Sending money with TWINT, the Swiss mobile payment app, takes just a few taps and the transfer arrives in real time. The limits, however, depend on the bank that issues the app: 4,000 francs per month at Banque Cantonale de Fribourg (BCF), 5,000 francs per month at PostFinance and from a UBS account, and more with UBS cards, according to their help pages consulted on 12 November 2026.

This page deals only with sending money between private individuals. Installing the app and its other uses are described in our page on how the TWINT app works.

For the banks' TWINT apps, TWINT refers users to each bank's support service to find out the limits. It publishes only those of its own prepaid app, TWINT Prepaid: with a residence in Switzerland, 1,000 francs per calendar month and 5,000 francs per calendar year, for sending as well as receiving; with a residence abroad, 500 francs per month and 3,000 francs per year, according to its help page on TWINT Prepaid limits.

How do you send money with TWINT?

TWINT's frequently asked questions describe a five-step process:

  • tap "Send" on the home screen (or the widget on iPhone);
  • enter the amount;
  • choose a contact, or type in a mobile number that is not in your address book;
  • add, if needed, a short message, a photo or an animated image;
  • confirm with "Send money".

The order of the screens varies slightly from one app to another. In the BCF TWINT app, you choose the contact before the amount, according to the Fribourg bank's frequently asked questions.

On the recipient's side, a notification signals the money received if notifications are switched on. According to TWINT, a person who has not opened their app for a long time receives a text message asking them to log back in before they can collect the amount.

How long does it take for the money to arrive?

Sending money between two TWINT users happens in real time, and the recipient has the amount available immediately, according to TWINT. The company cites two exceptions: the recipient is not yet registered, or their money-receiving function is temporarily disabled.

If the app shows that the transfer did not go through, TWINT retries the operation for four days. If the money has not been credited within that period, the sender is refunded automatically.

PostFinance offers a lead when the money does not arrive: the recipient may have had TWINT with another bank or via TWINT Prepaid, then deleted the app without closing the account. By default, the most recently installed TWINT app receives the money; this setting can be changed in the app, PostFinance explains.

What is the limit for sending money with TWINT?

Each bank publishes its own limits for transfers between private individuals. Here are those of three issuers, as displayed on their help pages on 12 November 2026.

TWINT appSending per paymentSending per daySending per monthReceiving per month
PostFinance TWINTNot specifiedNot specified5,000 francs per calendar month, within the available balance4,000 francs per calendar month
UBS TWINT3,000 francs (payment to a private individual)Not specified5,000 francs from a UBS account4,000 francs
BCF TWINT1,000 francs2,000 francs4,000 francs4,000 francs

"Not specified" means that the bank's help page does not give this limit. Limits may change: your bank's app is authoritative.

The adjustment rules also differ:

  • PostFinance lets you lower the sending limit in its apps; the receiving limit of 4,000 francs cannot be changed. Since May 2026, the app no longer accepts a credit card as a payment method, only PostFinance accounts.
  • UBS does not allow you to set an individual limit in its app. To reduce the sending limit, UBS says you need to pay from an account whose balance does not exceed the desired amount, or from a prepaid card loaded with that amount. With UBS credit or prepaid cards, the limit follows that of the card, up to 20,000 francs per month for all cards combined.
  • BCF activates its sending limits only after you scan the QR code printed in the confirmation letter received by post. Until then, the app can only be used to receive money.

Our analysis: receiving is capped at 4,000 francs per month at these three banks. A transfer of 5,000 francs to a single relative who banks with one of them would therefore exceed their monthly receiving limit.

At BCF, transfers between private individuals have lower limits than in-store and online purchases, which are capped at 5,000 francs per month. Purchase limits are covered in our page on the TWINT payment limit. For merchants, UBS states that there is no receiving limit: they register separately as merchants, an offering whose TWINT merchant fees we detail.

What happens if the recipient does not have TWINT?

You can send them up to 100 francs, according to TWINT. The recipient receives an explanatory text message, and the amount remains reserved for four days. It is credited as soon as the person has registered; otherwise, the sender is refunded.

During these four days, the sender can cancel the transfer in the "Transactions" menu. In the PostFinance app, the path goes through "Show all", then the "Open" tab and "Withdraw request".

For a teenager, age matters: BCF opens its TWINT app from the age of 12, with a Swiss mobile number and an e-banking contract.

How do you request money or split an expense?

A request goes through the "Request and split" menu, "Request" tab: you set the amount, choose the contact and can add a message. According to TWINT, the request remains pending for up to 40 days. If there is no response, a reminder is sent automatically after seven days.

You can also request money from a person who does not have TWINT, provided they have a Swiss mobile number. In that case, the request is valid for only four days.

To split a restaurant bill or a joint gift, PostFinance describes two options: the "Split amount" tab, where you adjust each person's share, or the "Split this amount" function from a payment already made. According to TWINT, a request can be withdrawn as long as the recipient has not accepted it.

To pay a bill rather than a relative, the app has also made it possible, since 4 November 2026, to pay a QR-bill with TWINT. The other payment services covered by 2clics are gathered in our section on digital payments in Switzerland.

Can you cancel a transfer or recover money sent by mistake?

A money transfer generally cannot be cancelled, according to TWINT. The two exceptions are the cases seen above: a recipient who is not yet registered, and a transfer that the app could not credit and retries for four days.

If you send money to the wrong recipient, TWINT recommends claiming the sum back with the "Request money" function and explaining the mistake by text message. If the person does not respond or refuses to pay it back, you need to contact the issuer of your TWINT app, that is, your bank. PostFinance gives the same procedure.

Is there a fee for sending money with TWINT?

None of the pages consulted on 12 November 2026 mentions any fee for a transfer between private individuals. BCF presents its app as a "free Swiss application" used to send, request and receive money. PostFinance's help page quantifies only one surcharge, unrelated to transfers: 0.25 franc per parking session paid via licence plate recognition.

What precautions should you take before sending money?

BCF warns against a specific trap: never enter in TWINT a five-digit code provided by a seller on Facebook Marketplace, Anibis.ch or Ricardo.ch, or over the phone. Entering this code authorises a payment, often to a legitimate business that sells digital vouchers. The transaction is then considered valid and the bank can no longer intervene; BCF recommends filing a police complaint as soon as possible.

After a purchase paid with "Send" on a classifieds site that turns out to be fraudulent, BCF advises claiming a refund via "Request and split" and contacting the recipient. Other schemes and the right reflexes to adopt are detailed in our page on TWINT scams in Switzerland.

Key figures

  • 100 francs: the maximum amount you can send to a person without TWINT (TWINT, November 2026);
  • 4 days: the period for which a transfer to a non-registered person is reserved, followed by an automatic refund (TWINT, November 2026);
  • 40 days: the maximum duration of a pending money request, with a reminder after seven days (TWINT, November 2026);
  • 4,000 francs per month: the receiving limit displayed by PostFinance, UBS and BCF (pages consulted on 12 November 2026);
  • 5,000 francs per month: the sending limit at PostFinance and from a UBS account; 4,000 francs at BCF (same date);
  • 1,000 francs per month and 5,000 francs per year: the sending limit of the TWINT Prepaid app for a residence in Switzerland (TWINT, November 2026).

What we do not know yet

  • A daily sending limit at PostFinance and UBS: their help pages do not display one.

Sources