How people pay in the Czech Republic in 2026
The Czech Republic is a card-first market with a fast-growing account-to-account layer. According to the Czech National Bank, card payments passed 3.3 billion in 2025 for a value of almost CZK 2 trillion, and debit cards carried about 95% of them. Contactless is the norm: the Czech Banking Card Association counted 16.2 million contactless cards out of 18.1 million at the end of 2025. At the same time, the central bank's CERTIS system has turned instant payments into an everyday habit. They made up 45.5% of interbank transfers in March 2026, against 21% in mid-2022.
Online, Czech shoppers keep their own habits. E-shops earned CZK 206 billion in 2025, up about 6%, according to APEK and Heureka. Shoppers pay mostly by card and wallet, but bank transfers, QR Platba codes and cash on delivery (dobírka) remain common, and local deferred payment brands such as Skip Pay and Twisto compete with Klarna. For PSPs and merchants, a Czech checkout needs cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay, an instant bank option and a pay-later choice.
- 3.3 billion card payments in 2025 (Czech National Bank)
- 45.5% of interbank transfers were instant in March 2026 (Czech National Bank)
- CZK 206 billion e-commerce turnover in 2025 (APEK and Heureka via Lupa.cz)
- 53% of Czechs aged 18 to 65 use instant payments, October 2025 survey (Czech National Bank)
Payment by card in the Czech Republic
The Czech Republic has no domestic card scheme, so cards run on Visa and Mastercard. The Czech National Bank counted more than 17.4 million payment cards and about 285,000 POS terminals at the end of 2025. Card payments exceeded 3.3 billion that year, worth almost CZK 2 trillion, and about 95% were made with debit cards. The Czech Banking Card Association reports similar growth: 3.33 billion payments at merchants in 2025, up 11%, of which 618 million were e-commerce payments worth CZK 628 billion, up nearly 20%.
Cards also lead online. In the APEK e-commerce study for 2023, 43% of shoppers paid most often by card, well ahead of bank transfers. Acquiring is concentrated in large banks and processors such as ČSOB, Komerční banka and Global Payments, next to local gateways. Fees follow the EU interchange fee caps, and our guide to how card networks work explains who earns what in each transaction.
Card schemes in the Czech Republic
Visa
International scheme
One of the two schemes behind almost every card issued by Czech banks, used for in-store, online and phone payments.
Mastercard
International scheme
The other main scheme in Czechia. ČSOB was named Mastercard Acquirer of the Year for the third year running in April 2026, based on the number of Mastercard transactions it handled.
Contactless debit cards
Debit card
Debit cards dominate Czech wallets and are tapped at almost every terminal, with or without a phone.
16.2 million contactless cards out of 18.1 million at the end of 2025, Czech Banking Card Association via Banky.cz
Online card payments
Card not present
Card payments through e-shop gateways, often with saved cards and 3-D Secure confirmation in the banking app.
618 million e-commerce card and electronic payments in 2025, Czech Banking Card Association via Banky.cz
Payment by cash in the Czech Republic
Cash is losing ground but remains part of daily life, especially in small shops, villages and among older people. Czech cards were used for about 140 million cash withdrawals in 2025, worth around CZK 922 billion, according to the Czech National Bank. In a UniCredit Bank survey reported in September 2025, 59% of payments were cashless and 41% were made in cash. The ATM network is shrinking, with 5,398 machines at the end of 2025 according to the Czech Banking Card Association.
Online, cash survives through cash on delivery, called dobírka. In APEK panel research quoted by Seznam Zprávy in 2023, 25.5% of consumers named cash on delivery or payment at pickup as their most used method. It is costly for merchants: carriers report that cash on delivery parcels are returned far more often than prepaid ones, and an industry source quoted by MediaGuru in December 2025 says up to 20% of them go unclaimed.
Cash payment methods in the Czech Republic
Cash
Banknotes and coins
Czech koruna banknotes and coins remain widely used in small shops, markets and services, though cards now lead at most tills.
140 million card cash withdrawals in 2025, worth about CZK 922 billion, Czech National Bank
Cash on delivery
Cash on delivery
Dobírka lets shoppers pay the courier or at a pickup point when the parcel arrives, now usually by card or cash. Carriers such as DPD and GLS report much higher return rates on these parcels, according to Seznam Zprávy.
25.5% of consumers named cash on delivery or payment at pickup as their most used method, APEK 2023, Seznam Zprávy
Payment at pickup point
Pay on collection
Payment in cash or by card when collecting an order at a store, a parcel shop or a locker. The Zásilkovna app also lets recipients pay cash on delivery online before collecting a parcel.
