Payment defaults are the biggest risk when buying on account – but they are calculable and avoidable. Swiss online shops have three levers: credit checks before purchase (via credit agencies such as CRIF or Intrum), professional dunning procedures in accordance with the Debt Collection and Bankruptcy Act (SchKG), and outsourcing the risk to BNPL providers such as Klarna or CembraPay. The right mix of prevention and protection depends on the default rate, basket size and customer profile.

This guide shows you the concrete instruments for prevention and protection – from real-time credit checks in the checkout to debt collection proceedings under SchKG.

1. Why payment defaults in purchase on account are a calculable risk – not a reason to do without it

Payment defaults for purchases on account in Switzerland are typically between 1 and 5%, depending on the industry, customer profile and existing protection mechanisms. This sounds like a small amount, but it can become significant with high order volumes.

Calculation example: An online shop with 1,000 orders per month at EUR 120 on account and a default rate of 3% loses EUR 3,600 per month – or EUR 43,200 per year. The question is: Is this amount higher or lower than the costs of prevention (credit assessment) and protection (BNPL fees)?

The answer is almost always: prevention is cheaper. A credit assessment via CRIF or Intrum costs a few cents per query. Outsourcing to Klarna costs 1.60–2.40% – at EUR 120, that's EUR 2.12 to 3.18 per order, i.e. EUR 2,120–3,180 per month for 1,000 orders. This is less than the EUR 3,600 loss with a 3% default rate.

Therefore, not offering purchase on account is rarely the right solution – rather, it is a matter of managing the risk professionally.

2. Credit check before buying: How CRIF, Intrum and Deltavista work

The credit check is the first line of defence against payment defaults. There are four relevant credit reference agencies in Switzerland:

CRIF AG: The largest Swiss credit agency. CRIF awards a numerical score (1 to 600), which represents the probability of payment. Data sources are debt collection registers, commercial registers, debt collection data and positive payment behaviour.

Intrum AG: In addition to credit checks, also debt collection services. Intrum offers plugins for Shopware and Shopify that enable credit checks directly in the checkout process.

Dun & Bradstreet Schweiz AG: Focused on corporate creditworthiness (B2B). Offers the D-U-N-S score for companies.

Creditreform: Swiss association with a local network. Particularly strong in the SME sector.

In practice, the real-time credit check in the checkout works as follows: If a customer selects "purchase on account", the shop system sends an API query to the credit agency in the background. A score is returned within milliseconds. If the score is above your defined threshold, the payment method is approved. If it is below this threshold, the payment method is hidden – the customer only sees credit card, TWINT or other risk-free options.

Important: In Switzerland, you may only query creditworthiness data if there is a legitimate interest and in compliance with the Data Protection Act (DSG). A legitimate interest exists if you deliver goods to a person on credit (i.e. on account).

3. Setting up dunning procedures correctly: payment reminder, 1st warning, 2nd warning – deadlines and formulation

If an invoice remains unpaid despite a credit check, the dunning process begins. In Switzerland, there is no statutory obligation to issue warnings – you could submit a debt collection request immediately after the deadline has expired. In practice, however, a stepped process is recommended, which protects the customer relationship:

Payment reminder (5–7 days after deadline): Friendly reminder that payment is still outstanding. This is often enough – many payment defaults are simply forgetfulness. No late fee.

First warning (14 days after deadline): Formal tone, new payment period of 10 days. A dunning fee of EUR 10–20 is common in the industry – but must be anchored in the GTCs.

Second warning (24 days after deadline): Last warning with threat of debt collection. New payment period of 10 days. Dunning fee of EUR 20–30.

Automation is crucial here: modern e-commerce systems and accounting tools (Bexio, Abacus, Run my Accounts) can fully automate the dunning process – including sending emails with payment reminders and new QR bills.

