FAQ

Frequently asked questions

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For a few transactions, you may not receive a push notification and see the transaction in the app a few days later when it has actually been booked on your card. Therefore, your card balance (which is always up to date) could be lower than what you see in the app. We are working on an optimization so that this no longer happens in the future.






When you open an account with neon, we will automatically send you your neon Mastercard. The card costs 20 CHF. It should be with you about one or two weeks after you've opened your account. Lost your card? Block your card yourself in the app by clicking on «Profile», then «Your card» and «Freeze card». Or by calling this card emergency number +41 (0) 43 508 03 19.


You can now see your new card PIN in the neon app, in «Profile», «Your card» and «Show card PIN». You can change your PIN at any Swiss ATM.


Mastercard, the new card processor for the neon card, works internationally for numerous banks and millions of users. Internationally, almost all countries use no more than 4 digits for the PIN. Switzerland is an exception. Our new card processor is a subsidiary of Mastercard and works internationally for many major banks.

Therefore, the configuration of our card processor is also set to 4 digits. Since 4 digits are the international standard, we unfortunately cannot offer more than 4 digits.


We fulfil 100% of Mastercard's security requirements. Security is also guaranteed with a simpler 4-digit PIN and ultimately any potential damage is covered by Mastercard. In practice, the advantages of the internationally standardised PIN outweigh the theoretically higher security of a PIN with a higher number of digits. Further information on security:

Experience shows that 6-digit PINs hardly offer higher security, as simpler combinations are usually chosen.

The proportion of credit cards that are physically stolen and used with a PIN is extremely low. Fraud on online sites or by stealing account and card data is proportionally much more frequent.

For increased security, you can temporarily block the card yourself at any time in the app (under «Profile» and «Your card») and unblock it again for a payment.


Wherever they take Mastercard. That means at all ATMs and many shops and restaurants worldwide - and as of January 2020 without exchange rate spread. There are very few merchants that can not yet accept our prepaid credit card. These are isolated cases. Did your neon-Mastercard unexpectedly not work but another one of your cards did? Please tell us – if you got a confirmation slip and attach it, that's even better. That way, we can figure out what went wrong.


No recurring fees and blocking it is free, too. The card costs 20 CHF. A replacement card costs 20 CHF. For all our prices, check out our detailed list.


Activate your card in the app by clicking on «Profile» and «Activate card».


When you confirm a payment with the card, the merchant creates a «reservation» for it on the card. This reservation is visible in the app with a small clock. As soon as the merchant wants to debit the amount (usually within 2-3 days), this is then displayed in the app as a booked payment. According to Mastercard rules, a merchant has between 7 and 31 days to effectively debit a reservation to the account.


Our card have a new range of numbers that isn't recognized yet by all apps. As a default, they show USD, but don't worry - the currency of your card is indeed CHF. If you find this somewhere, please let us know so we can follow up.

The first thing you should do is block your card immediately: do it yourself in the app under «Profile», «Your card & PIN» and «Block card». Or block it via our 24-hour card emergency number (+41 (0)43 508 03 19).

Write to us afterwards so that we can look at the case together and discuss the next steps. To ensure that the case is handled as smoothly as possible, please proceed as follows: «Standard procedure for card fraud». 

In an emergency, you can send us a card blocking request by e-mail (service_at_neon-free.ch). Please note: We cannot guarantee fast blocking at all times.

Is your case a case of card fraud or a complaint - i.e. a charge that you do not agree with? Find out more here.




All credit card transactions are transmitted via Mastercard and forwarded to our partner bank Hypothekarbank Lenzburg for settlement. Once the amount has been credited to your neon account, you as the account holder have the option to dispute transactions with us within 30 days.


Do you disagree with a card charge and want to dispute it? We recommend that you first contact the merchant concerned directly and request a refund.


If you are unsuccessful with your request for a refund, we may be able to help you. To do this, we would start a so-called charge-back process with our partner bank via Mastercard and try to reclaim the payment. To do this, send us an email to service_at_neon-free.ch and let us know which payment is involved and why you want to reclaim it.


