Where is cash on delivery still popular?

COD remains common in India, Southeast Asia, notably the Philippines and Vietnam, parts of the Middle East and North Africa, and Eastern Europe, such as Romania. It is declining fast in Gulf countries, where cards and wallets have taken over.

What keeps COD alive

• Lower card penetration and a large share of shoppers without access to online payment.
• Trust: shoppers prefer to pay once they see the parcel, especially with merchants they do not know.
• Habit, built over years of e-commerce growth on COD.

What is changing

Instant payment systems and QR codes are giving shoppers new ways to pay, either at checkout or at the door. Couriers increasingly accept cards and mobile payments on delivery. As these options spread, prepaid shares tend to rise, although COD remains a fallback for many shoppers.

What it means for payment operators

If your merchants sell into these markets, COD is part of the checkout they need, at least for now. The local methods that are replacing it, such as wallets, QR payments and instant transfers, are what you activate per market on your platform. The #PayWorldTour guides cover payment habits country by country, which helps your merchants decide where COD still matters and where prepaid methods already lead.