Quick Answer
The honest Swiss verdict first
Switzerland has one of the richest Amex lineups in Europe, six consumer cards in all, and most comparisons online only mention three of them. That means readers often miss the CHF 140 American Express Card, the cheapest “real” Membership Rewards card in the country, and the free Cashback Cards duo, which isn’t sold on americanexpress.ch at all. Before you reach for the CHF 900 Platinum: if you won’t use its lounges and credits, the American Express Card, the CHF 350 Gold, or the free Cashback duo will serve you better. Here’s the full Swiss lineup, checked against Swisscard’s own fee schedules on 18 August 2026.
The Swiss Amex lineup compared
Checked 18 August 2026 against each card’s official Swisscard fee and benefit schedule.
| Card | Annual fee (CH) | Welcome offer | Points | FX fee | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platinum (metal) | CHF 900 | 45,000 MR + CHF 100 SWISS voucher | 1 pt/CHF 1 (Membership Rewards Classic, included) | 1.75% | Frequent flyers: lounges, status, credits |
| Gold | CHF 350 (~CHF 175 year one via referral) | 15,000 MR (50,000 via referral until 31 Aug 2026) | 1 pt/CHF 1 (Classic, chargeable) | 2.5% | Everyday spend, wants some lounge access |
| American Express Card | CHF 140, free year one | 15,000 MR | Basic: CHF 2/pt by default; Classic (CHF 1/pt) costs extra | 2.5% | Cheapest ongoing Membership Rewards |
| BLUE (pointup) | CHF 40 year one, then CHF 80 | None published | pointup optional CHF 40/year, then 1.25 pt/CHF 1 | 2.5% | Low-cost acceptance card |
| Credit Card Gold (pointup) | CHF 200 flat | None published | pointup included, 1.25 pt/CHF 1 | 2% | Lower FX fee than Gold, no MR |
| Cashback Cards (duo, Swisscard) | CHF 0, permanent | 5% cash back first 3 months (up to CHF 100) | 1% cash back (Amex), 0.25% (partner card) | 2.5% (secondary) | Free everyday spend, no points programme |
Cash withdrawals: 4% (minimum CHF 10) on every card above. Fees change; confirm current terms on each card’s application page.
What changed in 2026 (and what older comparisons still get wrong)
- This page used to list only three cards and got one badly wrong. It attached a delivery-service credit at a named alcohol retailer to the Platinum; that credit doesn’t exist on the Platinum at all, it’s actually a Gold Card perk, and under our no-alcohol policy we don’t name or count that kind of discount here regardless of which card it sits on. The Platinum’s real credits are the SWISS voucher, the SIXT ride credit, and the GaultMillau dining credit below.
- The Swiss Gold does include lounge access. It comes with a Priority Pass membership and two free visits a year (CHF 35 per extra visit), something the earlier version of this page denied outright.
- The Platinum’s Priority Pass access is unlimited, not a fixed number of visits, on top of the wider Global Lounge Collection (1,500+ lounges).
- The “free American Express Cashback Card” doesn’t exist as a standalone product. It’s Swisscard’s Cashback Cards duo, and the Amex only comes paired with a Cashback World Mastercard or Cashback Visa.
- The CHF 450 first-year Platinum discount is unverified. It isn’t on Swisscard’s official annual-fee page, which shows CHF 900 with no reduction; only the Gold and the American Express Card have an official first-year waiver.
- Three cards were missing entirely: the American Express Card (CHF 140), BLUE (CHF 40 to 80), and the Credit Card Gold (CHF 200), a pointup card with the second-lowest FX fee in the lineup.
Platinum: unlimited lounges, hotel status, roughly CHF 460 in credits
CHF 900 a year (also sold as a Platinum Euro Card at EUR 900 and Platinum Dollar Card at USD 900 for residents billing in those currencies), with Membership Rewards Classic included and 1 point per CHF 1 spent. Lounge access is unlimited: a Priority Pass membership with unlimited visits, on top of the Global Lounge Collection’s 1,500+ lounges. Hotel and car status includes Hilton, Marriott Bonvoy, Meliá and Radisson elite tiers, plus SIXT, Hertz and Avis status, and Fine Hotels + Resorts access at 1,000+ properties. Yearly credits run to roughly CHF 460: a CHF 100 SWISS travel voucher, up to CHF 200 in SIXT ride credit, and up to CHF 160 in GaultMillau dining credit (paid as CHF 40 per quarter, each requiring a single restaurant bill of at least CHF 250). Insurance is the strongest in the Swiss lineup, including CHF 3,000,000 in medical cover abroad and CHF 120,000 in rental car collision cover. The welcome offer is 45,000 Membership Rewards points plus the CHF 100 SWISS voucher. See the Amex Platinum review for how the German card compares.
Gold: CHF 350 a year, now with real lounge access
CHF 350 a year (about CHF 175 the first year through the current referral offer), Membership Rewards Classic at 1 point per CHF 1 (a chargeable programme in Switzerland, though Swisscard doesn’t publish a standalone price for it). The standout feature versus the German Gold: a Priority Pass membership with two free lounge visits a year (CHF 35 for each additional visit). A dining credit worth up to CHF 100 a year is paid quarterly (CHF 25 for a minimum CHF 80 restaurant or delivery spend), plus 10% off hotels.com bookings and rentalcars.com car hire, and six months of blue Sport included. Insurance is thinner than the Platinum’s, including CHF 10,000 in medical cover abroad and no trip-cancellation cover at all. See the Amex Gold review for the full breakdown.
