Launched in July 2026, PimPay, a commission-free payment solution from French-speaking Switzerland, claims, as of 27 October 2026, around 300 businesses and 5,000 consumers across all the French-speaking cantons. It charges merchants a fixed subscription instead of a percentage on each purchase. These figures come from the company: no external verification has been published to date.
PimPay presents itself as an answer to the commissions charged on every card or mobile payment. According to the company, more than nine out of ten merchants consider these fees too high and unjustified.
How does PimPay's commission-free payment work?
The merchant takes payment with a simple QR code, and the customer pays from the PimPay app. The model rests on a few simple rules announced by the company:
- no commission is charged on payments;
- the merchant pays a fixed subscription of 0 to 29 francs per month, with no commitment;
- the merchant receives the money within 24 business hours;
- the app is free for consumers;
- the funds are deposited with Caisse d'Epargne Riviera, a bank regulated by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA).
The announced revenue therefore comes from merchant subscriptions, not from a deduction on each purchase. PimPay describes this model as unique in Switzerland and in Europe.
Who is behind PimPay?
PimPay was launched in July 2026 by Maxime Charbonnel, its CEO and co-founder. He was previously head of digital and multichannel at Banque Cantonale Vaudoise (BCV).
The company has signed agreements with merchant associations and unions. Since September 2026, Caisse d'Epargne Riviera has also offered a joint package to its customers. "We are not asking for the law to be changed: we are showing that another model works," sums up Maxime Charbonnel.
What do the figures announced after four months say?
The report of 27 October 2026 covers the first four months of activity. It cites around 300 affiliated merchants and 5,000 consumers. The businesses are mainly bakeries, restaurants, grocery stores, hair salons and associations.
Activity remains modest at the level of each business. PimPay speaks of transactions recorded "by the dozen" every day. Spread over 300 businesses, this order of magnitude gives on average less than one payment per business per day. Some businesses, however, take more than ten PimPay payments a day, according to the company.
A merchant in Vevey offers a more concrete benchmark. Sylvain Favrel, of Boulangerie Favrel, counts more than fifteen PimPay payments a week. According to him, these are mostly neighbourhood regulars who want to support a local initiative.
How much do card fees cost merchants?
For an independent business, a card or mobile payment generally costs between 1% and 3% of the amount, excluding the terminal. PimPay puts this charge at 1,000 francs per month on average. Since rates fall with volume, small businesses pay proportionally the most.
The issue weighs more heavily as cash declines. According to the Swiss National Bank (SNB), cited by PimPay, the share of cash has fallen in less than ten years from seven payments out of ten to around a third. 2clics also follows the trend in card payments in Switzerland.
The debate has become political. The Swiss Retail Federation reported these commissions to the Competition Commission (COMCO) in July 2025. A motion on the subject was debated in the Council of States in June 2026.
| Criterion | Card and mobile payment | PimPay |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per payment | 1% to 3% of the amount | No commission |
| Fixed cost | Terminal on top | Subscription of 0 to 29 francs per month, no commitment |
| Payment method | Terminal | QR code |
| Stated monthly cost | Around 1,000 francs on average for an independent business | 29 francs at most |
These orders of magnitude are those published by PimPay, as of 27 October 2026.
What this changes for a merchant in French-speaking Switzerland
The break-even calculation is simple to set out. At a 1% commission, the maximum subscription of 29 francs equals the fees on 2,900 francs of card payments. At 3%, it equals the fees on a little under 1,000 francs.
The savings, however, depend on the share of customers who pay with PimPay rather than with their card. The announced figures suggest that this share remains small: 5,000 users for the whole of French-speaking Switzerland, and less than one payment per business per day on average. For the rest of their customers, merchants continue to pay the usual card fees.
For a merchant, the absence of any commitment limits the risk of a trial. Payment within 24 business hours and the deposit of funds in a FINMA-supervised bank address two practical questions: cash flow and the security of the money collected.
What we don't know yet
- the total number and value of payments processed since July 2026;
- PimPay's share of the takings of affiliated businesses;
- whether any affiliated businesses have given up their card payment terminal;
- what distinguishes the free subscription from the 29-franc subscription;
- how PimPay plans to fund a free service for consumers over the long term;
- who conducted the survey according to which more than nine out of ten merchants consider the commissions too high;
- what has come of the complaint to COMCO and of the motion debated in the Council of States.
