What is the most popular payment method in Australia?
Debit cards. They made 49% of consumer payments in 2025, ahead of credit cards (23%) and cash (15%). Most debit cards carry both eftpos and Visa or Mastercard, and about 40% of card payments are made with a phone or watch.
In detail
Debit cards. They made 49% of consumer payments in 2025, ahead of credit cards (23%) and cash (15%). Most debit cards carry both eftpos and Visa or Mastercard, and about 40% of card payments are made with a phone or watch.
Dual-network debit cards
Many Australian debit cards can be processed through eftpos, the domestic network, or through Visa or Mastercard. Merchants can choose least-cost routing to send contactless debit payments through the cheaper network.
Contactless and mobile
Australia is one of the most contactless markets in the world. Tapping a card, phone or watch is the default in stores, and digital wallets are widely used.
Online payments
Cards and wallets dominate, alongside PayPal, buy now pay later providers and account-to-account options such as PayID and PayTo.
Cash
Cash use keeps falling but remains relevant for small purchases and some groups of consumers.
What it means for payment operators
For your merchants in Australia, debit routing choices, wallets and BNPL options matter at checkout. Local acquiring with routing rules, and access to local methods through one platform, cover these expectations.