American Express Card: the cheapest real Membership Rewards card
CHF 140 a year, free for the first year, 15,000 Membership Rewards points as a welcome offer. Its points rate defaults to the weaker Membership Rewards Basic tier (CHF 2 spent = 1 point); the full CHF 1 = 1 point rate needs the chargeable Classic tier, same as the Gold. Insurance is thin (no medical cover, CHF 500,000 travel accident cover). It’s the natural answer for anyone who finds the Gold too expensive but still wants Membership Rewards points.
BLUE and Credit Card Gold: the pointup cards
Two lower-tier cards use Swisscard’s pointup programme instead of Membership Rewards. BLUE costs CHF 40 in year one, then CHF 80 a year; pointup is optional at CHF 40 a year and earns 1.25 points per CHF 1 once added. Credit Card Gold costs CHF 200 a year flat, includes pointup, earns the same 1.25 points per CHF 1, and carries a 2% foreign transaction fee, lower than the Gold’s 2.5%. Neither card publishes a welcome offer.
Cashback Cards: the genuinely free Amex, sold as a duo
The free Swiss Amex isn’t on americanexpress.ch. It’s Swisscard’s Cashback Cards duo, sold separately at cashback-cards.ch: a no-annual-fee American Express card earning 1% cash back, paired with a no-annual-fee Cashback World Mastercard or Cashback Visa earning 0.25% cash back. You can’t take the Amex alone, it’s only issued as part of the duo. New cardholders get 5% cash back for the first three months, up to CHF 100. It earns cash back rather than Membership Rewards, so there are no points, lounges or hotel status.
The one-question test
Count last year’s airport visits. Double digits, and you’ll use the lounges and roughly CHF 460 in credits → Platinum. A handful, and you want some lounge access without the Platinum price → Gold. You just want cheap Membership Rewards points → American Express Card. You want a low-fee acceptance card and don’t care about points → BLUE or Credit Card Gold. You want zero fee, period → the Cashback Cards duo. Torn between the top two Membership Rewards cards? Amex Platinum vs Gold breaks down the math (figures there reflect the German cards, so treat it as a framework rather than Swiss pricing).
Foreign transactions, cash withdrawals and the acceptance gap
Foreign transaction fees vary by card: 1.75% on the Platinum, 2.5% on the Gold, American Express Card, BLUE and Cashback Cards, and 2% on the Credit Card Gold, the lowest FX fee outside the Platinum. Every Swiss Amex charges 4% (minimum CHF 10) for a cash withdrawal at an ATM or bank counter. Amex acceptance in Switzerland is decent but still trails Visa and Mastercard at smaller merchants and abroad, so pair any of these with a free Revolut card for fee-free spending and cash where Amex isn’t taken. See Amex vs Revolut. For the full lineup across every market, browse our credit cards guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Amex card is best in Switzerland?
The Platinum (CHF 900/year) for frequent flyers who’ll use its unlimited Priority Pass lounge access, hotel status and roughly CHF 460 in yearly credits. The Gold (CHF 350/year, about CHF 175 the first year through the referral offer) for everyday Membership Rewards plus two free Priority Pass visits a year. The American Express Card (CHF 140/year, free the first year) is the cheapest way into Membership Rewards. If you’d rather pay nothing, the Cashback Cards duo earns 1% cash back with no annual fee.
Is there a free American Express card in Switzerland?
Yes, but not as a standalone Amex. Swisscard’s Cashback Cards duo pairs a no-fee American Express Cashback Card with a no-fee Cashback World Mastercard or Cashback Visa; you cannot get the Amex half alone. It earns 1% cash back on the Amex and 0.25% on the partner card, plus 5% cash back (up to CHF 100) in the first three months.
How much does the Amex Platinum cost in Switzerland?
CHF 900 a year on Swisscard’s official fee schedule, with no first-year discount listed there. Comparison sites often mention a recurring CHF 450 first-year promo, but that isn’t confirmed on an official Amex Switzerland page, so treat it as a possible offer to check for, not a guaranteed price. The Gold Card is CHF 350 a year (about CHF 175 the first year through the current referral offer).
Does the Amex Gold in Switzerland include lounge access?
Yes. The Swiss Gold Card includes a Priority Pass membership with two free lounge visits a year (CHF 35 for each additional visit). That’s a real difference from the German Gold Card, which has no lounge access at all.
Who issues American Express cards in Switzerland?
Swisscard AECS GmbH, based in Horgen, issues all American Express cards in Switzerland under licence, not American Express directly. That’s why the Swiss lineup, fees and perks differ from Germany’s, and why there’s no direct Amex customer relationship.
What foreign transaction and cash withdrawal fees do Swiss Amex cards charge?
Foreign transaction fees range from 1.75% (Platinum) to 2% (Credit Card Gold) to 2.5% (Gold, American Express Card, BLUE, Cashback Cards). Every Swiss Amex charges 4% (minimum CHF 10) for cash withdrawals at an ATM or bank counter. Pair any of them with a free Revolut card for cheaper cash and foreign spending.
Verdict
In Switzerland: frequent flyer who’ll use the credits → Platinum; everyday spender who wants some lounge access → Gold; want cheap Membership Rewards → American Express Card; fee-averse → the Cashback Cards duo. Compare the current offers below.