How people pay in Hungary in 2026
Hungary is a cash-heavy market that is going digital fast. According to the Magyar Nemzeti Bank Payment Systems Report 2025, 42% of all payment transactions in the country were electronic in 2024, up from 38% a year earlier, and the central bank targets two thirds by 2030. Card purchases at domestic providers rose 10.2% to nearly 2 billion, and a quarter of them were made with a phone. The MNB's own instant payment brand, qvik, is the newest piece. It handled 3.7 million transactions in the first quarter of 2026, up 22.1% in one quarter.
Online, Hungarians spent HUF 2,092 billion in 2025, according to PwC Hungary. Prepayment is now the norm, but paying the courier is still common: in 2026, 35% of online shoppers pay by card on delivery and 30% in cash. Cash itself is protected by the constitution since 2025. Employee benefit money on the SZÉP card, a growing set of fintech accounts such as Revolut, and a young BNPL segment complete the picture. For merchants and their payment providers, Hungary rewards a checkout that combines cards, wallets, qvik and delivery payment options.
- 42% of payment transactions were electronic in 2024 (Magyar Nemzeti Bank)
- 25.6% of card purchases made with a mobile wallet in 2024 (Magyar Nemzeti Bank)
- 3.7 million qvik transactions in Q1 2026 (Magyar Nemzeti Bank)
- HUF 2,092 billion online spending by Hungarian shoppers in 2025 (PwC Hungary)
Payment by card in Hungary
Hungary has no domestic card scheme for everyday purchases, so bank cards run on Visa and Mastercard. Card purchases at domestic providers grew 10.2% in 2024 to nearly 2 billion transactions worth almost HUF 20,000 billion, according to the MNB Payment Systems Report 2025. Growth held into 2026: in the first quarter, card purchases rose 8.5% in number and 14.2% in value year on year. Acceptance keeps widening too, with nearly 60,000 online acceptance points in 2024, up 17.8%, and 4.3% more POS terminals.
Online, cards are the main prepaid method. Hungarians made 367 million internet card transactions in 2024, up 16%. Two local twists matter. Many shoppers pay by card to the courier on delivery, and millions of employees hold a SZÉP card, a benefit card that can only be spent on accommodation, catering and leisure. Card fees follow the EU interchange fee caps.
Card schemes in Hungary
Visa
International scheme
One of the two card brands issued by Hungarian banks on debit and credit cards, accepted at virtually every card terminal and online gateway.
Mastercard
International scheme
The other main card brand in Hungary, widely issued by banks and fintechs and accepted across physical and online checkouts.
Nearly 2 billion card purchases at domestic providers in 2024, all schemes combined, Magyar Nemzeti Bank
Contactless debit cards
Debit card
Debit cards are the default card in Hungarian wallets, and tapping is the normal way to pay at the till, with the plastic card or a phone.
Nearly 98% of physical POS terminals were contactless capable at the end of 2024, MNB data via Bank360
SZÉP card
Benefit card
The Széchenyi Recreation Card is a tax-favored employee benefit card issued by OTP, K&H and MBH, spendable on accommodation, catering and leisure, and since 2025 also in Apple Pay and Google Pay at the largest issuers.
HUF 492 billion spent with SZÉP cards in 2025, a record, Privátbankár
Card payment on delivery
Card on delivery
Couriers and parcel points take card payments when the parcel is handed over, a popular way for Hungarians to avoid prepaying online.
35% of online shoppers pay by card on delivery in 2026, PwC Hungary
Payment by cash in Hungary
Cash is losing share but not volume. With 42% of transactions electronic in 2024, the remaining 58% were still made in cash, according to the MNB. Banknotes and coins in circulation hit a record HUF 9,636.3 billion at the end of February 2026. In a survey for OTP Mobil, about one third of respondents said they pay in cash in stores.
The law protects cash strongly. Hungary amended its constitution in March 2025, and from July 1, 2025 businesses must offer a cash payment option, with exemptions for online-only contracts, cross-border online services and cashless automated outlets. Free ATM withdrawals are a legal right too, and since February 1, 2026 account holders can withdraw up to HUF 300,000 a month free of charge, double the previous limit. In the first quarter of 2026, the number of cash withdrawals fell 4.4% while their value rose 4.4%. Online, cash shows up as cash on delivery (utánvét), still used by 30% of online shoppers in 2026, and as bill payments at the post office.