If it is «only» a charge (complaint) and not fraud, it is generally not necessary to block the old card and send a new one.




The neon Mastercard® is available for Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, Garmin Pay, SwatchPAY! and Fidesmo Pay. To find out how to connect neon to the various mobile payment providers, click here.



Information for SwatchPAY! users: Please note that the SwatchPAY! app had a technical update on April 29, 2024. The update is complete. You had to reactivate your SwatchPAY! watch to continue paying with it. You have been informed by Swatch via email.


Two Mastercards are not possible currently. But we know you'd really love that option, so we're working on figuring out a way to make it happen. We'll let you know as soon as anything changes.


There is no 100% protection against credit card fraud. Unfortunately, this can happen with any credit card, even from other banks. There are many ways in which fraudsters manage to charge a credit card – they copy the credit card details (e.g. in a bar or restaurant), they steal credit card details from a retailer, or they use special computer programmes with which they «guess» credit card details over many attempts.



For this reason, there are standardised processes that can be used to report a fraudulent credit card payment to Mastercard. If you find unknown transactions on your account, please proceed as follows: «Standard procedure for card fraud».


To minimise the damage as much as possible, we ask you to block your card immediately in the app under «Profile», «Your card & PIN» if you suspect fraud. If you are unable to access the app, you can also block your card 24/7 by calling +41 (0)43 508 03 19. Once the card has been blocked, no further transactions can be made.


The best way to do this is to contact us directly by email at service_at_neon-free.ch and describe your case as precisely as possible so that we can take the next steps straight away.


Please answer the following questions in your email so that we can understand your case properly from the outset:



  • Do you not know this merchant at all and think it is a fraudulent transaction?

  • Do you know the merchant but disagree with the charge (e.g. subsequent charge, unexpected amount, etc.)?

  • Are you currently abroad or do you need to use your physical card for other reasons (e.g. to withdraw cash from an ATM)?


If you consider it to be fraud, we will have to permanently block and replace the card. Please confirm your current address and that we can permanently block and replace the card. You will then be able to see the new card details in the neon app 1 day later and use them virtually (e.g. online or with Google/Apple/Samsung/Garmin/Swatch Pay). Only after the card has been replaced can we take further steps depending on your situation.


Is your case a case of card fraud or a complaint  i.e. a charge that you do not agree with? Find out more here.


When you confirm a payment with the card, the merchant creates a «reservation» on the card. This reservation can be seen in the app with a small grey clock. As soon as the merchant actually wants to debit the amount (usually within 2-3 days), this is then displayed in the app as a booked payment (without a grey clock). According to Mastercard rules, a merchant has up to 31 days to effectively debit a reservation to the account. We cannot simply cancel this reservation from our side, as the merchant first has the right to debit the reservation to your account - even in the event of fraud.



If you want to report a fraudulent payment, please proceed as follows: «Standard procedure for card fraud».




So that we can process a fraud case as quickly as possible, please block your card immediately in the app under «Profile», «Your card & PIN» and confirm the following points by e-mail to service_at_neon-free.ch:




  • Which payments are affected (amount, merchant name, date)?

  • Did you make these payments yourself?

  • Do you know this merchant and have you bought something from this merchant in the past?

  • Can we permanently block your card directly and replace it with a new card or are you currently dependent on the physical card (e.g. due to a stay abroad)?

  • To ensure that the new card arrives safely: What is your current home address and the name on your letterbox?



Is your case a case of fraud or a complaint? Answer these questions.




Is this card fraud or a complaint about a card payment? Answer the following questions:

1. Do you not know this merchant at all and think it is a fraudulent transaction?

2. Do you know the merchant but do not agree with the charge (e.g. subsequent charge, unexpected amount, goods not received, etc.)?

If you answer «yes» to the first question, then it is most likely card fraud. In this case, we ask you to follow the steps described here.

If you answer «yes» to the second question, it is probably a complaint. Here you can find out how to proceed.




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