6,788 Zásilkovna Z-BOX lockers listed in October 2026, Zásilkovna
Payment by bank transfer in the Czech Republic
Account-to-account payments are booming thanks to the Czech National Bank. Its CERTIS system processed 43.6 million instant payments in June 2026, against 34.1 million a year earlier, with funds credited in about three seconds and a limit of CZK 2.5 million per payment. Since the last large bank joined in 2025, availability is practically 100%, and 53% of Czechs use instant payments. Read more about instant payments.
The QR Platba standard of the Czech Banking Association lets payers scan a code that fills in the account, amount and reference. 31% of Czechs have paid this way in shops or online, but only one in five small businesses accepts QR payments at the point of sale. Online, gateways also offer bank buttons (platební tlačítka) from individual banks and PSD2 pay-by-bank across banks, while a plain transfer on invoice remains common. Our guide to account-to-account payments explains the merchant case.
Bank transfer methods in the Czech Republic
Instant payments (CERTIS)
Instant payment
Koruna instant credit transfers run by the Czech National Bank, available 24/7 at practically all banks and used for person-to-person, QR and e-commerce payments.
2.02 million instant payments per day on average in December 2025, a record, Czech National Bank
QR Platba
QR bank transfer
The Czech Banking Association's Short Payment Descriptor (SPAYD) standard, printed on invoices and shown at checkouts, scanned by every Czech banking app.
31% of Czechs aged 18 to 65 have paid with a QR code, October 2025 survey, Czech National Bank
Bank payment buttons
Bank redirect
Platební tlačítka redirect shoppers to their own bank with prefilled payment details, as with Komerční banka's MojePlatba; gateways bundle buttons from the main Czech banks.
Pay by bank (PSD2)
Pay by bank
Open banking payment initiation that works across banks, introduced in Czechia when Česká spořitelna launched Platba z účtu in 2019 through the Global Payments gateway.
Bank transfer
Credit transfer
A classic transfer after the order, using the variable symbol as reference, still offered by most Czech e-shops.
15% of online shoppers paid most often by bank transfer, APEK 2023, E15
Payment by installment and BNPL in the Czech Republic
Czech shoppers have used deferred payments for more than a decade, and local brands lead the buy now, pay later market. Skip Pay, the former MallPay owned by ČSOB, is available in more than 33,000 e-shops and offers pay in 30 days, pay in thirds and a credit line with a Mastercard. Twisto, the pioneer founded in 2013 and owned by Turkish group Param, says about 3 million people have used it in Czechia and Poland. Raiffeisenbank's PlatímPak, launched by Equa bank in 2020, adds a bank-run option.
Gateways bundle these products: Comgate, for example, lists Twisto, Skip Pay and PlatímPak as deferred payment options. Klarna entered the market in September 2022 with pay in 3, and traditional consumer lenders such as Home Credit, Cofidis and Essox still finance installment purchases in stores and online. BNPL providers also pitch themselves as a safer alternative to cash on delivery for merchants.
Installment and BNPL providers in the Czech Republic
Skip Pay
BNPL
ČSOB's deferred payment service, formerly MallPay, offering pay in 30 days, pay in three equal parts and a credit line with a virtual and physical Mastercard, according to Banky.cz.
33,000+ partner e-shops in June 2026, Banky.cz
Twisto
BNPL
Czech BNPL and payment app with Twisto Pay at checkout, a Mastercard usable with Apple Pay and Google Pay, and installments over 3 to 12 months. It is owned by Turkish group Param.
3 million people have used Twisto in Czechia and Poland since launch, December 2025, Lupa.cz
PlatímPak
Bank BNPL
Raiffeisenbank's pay in 30 days service for online purchases up to CZK 25,000, open to non-clients. Equa bank launched it in November 2020 as the first Czech bank BNPL.
Klarna
BNPL
The Swedish BNPL provider launched in Czechia on September 27, 2022 with interest-free pay in 3, starting with merchants such as H&M, Pilulka and Footshop.
Home Credit
Installment loans
A long-established consumer lender that finances installment purchases in Czech stores and e-shops, next to Cofidis and Essox.
Payment by digital wallet and X-Pay in the Czech Republic
Phones and watches are now a standard way to pay in Czechia. The Czech Banking Card Association counted 1.6 billion mobile and other tokenized payments in 2025, up 23%, worth CZK 985 billion. That is almost half of all card payments at merchants. Apple Pay and Google Pay carry most of these X-Pay payments, and banks such as Air Bank compete on token transactions, as shown by Mastercard awards in April 2026. Revolut is a fast-growing card issuer too, with about 1.3 million Czech users in March 2026, and almost two in three of its card payments are now domestic.
