Can you pay in euros at Swiss supermarkets?
Whether a supermarket takes euros is up to the shop: in Switzerland the franc is the currency, and the euro is not legal tender. Coop and Coop Pronto write that you can pay in euros and get your change in Swiss francs; at Coop this applies at all tills to euro banknotes, except 200 and 500 euro notes. For Migros, Aldi, Lidl and Denner we found no current written rule. The shop sets the rate: on 27 October 2026 the ECB reference rate was 1 euro = 0.9239 francs, or CHF 92.39 for 100 euros. By card you pay in francs: if the terminal offers euros, choose CHF.
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If you shop in Switzerland with euros in your pocket, whether you are passing through, commuting across the border or newly arrived, you may wonder whether they will be enough at the till. The answer depends on the shop, and among the big retailers we found a current written rule only for Coop and Coop Pronto. Here is what the sources say, what your euros are worth in francs and what to watch for when you pay.
Checked on 28 October 2026. Sources: Federal Finance Administration (FFA) on legal tender; Switzerland Tourism; Coop's questions and answers on its stores; customer service of Coop Pronto; ECB reference rate of 27 October and 31 August 2026; Visa, BEUC and Moneyland on dynamic currency conversion; payment and help pages of Lidl Switzerland, Migros, Denner, Aligro, Manor, Aldi Suisse and Otto's; Bon à Savoir test of 22 October 2014. The chains can change their rules at any time.
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Which supermarkets accept euro cash?
| Source | What it says about euros at the till | When |
|---|---|---|
| Coop, store FAQ | “Yes, payment with Euro banknotes is possible at all checkout counters. Please note that 200 and 500 Euro banknotes are not accepted. You will receive your change in Swiss Francs (CHF).” | Read on 28 October 2026 |
| Coop Pronto, customer service (German page) | Writes that you can pay in euros in the Coop Pronto shops and that you receive your change in Swiss francs | Read on 27 October 2026 |
| Switzerland Tourism, “Currency” page | “Very often it is also possible to pay in euros (change in CHF).” | Undated, read on 27 October 2026 |
| Switzerland Tourism, Help Center | “All major department stores, many shops, businesses, hotels, restaurants and souvenir shops accept euros as payment. However, your change will be given in Swiss francs.” | Page created in 2016, read on 27 October 2026 |
| Bon à Savoir, test of 22 October 2014 | Migros, Coop, Aldi, Denner, Globus, Lidl and Manor accepted payment in euros, in whole or in part: banknotes only, from 5 euros, with change in Swiss francs | November 2014 issue |
For the other chains we found no current written rule. On the pages of Lidl Switzerland, Migros, Denner, Aligro and Manor that we read, the euro is not mentioned. In Aldi Suisse's help centre, a search for “Euro” returns no results (read on 28 October 2026). Otto's payment page covers its online shop and names only Swiss francs for orders. The 2014 test is not enough to say what applies at your till today: ask before you put your shopping on the belt.
Three questions help at the till: “Do you take euro notes?”, “At what rate?” and “Is my change in francs?” If you only have coins, ask first: Coop names only euro banknotes, in the 2014 test the chains took banknotes only, from 5 euros, and for coins we found no statement from any chain.
Wondering if euros work here? Rappn shows the offers of the seven chains in CHF, filtered to your canton, so you know the promo price before you reach the till. Tap the tabs to explore.
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Welcome
What exchange rate do supermarkets apply?
| Euro banknote | Francs at the ECB rate of 27 October 2026 |
|---|---|
| 10 euros | CHF 9.24 |
| 20 euros | CHF 18.48 |
| 50 euros | CHF 46.20 |
| 100 euros | CHF 92.39 |
| 200 euros | CHF 184.78 |
Calculated by Rappn: amount × 0.9239, rounded to the centime. The ECB rate is a market reference, not the rate at the till. Coop writes that 200 and 500 euro banknotes are not accepted.
Before you hand over the note, ask how many francs you will get and compare with the table: each percentage point the till sits below the ECB rate costs about 92 centimes per 100 euros. If the till gives you CHF 90.00 for 100 euros, for example, that is CHF 2.39 less than at the ECB rate (an illustrative calculation, not a measured rate).
The only independent comparison of the chains that we know of dates from 22 October 2014: the consumer magazine Bon à Savoir found that each of the seven chains tested worked with its own rate. The rates ran from 1.16 to 1.20 francs per euro, against 1.1795 at UBS and 1.1815 at Credit Suisse the same day. The table was headed “Les euros sont repris à un taux honorable dans les grandes surfaces” (euros are taken back at a decent rate in the big stores). Back then a euro was worth much more than today: those figures show how the calculation worked, not what you get now.