Cash payment methods in Hungary
Cash
Banknotes and coins
Forint banknotes and coins remain the most common means of payment by number, and merchants must offer a cash option under rules in force since July 2025.
58% of payment transactions were not electronic in 2024, Magyar Nemzeti Bank
Cash on delivery
Cash on delivery
Utánvét lets online shoppers pay the courier or parcel point in cash, usually for a surcharge, and it also counts as a valid way for webshops to meet the cash acceptance rule.
30% of online shoppers pay cash on delivery in 2026, PwC Hungary
Postal cash payment
Postal bill payment
The yellow postal inpayment slip (sárga csekk) lets people pay utility bills and invoices in cash at Magyar Posta offices, and it is still common among older households.
Payment by bank transfer in Hungary
Hungary was an early mover in instant payments. Since 2020, the AFR system run by GIRO settles domestic forint transfers around the clock in seconds, with 99.9% of transfers settled within five seconds in 2023. The system settled 54 million instant transactions in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to the MNB, and the number of instant transfers grew 5.4% year on year in the first quarter of 2026.
On top of AFR, the central bank launched qvik in September 2024, a common standard for paying by QR code, NFC tap, payment link or request to pay from any Hungarian banking app. Take-up was slow at first, but it accelerated in 2025. More than 32,700 merchants accepted qvik at the end of Q3 2025. qvik then carried 3 million transactions in Q4 2025, 4.5% of instant transfers, and 3.7 million in Q1 2026. Account-based payments are still small online, at about 5% of online purchases in 2024 according to PwC. Our guide to account-to-account payments explains why these rails matter.
Bank transfer methods in Hungary
qvik
Instant payment overlay
The MNB's instant payment standard lets shoppers pay by QR code, NFC tap or link, or approve a payment request, in their own banking app, with funds settled in seconds over AFR.
3.7 million qvik transactions in Q1 2026, up 22.1% in one quarter, Magyar Nemzeti Bank
AFR instant transfer
Instant payment
Hungary's interbank instant payment system, operated by GIRO, settles forint transfers 24/7 and supports transfers to phone numbers and email addresses as secondary IDs.
54 million instant transactions settled in Q4 2025, Magyar Nemzeti Bank
Bank transfer (prepayment)
Bank transfer
Webshops still offer prepayment by classic transfer, now instant in most cases, often for larger baskets and B2B orders.
5% of online purchases paid with account-based methods in 2024, PwC Hungary
Direct debit
Direct debit
Csoportos beszedés, the domestic direct debit, is widely used for utility bills, insurance and telecom subscriptions.
Payment by installment and BNPL in Hungary
Buy now, pay later is young in Hungary. Short deferred payment products only appeared around 2022, and the MNB says four to five providers offer them, mostly outside its supervision. Traditional installment loans arranged at checkout by consumer finance partners, and credit card installments, still cover most larger purchases at retailers such as MediaMarkt and eMAG.
The big change came in 2026. In July, Alza added Klarna with pay in three interest-free installments and pay in 30 days for returning customers, after iPon offered the same option. Local fintechs also play: PastPay, InstaCash and IzzyPay offer deferred payment models, PastPay mostly to business buyers. Rules are tightening. The EU consumer credit directive, which brings BNPL under credit rules, applies from November 20, 2026, once Hungary completes its transposition.
Installment and BNPL providers in Hungary
Klarna
BNPL
The Swedish BNPL provider went live at Alza, which calls itself Hungary's largest online retailer, in July 2026, with pay in three interest-free installments and pay in 30 days.
Checkout installment loans
Point-of-sale credit
Áruhitel installment loans arranged at the checkout through consumer finance partners remain the standard way to spread larger purchases, online and in electronics and furniture stores.
PastPay
B2B BNPL
Budapest-based fintech founded in 2019 that gives business buyers 30 or 60 day payment terms at webshops and multichannel sellers, backed by MBH Bank among other investors.
EUR 12 million Series A raised in September 2024, AIN
Credit card installments
Card installments
Hungarian banks let credit cardholders convert larger card purchases into monthly installments, a common alternative to BNPL for electronics and travel.
