How people pay in Poland in 2026
Poland is one of the most digital payment markets in Europe, and it has a home-grown champion. BLIK, the mobile payment scheme owned by the largest Polish banks, processed 2.9 billion transactions worth PLN 441.5 billion in 2025, and its momentum held in 2026 with 1.6 billion transactions in the first half and 21.6 million active users at the end of June. Online, BLIK sits next to pay-by-link gateways such as Przelewy24, PayU, Tpay and Autopay. In the Gemius E-commerce in Poland 2025 study, 72% of online shoppers said they pay with BLIK, 64% with a fast transfer and 43% with a card.
In stores, cards dominate. Almost all card payments are contactless, phones are taking a growing share, and cash keeps a role for older and rural consumers, protected by a 2021 law that obliges most shops to accept it. Deferred payments are mainstream too, led by PayPo and Allegro Pay, with new consumer credit rules due in late 2026. For merchants and their payment providers, Poland is a market where a checkout without BLIK and pay-by-link loses sales. To the north, our guide to payment methods in the Baltic States covers the bank-link markets of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
- 2.9 billion BLIK transactions in 2025 (BLIK)
- 46.8 million payment cards issued at the end of September 2025 (Narodowy Bank Polski)
- 636 million Express Elixir instant transfers in 2025 (KIR via GSMONLINE)
- 78% of Polish internet users shop online in 2025 (Gemius via Przelewy24)
Payment by card in Poland
Poland has no domestic card scheme, so every card runs on Visa or Mastercard. According to Narodowy Bank Polski, 46.8 million payment cards were in circulation at the end of September 2025. Debit cards made up 86.4% of them, Visa branded 59.7% and Mastercard 40.1%. Cardholders made 2.8 billion non-cash card payments worth PLN 218.0 billion in the third quarter of 2025 alone, and 98.0% of them were contactless.
Cards are the default at the physical point of sale, backed by 1.39 million POS terminals. Online, they play a supporting role. The same NBP report counts 105.2 million internet card transactions in the quarter, only 3.8% of card payments by number, while BLIK alone handled 1.4 billion online payments over 2025. Cards remain essential for cross-border shoppers, subscriptions and wallet tokens. Card fees in Poland follow the EU interchange fee caps, and choosing acquirers that know how card networks work still pays off on approval rates.
Card schemes in Poland
Visa
International scheme
The leading card brand in Poland, used on most debit cards issued by Polish banks for in-store, online and phone payments.
59.7% share of payment cards issued in Poland, end of September 2025, Narodowy Bank Polski
Mastercard
International scheme
The second scheme in Poland, strong on debit and credit cards from major banks and neobanks, and widely accepted at every terminal.
40.1% share of payment cards issued in Poland, end of September 2025, Narodowy Bank Polski
Contactless debit cards
Debit card
Debit cards dominate Polish wallets, and almost every in-store card payment is a tap, either with the plastic card or through a phone.
98.0% of non-cash card transactions were contactless in Q3 2025, Narodowy Bank Polski
Click to Pay
Card checkout
The schemes' card checkout standard, offered by local gateways such as Przelewy24 to let shoppers pay with stored cards without typing card details.
Payment by cash in Poland
Cash is shrinking but far from gone. In the latest NBP payment diary survey, covering 2023, cash accounted for 40.2% of payments in stores, offices and between people, and 28.1% of their value. A 2025 opinion survey for NBP found that 28% of Poles still pay more often in cash than by card, mostly because cash is accepted everywhere. Banknotes and coins in circulation reached almost PLN 428 billion in April 2025, according to NBP data reported by PAP.
The law protects cash. Since an amendment to the Payment Services Act in late 2021, merchants that accept card payments must also accept cash from consumers and cannot charge more for it, with exemptions for online sales, unattended outlets and large one-off purchases. Online, cash shows up as cash on delivery, still used by many shoppers, and as vouchers or barcodes paid at convenience stores. BLIK also connects cash and accounts, with 35.5 million BLIK ATM withdrawals in the first half of 2026.
Cash payment methods in Poland
Cash
Banknotes and coins
Złoty banknotes and coins remain legal tender and must be accepted by most physical merchants, though their share of everyday payments keeps falling.
40.2% share of in-person transactions paid in cash in 2023, NBP payment diary
Cash on delivery
Cash on delivery
Paying the courier or at a parcel locker on delivery (za pobraniem) is still offered by most online shops, with carriers such as InPost capping it at PLN 5,000 per parcel, according to Shoper.
39% of online shoppers had used cash on delivery, Gemius 2024 data, Shoper
Paysafecard and Paysafecash
Cash voucher
Prepaid PIN vouchers and barcode cash payments from Paysafe, popular for gaming and digital goods; Paysafecash has been payable at all Żabka convenience stores since 2021.
