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Our Take on Poinz Card Amex
Switzerland's #1 shopping credit card, and it doesn't even charge you to carry it.
The Poinz Card Amex ranks #1 among Switzerland's 31 shopping credit cards on our v3.1 methodology. That ranking isn't about the headline cashback alone; it's the combination of a free card, the Poinz partner ecosystem, a CHF 100 Coop welcome voucher on top of 3% bonus cashback for three months, and an issuer whose entire business is shopping rather than payments.
Why Is It #1?
Three things stack together. 1% base cashback on a free card is already competitive in Switzerland, where most no-fee cards sit between 0.25% and 0.5%. 3% bonus cashback for the first 90 days front-loads year one, so a CHF 5,000 first-quarter spend returns CHF 150 in cash. And the CHF 100 Coop voucher as a welcome perk lands real CHF you'd spend at the grocery anyway.
On top of that, Poinz is a shopping marketplace first and a card issuer second. The methodology weights brand alignment at 15%, and Poinz scores a 5 there because the card is literally an extension of an app built around cashback offers and digital vouchers. That signal is what tips the balance against general-purpose Swiss issuers.
What Actually Stands Out
The Poinz app is the card. 1,500+ brands and 400+ partners power deals up to 50% off and digital vouchers worth up to 10% cashback when you trigger them before paying. Done right, the effective return on partner spend lands well above the 1% headline number; it just demands a couple of taps before checkout.
The card itself is built lean: no annual fee ever, no income requirement (a rarity in the shopping segment where the average declared income is around CHF 800/month) and unlimited free additional cards so a couple or family can share the same Poinz wallet without paying per-supplementary fees. The whole stack is reviewed in our best shopping credit cards in Switzerland guide.
What Most Reviews Miss
Amex acceptance is the price you pay. Big Swiss retailers (Coop, Migros, Manor, IKEA, Globus) take Amex; many independent restaurants, hairdressers and small shops don't. The Visa sibling exists for exactly that gap. Treat the Amex as the high-earn primary and the Visa as the acceptance backup.
The other thing nobody flags: there's no built-in purchase protection on this card. Roughly half of the shopping cards we track ship CHF 1,000-5,000 of coverage on goods bought with the card; Poinz Amex ships zero. That's a real gap if you put big-ticket purchases through it. The 2.5% FX fee and 6.50% foreign cash withdrawal rate also sit above the shopping-segment averages (5.55% on cash abroad), so this isn't the card to travel with.
The Bottom Line
If you live around Swiss retailers that take Amex and you'll actually open the Poinz app before paying, this is the highest-scoring shopping card in our v3.1 ranking, and it costs you nothing to find out. Pair it with a free Visa (the Poinz Visa, or any of the cards in our best shopping credit cards in Switzerland line-up) for the merchants Amex misses.
Verdict: Worth applying for as soon as you have a regular spend pattern. The Coop voucher alone offsets any onboarding friction.
PROS
- No annual fee
- 3 welcome bonus points
- Apple Pay compatible
- Contactless payments for convenient transactions
- 1% cashback
- Cashback points paid out on account from CHF 100 or exchanged for vouchers with extra cashback
- Multiple mobile payment options (Samsung Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Garmin Pay)
CONS
- High foreign exchange fee (2.5%)
- No travel insurance
- No medical coverage
- No airport lounge access
- No concierge service
Card Details
At a Glance
Annual fee
Free
Rewards rate
1% cashback
FX Fee
2.5%
Welcome bonus
3 % cash
Fees & Costs
Fees & Costs
First year annual fee
No annual fee
Annual fee (after first year)
No annual fee
Foreign exchange fee
2.5%
Cash Withdrawal (Domestic)
4% (min CHF 10)
Cash Withdrawal (International)
6.5% (min CHF 10)
Late Payment Fee
CHF 30
Additional Cards
-
Rewards Program
Rewards Program
Rewards type
cashback
Base rewards rate
1 %
Welcome bonus
3 % cash
Earn 3% cashback on all purchases
Insurance & Protection
Insurance & Protection
Travel insurance coverage
No travel insurance
Medical insurance coverage
No medical coverage
Purchase protection
No purchase protection
Card Features
Card Features
Card Network
American Express
Card Type
Standard
Currency
CHF
Minimum income requirement
No income requirement
Monthly spending limit
CHF 10'000
Airport lounge access
Concierge service
Key Features
- 1% cashback
- Cashback points paid out on account from CHF 100 or exchanged for vouchers with extra cashback
- Multiple mobile payment options (Samsung Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Garmin Pay)
- Access to various additional insurances available for a fee, enhancing travel and medical protection
- No annual fee
Calculate If This Card Is Worth It for You
= CHF 30'000/year
You Pay
CHF 0
per year
You Get Back
CHF 303
estimated value
Bottom Line
+CHF 303
in your pocket
Annual calculation:
CHF 30'000/yr × 1%
Move the slider to see how your spending affects the card's value. Miles: 1.5 ct, points: 1 ct.
Rating by Category
Compare to Other Cards
Frequently Asked Questions
- What exactly are the conditions on the Poinz Amex 3% welcome cashback?
- 3% cashback during the first three months, on top of the base cashback, as a one-time welcome boost. After day 91 it reverts to the standard 1% on qualifying spend. Time a big-ticket purchase, white goods, a holiday booking, a tax bill if you can put it on the card, inside that 90-day window.
- How harsh is a foreign cash withdrawal with the Poinz Amex?
- 6.50% with a CHF 10 minimum, about a full point above the shopping-segment average of 5.55%. A CHF 200 cash pull in Bangkok costs CHF 13 in fees alone, plus interest from day one. Carry a debit card for cash and keep this one for purchases that actually earn cashback.
- Is there an income requirement to get the Poinz Amex?
- None. That's a deliberate position in a shopping segment where the average declared income required sits near CHF 800/month. Poinz still runs the standard ZEK check and needs you to be Swiss-resident with a CHF bank account for the direct debit, but freelancers, students and people on patchy income won't get filtered out at the start.
- Will Poinz cap my monthly spend on the card?
- CHF 10,000 per month as the standard limit, which is unusually transparent for a free Swiss card. Fine for a daily-spend wallet, less fine if you'd planned to route a one-off CHF 8,000 furniture order plus regular spend through it in the same month. Ask for a temporary lift if you see it coming.
How We Rated This Card
Wondering why Poinz Card Amex got its score? We rate Shopping cards using a weighted formula. Here's what counts:
Same formula for every card in this category. No exceptions.
See our full rating methodologyReady to Apply?
Apply for the Poinz Card Amex today and start enjoying its benefits.