Payment by digital wallet and X-Pay in Hungary
Hungarians took to phone payments quickly. In the first quarter of 2026, 30.9% of payment cards were registered in a mobile wallet, and wallets carried 25.6% of card purchases by number and 18.9% by value in 2024, according to the MNB. Apple Pay and Google Pay, the main X-Pay wallets, are offered by almost every bank, and since autumn 2025 OTP and MBH also let users add SZÉP cards to Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Local wallets add to the mix. OTP's Simple app, with 3.9 million registered users, handles in-store payments, parking and motorway vignettes, and the Barion wallet works across many webshops. Fintech accounts are mainstream too. Revolut counts more than 2 million customers in Hungary and started opening Hungarian accounts through a local branch in May 2026.
Digital wallets and X-Pay in Hungary
Apple Pay
Mobile wallet
Apple's wallet is available at all major Hungarian banks for tap-to-pay in stores and one-click payments in apps and webshops.
25.6% of card purchases were made with mobile wallets in 2024, Magyar Nemzeti Bank
Google Pay
Mobile wallet
The Android wallet is used for contactless payments with tokenized Visa, Mastercard and, increasingly, SZÉP cards, and is offered by local gateways at checkout.
30.9% of payment cards registered in a mobile wallet in Q1 2026, Magyar Nemzeti Bank
Simple app
Local wallet
OTP Mobil's app combines card payments, parking, motorway vignettes, transit tickets and bill payments, and is tied to the SimplePay online gateway.
3.9 million registered users in January 2026, Index
Barion Wallet
E-money wallet
Hungarian e-money wallet that shoppers can top up and use for one-click payments at webshops that run the Barion gateway, next to cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Revolut
Neobank wallet
Revolut cards and accounts are used by about one in four Hungarian adults, and since May 2026 new users can get a Hungarian account from Revolut's local branch.
2 million+ Revolut customers in Hungary in 2026, Bank360
Payments in Hungary: FAQ
What is the most popular online payment method in Hungary?
Bank cards. In 2024, prepaid methods covered about 40% of online orders and cards 30%, ahead of cash at 25%, according to PwC Hungary. Paying on delivery remains popular, and in 2026 more shoppers pay the courier by card (35%) than in cash (30%).
What is qvik?
qvik is the Magyar Nemzeti Bank's instant payment brand, launched in September 2024 on top of the AFR system. Shoppers pay by QR code, NFC tap, link or payment request in their banking app. It reached 3.7 million transactions in Q1 2026, up 22.1% in one quarter.
Do merchants in Hungary have to accept cash?
Yes, in most cases. Since July 1, 2025, businesses must offer a cash payment option, following a constitutional amendment. Online-only contracts, cross-border online services and cashless automated outlets are exempt, and cash on delivery counts as a cash option.
What is the SZÉP card?
It is a tax-favored employee benefit card for accommodation, catering and leisure, issued by OTP, K&H and MBH. Holders spent a record HUF 492 billion in 2025, so hotels, restaurants and leisure merchants usually need to accept it.
Accept local payments in Hungary with NORBr
In Hungary, OTP Group leads through bank acquiring and SimplePay, the most popular payment provider among webshops, ahead of Barion. A PSP, PayFac, ISO or ISV should check qvik, SZÉP cards and forint settlement speed.
With NORBr, you can connect any acquirer, PSP or local provider that offers cards, SZÉP cards, qvik instant payments and wallets such as Simple and Barion. 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 Hungary
SimplePay
Payment gateway
The OTP Group's online payment gateway, run by SimplePay Zrt. (OTP Mobil) and launched in 2016, also runs Telefonos POS soft terminals and absorbed the HelloPay hospitality terminals in 2026; it was among the first to offer qvik to webshops.
1 million transactions in two days in December 2025, Index
Covers: Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, qvik, Simple app, SZÉP card
Barion
Payment gateway
Budapest-based e-money institution licensed by the MNB, offering an online payment gateway and wallet to small and mid-sized webshops in Hungary and neighboring markets, with card, wallet and X-Pay payments at checkout.
Covers: Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Barion Wallet
OTP Bank
Acquirer
Hungary's largest bank provides card acceptance for physical and online merchants, and its POS network grew 11.5% in Q2 2024, ahead of the market; in 2025 it extended card acceptance to Slovakia.
Covers: Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, SZÉP card, qvik
PastPay
BNPL provider
Hungarian fintech offering deferred payment terms of 30 or 60 days to business buyers of webshops and wholesalers, which Economx calls the largest BNPL provider in Hungary by customers and turnover.
170+ retailers had offered PastPay terms by September 2024, AIN
Covers: B2B BNPL, invoice payment terms