BLIK cash withdrawals
ATM cash access
BLIK codes let users withdraw and deposit cash at ATMs and get cash back at store tills without a physical card.
35.5 million BLIK ATM withdrawals in H1 2026, BLIK
Payment by bank transfer in Poland
Account-based payments are the backbone of Polish e-commerce. BLIK, the scheme run by Polski Standard Płatności, lets users confirm a payment in their banking app with a six-digit code or a push notification. In the first half of 2026 it processed 766.7 million online payments, 48.5% of all its transactions, and BLIK says it now handles more than 70% of transactions in Polish e-commerce. Since September 2026, Stripe also shows BLIK automatically to Polish shoppers of international merchants.
Next to BLIK, pay-by-link gateways redirect shoppers to their bank with prefilled transfer details. Przelewy24, PayU, Tpay and Autopay lead this segment, and 64% of online shoppers use such fast transfers according to Gemius. Underneath, interbank instant payments run on KIR's Express Elixir system, which processed 636.1 million transfers worth PLN 320.6 billion in 2025, up 21%. Our guide to account-to-account payments explains why these rails matter for merchants.
Bank transfer methods in Poland
BLIK
Bank mobile payment
Poland's national mobile payment method, built into banking apps, used online with a six-digit code or one-click, in stores, at ATMs and for phone-number transfers. It also supports recurring payments at eight banks.
2.9 billion BLIK transactions in 2025, 20.7 million active users at year end, BLIK
Przelewy24
Pay by link
One of the largest Polish payment gateways, part of the Nexi group, offering bank transfers, BLIK, cards and BNPL at checkout; it absorbed the Dotpay brand in 2023.
60,000+ merchant accounts served in January 2026, Przelewy24
PayU
Pay by link
PayU was founded in Poland and its Polish business remains owned by Prosus after other regions were sold. It offers pay-by-link, BLIK, cards and a deferred payment hub at checkout.
Tpay
Pay by link
Pay-by-link and BLIK gateway operated by Krajowy Integrator Płatności, in which Bank Pekao holds a 38.33% stake, offering pay-by-link, BLIK and BNPL options to online shops.
Autopay
Pay by link
Formerly Blue Media, renamed in 2023, Autopay runs an online payment gateway, bill payments and an app for parking and motorway tolls.
35,000 companies in Poland using its solutions in 2023, Telepolis
Express Elixir
Instant payment
KIR's interbank instant transfer system in złoty, used for instant bank transfers and for BLIK phone-number transfers between users.
636.1 million instant transfers in 2025, up 21% year on year, KIR via GSMONLINE
Payment by installment and BNPL in Poland
Poland has one of the most active buy now, pay later markets in Central Europe, and local players lead it. PayPo, the market pioneer, processed 22.5 million transactions worth PLN 6.6 billion in 2025 and serves more than 2.5 million users at over 66,000 merchants. On the Allegro marketplace, Allegro Pay already finances more than 15% of gross merchandise value. Banks answered with BLIK Pay Later, which recorded 235,500 transactions in 2025 at four banks.
Gateways bundle these options. PayU's deferred payment hub hosts partners such as PayPo, and Przelewy24 lists PayPo, BLIK Pay Later and its own installments. International players such as Klarna and Twisto compete for the same checkout space. Regulation is tightening. Poland's new consumer credit act, which transposes CCD2, is expected to apply from November 20, 2026, and it will tighten consumer credit rules, including a ban on some 0% installment advertising with long deferrals.
Installment and BNPL providers in Poland
PayPo
BNPL
Polish BNPL leader offering pay in 30 days and installments at online checkouts, plus an app and a virtual card usable in physical stores.
22.5 million transactions worth PLN 6.6 billion in 2025, Super Biznes
Allegro Pay
Marketplace BNPL
Allegro's in-house deferred payment and installment service for buyers on Poland's largest marketplace, which counts 15.3 million active buyers in Poland.
15%+ of Allegro gross merchandise value financed by Allegro Pay in 2025, Allegro
BLIK Pay Later
Bank BNPL
A deferred payment option inside banking apps that lets BLIK users pay for online purchases up to 30 days later, offered by a growing number of banks.
235,500 BLIK Pay Later transactions worth PLN 59.4 million in 2025, BLIK
PayU Pay Later
BNPL hub
PayU's deferred payment option (Płacę później) aggregates partner lenders, including PayPo since 2021, so merchants on PayU get BNPL without separate contracts.
