What is the most common way to pay in New Zealand?
Cards, mostly debit and mostly by tap. Cards made up 73% of in-store payment value in 2025 according to the Global Payments Report, and Visa and Mastercard now carry 74% of payments, as the domestic EFTPOS network declines.
In detail
Cards, mostly debit and mostly by tap. Cards made up 73% of in-store payment value in 2025 according to the Global Payments Report, and Visa and Mastercard now carry 74% of payments, as the domestic EFTPOS network declines.
How people pay in New Zealand in 2026
New Zealand is one of the most card-heavy markets in the world, and the cards it uses are changing. The domestic EFTPOS debit network, which charges merchants a flat fee, is losing ground to Visa and Mastercard debit cards that work contactless, online and in phones. The Commerce Commission reports that Visa and Mastercard now carry 74% of payments, up from 57% in 2019, and that businesses pay about NZ$1 billion a year to accept them.
Payment by installment and BNPL in New Zealand
Buy now, pay later is well established in New Zealand. BNPL took 13% of online payment value in 2025, level with Australia, according to the Global Payments Report.
Payment by digital wallet and X-Pay in New Zealand
In stores, wallets made up 15% of point-of-sale value, with cards still funding most wallet payments. Apple Pay and Google Pay carry most of these X-Pay payments, on top of tokenized Visa and Mastercard debit cards.
More detail in our #PayWorldTour guide Payment methods in New Zealand.