UBS Twint is now live

Payments can now be made at retailers such as Coop and Interdiscount, at Selecta ATMs and at over 1,000 online stores such as Digitec, Brack, Microspot and Galaxus. In addition to the direct account connection, the established function of transferring money directly to other people ("P2P") remains central. By storing customer cards in the app, UBS Twint becomes a digital wallet. This makes UBS one of the first banks to offer Twint. Current UBS Paymit users were automatically migrated to the new app, according to the statement.

In total, over 30 banks are participating in Switzerland's new mobile payment solution. In the next few weeks, major partners will launch their own Twint app on the market, thus further expanding the payment network.

By storing customer cards such as the Coop Supercard or the ETH student ID in the app, paying and collecting points at the checkout can be done in one step ("One Tap"). In addition, the new digital wallet eliminates the need to search for coins at Selecta vending machines, and online shopping eliminates the need to enter credit card information. Instead, a secure QR code is scanned and payment is completed within seconds.

UBS Twint is open to all users of an Android or iOS cell phone. The prerequisite is a Swiss cell phone number and any Swiss credit or prepaid card or a UBS account that is linked to the app as a means of payment.

Security and data protection come first

In terms of security, UBS Twint meets the highest requirements. As with debit or credit cards, a 6-digit PIN protects the app from misuse. Users can choose to release smaller amounts of up to 40 francs without entering the PIN. In online commerce, no account or card data is transmitted to the merchant, which increases security. Nor is any user or transaction data passed on to third parties by the Twint system.