4. From dunning to debt collection: How the SchKG procedure works in Switzerland

If all warnings remain unsuccessful, debt collection proceedings in accordance with the Debt Collection and Bankruptcy Act (SchKG) are the next step. The process:

Payment claim (Art. 67 SchKG): You submit a debt collection claim to the debt collection office at the debtor's domicile – in writing, orally or online. Costs: EUR 7–400, depending on the amount of the claim. You must pay the costs in advance.

Summons to pay (Art. 69 SchKG): The debt collection office serves the debtor with a summons to pay – with a request to pay within 20 days and the notice that an objection can be lodged within 10 days.

Objection (Art. 74 SchKG): If the debtor objects, you as the creditor must enforce the claim in court. In the case of a written contract or a signed order confirmation, you can apply for provisional court authorization (Art. 82 SchKG).

Request to proceed: If no objection is lodged, you can submit the request to proceed at the earliest 20 days after the summons to pay has been served.

For online shops with many small outstanding amounts (EUR 20–200), the debt collection procedure is often disproportionately complex. In these cases, outsourcing to a debt collection agency or using BNPL with risk assumption is more economical.

5. Risk assumption by third parties: When a BNPL provider with payment guarantee is worthwhile

BNPL providers such as Klarna, CembraPay, POWERPAY and TWINT Pay later fully assume the default risk. You receive the amount guaranteed – regardless of whether the customer pays in the end. The question is: When is this worthwhile?

Rule of thumb: BNPL with risk assumption is worthwhile if your default rate is higher than the BNPL fee. With a default rate of 3% and a BNPL fee of 2.40%, with BNPL you effectively save 0.60% per transaction – and all the effort for dunning and debt collection.

6. In-house vs. outsourcing: Cost-benefit calculation for Swiss SMEs

The decision between own risk and outsourcing depends on three factors:

Order volume: With fewer than 50 purchase on account orders per month, the administrative overhead for own dunning is manageable. From 200 orders per month, outsourcing is almost always more economical.

Default rate: Below 1% default rate, own risk with QR bill is cheaper. From a 2-3% default rate, the losses exceed the BNPL fees. From a 5% default rate, BNPL with risk assumption is urgently recommended.

Basket size: With large baskets (over EUR 500), each default is heavy. Even with a low default rate, individual unpaid orders can tip the monthly result. Here, protection via BNPL or a credit check is particularly important.

A pragmatic approach for Swiss SMEs: QR bill with credit check (CRIF/Intrum) for regular customers and B2B customers, supplemented by Klarna or TWINT Pay later for new customers and high-risk segments.

7. Prevention in checkout: order limits, address validation and fraud detection

In addition to credit checks and BNPL, there are other preventive measures that reduce payment defaults:

Order limits for new customers: Limit the maximum purchase on account amount for first-time buyers – for example to EUR 100. After the first successful payment, the limit can be increased.

Address validation: Check whether delivery and billing addresses match. Deviations are a risk signal. Swiss Post offers an API for address validation.

Velocity Checks: Detection of noticeable order patterns – for example, several orders on account within a short period from the same address or IP.

Only verified payment methods for purchase on account: Make purchase on account only available to customers with a verified account and checked address. Guest orders only receive risk-free payment methods such as credit card or TWINT.

Limit open payments: Do not allow a new purchase on account order as long as a previous invoice is still open.

Checklist: systematically minimize payment defaults when purchasing on account

• Calculate your current default rate: What percentage of purchase on account orders are not paid?

• Compare the cost of default with BNPL fees: From when is the risk assumption worthwhile?

• Implement a real-time credit check in the checkout (CRIF or Intrum) to filter high-risk transactions.

• Set up an automatic dunning system: payment reminder → 1st warning → 2nd warning → debt collection.

• Set order limits for new customers when buying on account.

• Check delivery and billing addresses for plausibility.

• Combine own risk (QR bill for regular customers) with BNPL (for new customers).

• Document your GTCs: Late fees, default interest and threat of debt collection must be anchored in the GTCs.