Do people in Germany still pay in cash?
Yes, but less. Cash covered 45% of everyday transactions in 2025, and for the first time Germans paid more often without cash than with it. Cash still accounts for 32.3% of retail turnover according to the EHI.
In detail
Yes, but less than before. Germany, long known as a cash country, crossed a line in 2025. The Bundesbank's study on payment behaviour found that cash covered 45% of everyday transactions and 23% of spending, down from about half of transactions in 2023. For the first time, Germans paid more often without cash than with it.
Attitudes are shifting
Only 26% of respondents now prefer cash, against 52% who prefer non-cash payments. People still carry EUR 98 on average, and cash can be used in 94% of in-person purchases. In retail, the EHI puts cash at 32.3% of turnover and 50.5% of transactions in 2025.
Cash online
Cash survives online in two forms. Barcode services let shoppers pay online orders at the till of a drugstore or supermarket. Cash on delivery (Nachnahme) remains a niche.
What it means for payment operators
For operators, the German cash decline mostly benefits the girocard and mobile wallets in stores. Online, cash is marginal, but a barcode payment option can still matter for some merchants and audiences. What matters more is covering the cashless methods Germans now use: girocard, PayPal, invoice and direct debit.