exclusive 0.9% and 1.7%. Fixed partner multipliers and MyCountry go away. Our ranking already scores these cards at the new rates.
Lounge access with a Gold credit card
Many Gold cards come with a Priority Pass membership, with lounges in Zurich, Geneva and Basel among many others. The catch: on Gold cards usually only the membership is free and you pay for each visit. The UBS Gold, for example, includes the membership worth EUR 89. Cornèrcard Gold, Raiffeisen Gold and Bonus Card Gold have no lounge access.
No card in our Gold table currently offers unlimited free visits. If you want the lounge several times a year, a Platinum card usually works out better. Which card includes how many visits is in our lounge access guide.
Who really needs a Gold credit card?
- Travellers with 3+ trips a year who would otherwise buy travel insurance separately.
- Couples sharing one card with a cheap or included additional card.
- High spenders who need a higher limit and purchase protection.
- Occasional travellers (1 to 2 trips a year): separate travel insurance often costs less than the annual fee.
- Moderate spenders (under CHF 15,000 a year): the rewards don't cover the fee. A free credit card is usually better.
- Anyone who won't use lounges or insurance: then you are only paying for the colour of the card.
Is a Gold credit card worth it? The maths
Add up what you will actually use: insurance premiums you avoid, lounge visits you would otherwise pay for, rewards on your spending and additional card fees you save. Subtract the annual fee. If the result is positive, the card pays off.
- Insurance instead of a separate policy (5 × CHF 100, assumption): CHF 500
- Rewards (CHF 30,000 × 0.6%): CHF 180
- Total value: CHF 680
- Annual fee: - CHF 200
- Net benefit: CHF 480
- Insurance instead of a separate policy (1 × CHF 100, assumption): CHF 100
- Rewards (CHF 10,000 × 0.6%): CHF 60
- Total value: CHF 160
- Annual fee: - CHF 200
- Net benefit: - CHF 40
In the second case you lose money. A free card plus travel insurance for that one trip is cheaper.
Gold or Platinum: when is the upgrade worth it?
At GetRates: premium means Gold cards and Platinum cards under CHF 400, where the annual fee pays for insurance, some lounge access and a higher limit. Luxury means Platinum, metal and Black cards from CHF 400, up to the invitation-only Amex Centurion.
The upgrade pays off mainly for lounges. Gold cards usually bring only the membership, Platinum cards often free visits, sometimes with a guest. At UBS, the Travel Insurance Plus add-on is included with the Platinum and costs CHF 98 a year with the Gold. If you rarely use lounges, Gold is the better deal. All luxury-tier cards are on our page of Platinum credit cards from CHF 400, the background in our luxury credit card guide.
Common mistakes with Gold cards
Many people pay CHF 200 a year and never visit a lounge, never claim on the insurance and barely earn rewards. Once a year, check what you actually used. If it doesn't cover the fee, switch to a cheaper card.
Gold sounds good but brings nothing if the benefits don't fit you. A free cashback card beats a CHF 200 Gold card for most spending patterns.
2.5% on CHF 10,000 of foreign spending is CHF 250 a year. That often exceeds the rewards on those purchases. If you pay abroad a lot, pick a Gold card at 1.2% or less.
Gold credit cards for foreigners in Switzerland
With a B, C or G permit and a Swiss address, you can apply for a Gold card. Issuers check your income, your debts and your record with the Central Office for Credit Information (ZEK). Most issuers do not publish a minimum income on their card pages. Newcomers without a Swiss credit history often get a lower first limit. Which cards suit a fresh start is in our guide to credit cards for expats.
My honest take on Gold cards
After analysing hundreds of card setups on GetRates, my conclusion is this: a Gold card only pays off if you really need the insurance. On Gold cards, lounges and rewards are usually too small to carry the fee on their own.
If you travel several times a year and would otherwise buy travel insurance, a Gold card can pay off clearly. If not, the comparison of the best credit cards has cheaper alternatives.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best premium credit card in Switzerland?
In our current comparison of 34 cards, the Diners Club Gold Card leads. The best card for you depends on what you use: Diners Club Gold for strong travel insurance, Cornèrcard Gold for simple cashback, Viseca Gold through your cantonal bank. Filter the table above by what matters to you.
How much does a Gold credit card cost per year and per month?
Gold cards in our comparison cost CHF 80 to CHF 350 a year, usually CHF 200. That is about CHF 7 to CHF 29 a month. Many cards are cheaper in the first year. Count the additional card too: depending on the issuer it costs nothing extra up to CHF 150 a year.
What insurance is included with a Visa Gold or Mastercard Gold?
The bank decides, not the network. Raiffeisen Gold, for example, covers cancellation costs up to CHF 15,000, luggage up to CHF 5,000, medical travel assistance up to CHF 250,000 and the rental car deductible up to CHF 10,000. The UBS Gold includes travel and aviation accident insurance and the rental car deductible; luggage and medical treatment abroad cost CHF 98 a year extra.
Does a Gold credit card include trip cancellation insurance?
Many do, but not all. Raiffeisen Gold covers cancellation costs up to CHF 15,000, Diners Club Gold up to CHF 40,000. UBS does not list cancellation insurance among the benefits included with the UBS Gold. Also check whether the trip has to be paid with the card.
Which Gold credit card includes legal protection?
Cornèrcard Gold includes legal protection in disputes over purchases, including rental cars and online shopping. Bonus Card Gold has travel and shopping legal protection. The Gold cards from LUKB, BEKB and SGKB include online legal protection, up to CHF 10,000 per case at LUKB.
What are the requirements for a Gold credit card?
You must be at least 18, live in Switzerland, have a regular income and a clean ZEK record. Swisscard lists exactly these requirements for the American Express Gold, with no minimum income. Most other issuers don't publish an income threshold either, but they do check your creditworthiness.
Gold or Platinum: what's the difference?
Platinum cards from CHF 400 mainly bring better lounge benefits and higher insurance limits. On Gold cards usually only the Priority Pass membership is free and visits cost extra. If you rarely use lounges, Gold is cheaper.