Klarna
BNPL
The Swedish BNPL provider launched in Poland in 2021 with pay in 30 days and installments, starting with H&M as its first Polish partner.
Twisto
BNPL
Czech BNPL and payment app, owned by Turkish group Param, active in Poland since 2018, which appointed a new country director for Poland in January 2026.
Payment by digital wallet and X-Pay in Poland
Phones have become a common way to pay in Polish stores. Banks reporting to Bankier.pl had about 10.8 million cards linked to digital wallets in Q3 2025, and that total excluded PKO BP, the largest bank. A POLASIK Research study for Fundacja Polska Bezgotówkowa, quoted by BANK magazine, puts mobile NFC payments at 24% of point-of-sale transactions in 2025, up from 18% in 2024. Apple Pay and Google Pay carry most of these X-Pay payments.
BLIK is building its own tap-to-pay alternative. Contactless BLIK, which works on Android phones, accounted for 48% of BLIK in-store transactions in 2025, and PKO Bank Polski completed the first contactless BLIK payment on an iPhone in a pilot in July 2026. Neobanks add to the mix: Revolut has more than 5 million customers in Poland.
Digital wallets and X-Pay in Poland
Apple Pay
Mobile wallet
Apple's wallet, used in Poland for contactless payments in stores and for one-click card payments online and in apps, and listed at checkout by gateways such as Przelewy24.
Google Pay
Mobile wallet
The Android wallet used for tap-to-pay with tokenized Visa and Mastercard cards, and offered at checkout by Polish gateways.
10.8 million cards linked to digital wallets at reporting banks in Q3 2025, Bankier.pl
BLIK contactless
Bank NFC wallet
BLIK's tap-to-pay function inside banking apps on Android, which works at card terminals without a card token; an iPhone version is being piloted.
175.5 million contactless BLIK transactions in H1 2026, BLIK
Revolut
Neobank wallet
The neobank's app and tokenized cards are a common way for Polish users to pay online, in stores and abroad, alongside their main bank.
5 million+ Revolut customers in Poland in September 2025, android.com.pl
Payments in Poland: FAQ
What is the most popular online payment method in Poland?
BLIK. In the Gemius E-commerce in Poland 2025 study, 72% of online shoppers said they pay with BLIK, ahead of fast bank transfers (64%) and cards (43%). BLIK processed 1.4 billion online payments in 2025.
Do people in Poland still pay in cash?
Yes, but less and less. Cash covered 40.2% of in-person payments in the 2023 NBP payment diary, against 81.8% in 2012. Most shops that take cards must also accept cash under the Payment Services Act.
Which BNPL providers are used in Poland?
PayPo and Allegro Pay lead the market, joined by BLIK Pay Later, PayU's deferred payment hub, Klarna and Twisto. PayPo alone handled 22.5 million transactions in 2025. A new consumer credit act transposing the EU CCD2 directive is expected to apply from November 20, 2026.
Can foreign merchants accept BLIK?
Yes. BLIK is available through Polish gateways and international PSPs, and since September 2026 Stripe offers it automatically to Polish shoppers in over 30 countries. Stripe reports a 46% average conversion increase for businesses that add BLIK for customers in Poland.
Accept local payments in Poland with NORBr
Polish merchants accept BLIK, pay-by-link transfers, cards and BNPL through local gateways such as PayU, Przelewy24, Tpay or Autopay. Check BLIK coverage, including BLIK Pay Later and recurring BLIK, the breadth of pay-by-link banks, PLN settlement and BNPL links.
With NORBr, you can connect any acquirer, PSP or local provider that offers BLIK, pay-by-link, contactless cards and local BNPL such as PayPo. 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 Poland
PayU
Payment gateway
Poland's largest online payment gateway by brand recognition, part of Prosus, serving e-commerce merchants from small shops to large marketplaces with local methods and its own installments offer.
Covers: Cards, BLIK, Pay-by-link, PayU Pay Later, Apple Pay, Google Pay
Przelewy24
Payment gateway
Poznań-based gateway owned by Nexi, aggregating pay-by-link transfers from Polish banks along with BLIK and cards for online merchants.
Covers: Cards, BLIK, Pay-by-link, PayPo, Apple Pay, Google Pay
Tpay
Payment gateway
Poznań-based payment institution serving Polish e-commerce merchants, with a strong presence among small and mid-sized shops.
Covers: Cards, BLIK, Pay-by-link, Twisto, PayPo, Apple Pay, Google Pay
Autopay
Payment gateway
Sopot-based payment company, known until 2023 as Blue Media, that provides online payments for merchants and bill payments for utilities and public services.
Covers: Cards, BLIK, Pay-by-link, Apple Pay, Google Pay