Card or cash: what do the sources advise?
| How you pay | Who converts the euros into francs | What the sources say |
|---|---|---|
| Euro banknotes at the till | The shop, at its own rate | Rate not published by the chains we read; change in francs according to Coop, Coop Pronto and Switzerland Tourism; Coop does not take 200 and 500 euro notes |
| Card, charged in francs (CHF) | Your card provider, at its own rate | BEUC and Moneyland advise the local currency; the cost depends on your bank |
| Card, charged in euros (dynamic currency conversion) | The terminal, at the rate of the merchant's bank | Visa: it “includes exchange rate and additional fees”. Moneyland: markups of 10 percent or more above interbank rates are “not uncommon” |
| Franc cash | You, beforehand, at an ATM or exchange counter | Switzerland Tourism advises withdrawing francs at an ATM |
The case to know is dynamic currency conversion (DCC): the terminal asks whether to charge the amount in francs or in euros. Visa writes that when the merchant offers it you may pay in your home currency, “which includes exchange rate and additional fees”, and that the choice is yours. Visa requires merchants to show on the screen and the receipt the amounts in both currencies, the exchange rate and the additional fees, and recommends declining the conversion if you do not see these details or feel pressured.
BEUC, the European consumer organisation (2016), and Moneyland, a Swiss comparison portal (June 2026), advise always paying in the local currency, which here means francs. According to BEUC, when you are charged in your own currency the conversion is made at the exchange rate of the merchant's bank, which is often costlier than the rate of your own card provider. For Swiss cards abroad, Moneyland writes that markups of 10 percent or more above interbank rates are “not uncommon” with dynamic currency conversion.
If your salary arrives in francs, for example as a cross-border commuter, a card linked to a franc account is the simplest route: paying in CHF involves no conversion.
For the chain-by-chain picture of how to pay, with Twint and cards, see our guide to supermarket payment methods. If you are only visiting, our visitor's guide to grocery shopping in Switzerland helps, and the supermarket opening hours show when the shops are open.
See this week's offers in Rappn
The exchange rate at the till is only part of the bill: what your shopping costs depends on the week and the product, and in Rappn you see the offers, updated daily.
Rappn is free and independent, with no commercial agreements with any retailer, and shows the offers of 7 Swiss chains for all 26 cantons, with an alert when a product you follow goes on offer. You will find them in the price comparison.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can you pay in euros at Swiss supermarkets?
Often it is possible, but the shop decides: the euro is not legal tender in Switzerland. Switzerland Tourism writes: “Very often it is also possible to pay in euros (change in CHF).” Ask at the till before you put your shopping on the belt.
Do Migros, Coop, Aldi, Lidl and Denner accept euros?
Coop writes that payment with euro banknotes is possible at all tills, except 200 and 500 euro notes, and that your change comes in francs. Coop Pronto writes that you can pay in euros in its shops and that you receive your change in francs. For Migros, Aldi, Lidl and Denner we found no current written rule (checked on 28 October 2026). In 2014 Bon à Savoir found that Migros, Coop, Aldi, Denner, Lidl and Manor accepted them, as banknotes only. Ask at your own shop's till.
What euro exchange rate do supermarkets give?
The shop chooses it, and none of the chains we checked publishes it: ask before you hand over the note. As a benchmark, the ECB reference rate on 27 October 2026 was 1 euro = 0.9239 francs, so 100 euros are worth CHF 92.39. In Bon à Savoir's comparison of 22 October 2014 the seven chains tested applied 1.16 to 1.20 francs per euro, against 1.1795 at UBS: a historical figure, not valid for today.
Is change given in francs, and are euro coins accepted?
Coop, Coop Pronto and Switzerland Tourism write that change is given in francs. Coop names only euro banknotes, and on coins we found no statement from any chain: in Bon à Savoir's 2014 test the chains took banknotes only, from 5 euros. If you only have small change, ask first.
Is it better to pay by card or with euro cash?
Switzerland Tourism advises withdrawing Swiss francs at an ATM or paying by card. With a card in francs, your card provider converts at its own rate: check what your bank charges for payments in foreign currency. With euro cash the shop sets the rate, and none of the chains we checked publishes it.
The terminal asks for francs or euros: which do I choose?
Francs (CHF). Visa writes that the choice is yours and that the terminal's conversion “includes exchange rate and additional fees”; BEUC and Moneyland advise paying in the local currency, and Moneyland calls markups of 10 percent or more above the interbank rate “not uncommon”. If you cannot see the rate or feel pressured, Visa recommends declining the conversion.