Wallets also matter online. In the APEK study for 2023, 9% of shoppers paid most often with Apple Pay and 8% with Google Pay, against under 2% four years earlier. Gateway data points the same way: ThePay reported that Apple Pay accounted for more than 15% of its transactions in 2023. Read our notes on Apple Pay integration challenges before adding wallets to a Czech checkout.
Digital wallets and X-Pay in the Czech Republic
Apple Pay
Mobile wallet
Apple's wallet, widely used in Czech stores and the most popular wallet at many e-shop checkouts.
15%+ of ThePay gateway transactions in 2023, CzechCrunch
Google Pay
Mobile wallet
The Android wallet for tap-to-pay with tokenized Visa and Mastercard cards, offered by Czech banks and gateways.
8% of online shoppers paid most often with Google Pay, APEK 2023, E15
Tokenized card payments
Wearables and apps
Payments with cards stored in phones, watches and banking apps, including Garmin, Fitbit and bank wallets, counted together by Czech card statistics.
1.6 billion mobile and tokenized payments in 2025, Czech Banking Card Association via Banky.cz
Payments in the Czech Republic: FAQ
What is the most popular payment method in the Czech Republic?
Cards. Czechs made more than 3.3 billion card payments in 2025, according to the Czech National Bank, mostly with contactless debit cards and phones. Online, cards and wallets also lead, ahead of bank transfers.
Is cash on delivery still used in Czechia?
Yes. In APEK research quoted by Seznam Zprávy, 25.5% of consumers named cash on delivery or payment at pickup as their most used online method in 2023. Merchants face high return rates on these parcels, which pushes BNPL and instant payments as alternatives.
How do instant payments and QR Platba work in Czechia?
Banks send koruna instant payments through the Czech National Bank's CERTIS system in about three seconds, 24/7. QR Platba codes fill in the payment details in any Czech banking app. Instant payments reached 45.5% of interbank transfers in March 2026.
Which BNPL providers are used in the Czech Republic?
Skip Pay, Twisto and Raiffeisenbank's PlatímPak are the main local options, joined by Klarna since 2022. Skip Pay alone is available in more than 33,000 e-shops.
Accept local payments in the Czech Republic with NORBr
In the Czech Republic, most e-shops use gateways such as GoPay, Comgate or ThePay, and larger merchants use ČSOB, Komerční banka or Global Payments. A PSP, PayFac, ISO or ISV should check bank buttons, CERTIS, QR Platba and CZK settlement.
With NORBr, you can connect any acquirer, PSP or local provider that offers cards, bank payment buttons, QR Platba and pay-later options such as Skip Pay and Twisto. Some are already in our connector catalog; Mapper™ gets the others live in days, and Smart Checkout shows each shopper the right methods. Explore the other #PayWorldTour guides.
Local payment providers in the Czech Republic
GoPay
Payment gateway
Czech gateway founded in 2007 and owned by Worldline, serving e-shops, media and gaming merchants with cards, bank buttons and wallets; it added payments in seven cryptocurrencies in 2024.
18,000+ merchants in the Czech Republic, May 2025, Banky.cz
Covers: Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, bank buttons, bank transfers, cryptocurrencies
Comgate
Payment gateway
Payment institution from Hradec Králové offering an online gateway and card terminals to Czech and Slovak merchants; in 2023 it became the first non-bank Visa and Mastercard acquirer in Czechia, and it bundles deferred payments from Twisto, Skip Pay and PlatímPak.
15,000+ clients in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, September 2024, Forbes Česko (Comgate partner content)
Covers: Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, bank buttons, bank transfers, Twisto, Skip Pay, PlatímPak
ThePay
Payment gateway
Czech gateway founded in 2011 for online merchants, with a strong share of wallet payments at checkout.
CZK 7 billion processed for about 4,000 merchants in 2023, CzechCrunch
Covers: Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, bank transfers
ČSOB
Acquirer
Major Czech bank in the KBC group, acquiring card payments in stores and online and owner of the Skip Pay BNPL brand; Mastercard named it Acquirer of the Year for the third year running in 2026.
Covers: Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Skip Pay
Global Payments (GP webpay)
Acquirer
Prague-based acquirer, successor of Muzo, owned by US group Global Payments with Erste Group holding 49%; it serves merchants in Czechia, Slovakia, Romania and Austria and agreed to buy a Croatian terminal business in 2025. Its GP webpay gateway is used by many banks and large e-shops.
Covers: Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Platba z účtu (Česká spořitelna pay by bank)
finby
Payment gateway
Slovak payment institution formerly called TrustPay, rebranded as finby in November 2025, serving Czech e-shops such as Mironet and 4Camping with cards, wallets and bank payments across 40+ countries.
CZK 1.25 billion+ revenue in 2024, CzechCrunch (finby partner content)
Covers: Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, bank transfers, open banking payments
