How people pay in Romania in 2026
Romania is a market of two speeds. In stores, cards are now the norm: 28.63 million cards were active at the end of 2025, up 10% in six months, according to National Bank of Romania (BNR) data, and the number of POS terminals reached 729,408. Online, many shoppers still prefer to pay the courier. Cash on delivery, or ramburs, covers 60 to 65% of e-commerce orders according to the Romanian Online Retailers Association (ARMO), quoted by The Paypers. Since July 2024, Law 406/2023 requires every online merchant to offer at least one electronic payment option.
The account-to-account side is moving fast. TRANSFOND, the national clearing house, processed 215.6 million instant payments in 2025, and its RoPay scheme brings instant mobile payments to merchants through QR codes and deep links. Installments are a national habit, from bank cards such as Star BT to BNPL from TBI Bank. Revolut is a heavyweight too, with more than 5 million retail customers in Romania in 2026. E-commerce passed 8 billion euros in 2025, about 3.5% of GDP.
- 28.63 million active payment cards at the end of 2025 (BNR via Economedia)
- 215.6 million instant payments in lei in 2025 (TRANSFOND)
- 60-65% of e-commerce orders paid cash on delivery (ARMO via The Paypers)
- 5 million+ Revolut retail customers in Romania in 2026 (Economica.net)
Payment by card in Romania
Romania has no domestic card scheme, so cards run on Visa and Mastercard. BNR data reported by Economedia show 28.63 million active cards at the end of December 2025, of which 24.68 million had a cash withdrawal function. Acceptance grew just as fast: the country counted 729,408 POS terminals and 11,136 ATMs. Banca Transilvania alone reports 8.5 million cards, 150,000 physical POS terminals and about 90,000 SoftPOS installations in its ecosystem.
Online, card payments go through local gateways that also store cards for repeat buyers. On Black Friday 2025, more than 64% of PayU payments were made with saved cards, and NETOPIA Payments saw online card transactions rise 14% year on year. A Romanian twist is the installment card: many credit cards split purchases into interest-free installments at partner merchants. Card fees follow the EU interchange fee caps, and understanding how card networks work helps acquirers and PSPs keep approval rates high.
Card schemes in Romania
Visa
International scheme
One of the two card brands issued by Romanian banks, used for debit, credit and installment cards in stores and online.
Mastercard
International scheme
The other main card brand in Romania, issued by major banks and neobanks and accepted at every POS terminal and online gateway.
Contactless debit cards
Debit card
Debit cards are the most common payment card in Romania and are used mostly by tapping at the terminal, either with the plastic or a phone.
28.63 million active payment cards at the end of 2025, BNR via Economedia
Installment credit cards
Installment card
Bank credit cards that split purchases into interest-free installments at partner merchants, accepted online through gateways such as NETOPIA Payments.
Click to Pay
Card checkout
The schemes' card checkout standard, offered by Romanian gateways such as NETOPIA Payments and PayU so shoppers can pay with stored cards without typing card details.
Payment by cash in Romania
Cash is still deeply rooted in Romania. The value of cash outside the banking system rose 9.5% in 2025 to 143.9 billion lei, according to the BNR, with 105 banknotes per inhabitant. A survey by IRES for the Romanian Banking Association, quoted by The Paypers, put adult financial inclusion at 71%, so a large part of the population still pays mostly in cash.
Online, cash takes the form of cash on delivery. Ramburs covers about 60 to 65% of e-commerce orders, and PayU notes that these orders have an 11% return rate, against 4 to 5% for prepaid ones. Law 406/2023 now obliges online merchants to offer at least one electronic payment method next to it. Self-service payment stations complete the picture: the SelfPay network, known as ZebraPay until its 2018 rebrand, processed almost 49 million transactions worth 7.94 billion lei in 2025 for bills, top-ups and other services. Our article on the transition from cash to digital payments shows how other markets made the switch.
Cash payment methods in Romania
Cash
Banknotes and coins
Leu banknotes and coins remain widely used for everyday purchases, especially in rural areas and among older consumers.
143.9 billion lei in cash outside the banking system at the end of 2025, BNR via Agerpres
Cash on delivery (ramburs)
Cash on delivery
Paying the courier or at a parcel locker on delivery is still the default for many Romanian online shoppers, and couriers remit the collected cash to merchants.
60-65% of e-commerce orders paid cash on delivery, ARMO estimate, The Paypers
SelfPay
Self-service payment station
Romania's largest network of self-service payment kiosks, renamed from ZebraPay, used to pay utility bills, phone top-ups, loans and other services in cash or by card.
49 million transactions worth 7.94 billion lei in 2025 across almost 13,000 stations, company data via Ziarul Financiar
Payment by bank transfer in Romania
Romania's interbank payments run on SENT, the clearing house operated by TRANSFOND, which is owned by the BNR and 16 commercial banks. Instant payments in lei have taken over: TRANSFOND processed 215.6 million instant payments worth 306.3 billion lei in 2025, up from 138.6 million in 2024, against 148 million traditional transfers. Twenty banks offered instant payments at the end of 2025, including Revolut.
RoPay is the national instant mobile payment scheme built on top of these rails. Launched in late 2024, it lets users pay by QR code, deep link, NFC or phone number from their banking app. At the end of 2025 it had 10 participating banks and 8.3 million phone aliases. Merchant payments are now live: BRD launched RoPay for e-commerce with EuPlătesc, and CEC Bank added in-store and online merchant payments in March 2026. Our guide to account-to-account payments explains why these rails matter.
Bank transfer methods in Romania
RoPay
Instant mobile payment
National account-to-account scheme run by TRANSFOND and the Romanian Banking Association, used for person-to-person transfers and, since 2025-2026, for in-store and online merchant payments by QR code or deep link.
8.3 million phone aliases registered in RoPay at the end of 2025, TRANSFOND
Instant payments (SENT)
Instant payment
TRANSFOND's interbank instant transfer service in lei, settling payments in seconds around the clock across 20 banks.
215.6 million instant payments in 2025, TRANSFOND
Bank transfer
Credit transfer
Classic bank transfers in lei, still used for invoices, B2B payments and larger purchases, cleared through SENT.
148 million traditional lei transfers in 2025, TRANSFOND
Pay by bank (open banking)
Pay by bank
Payment initiation from the shopper's bank account at checkout, listed as instant transfer by PayU Romania next to RoPay.
Payment by installment and BNPL in Romania
Paying in installments is a long-standing habit in Romania, and banks lead it. Banca Transilvania's Star BT program counts 800,000 cards and 50,000 partner merchants in 2026, with up to 18 interest-free installments. Online, installments made up about 35% of PayU volume on Black Friday 2025, with an average installment transaction of 945 lei.
Non-bank buy now, pay later is growing next to bank cards. TBI Bank financed purchases for more than 300,000 clients in 2024, up 72%, through more than 15,000 partner merchants, and was acquired by Advent International in February 2026. Mokka works with fashion and home retailers, and Klarna launched Pay in 3 in Romania in 2023. Gateways such as PayU, NETOPIA Payments and EuPlătesc bundle installment cards and BNPL so merchants can add them without separate contracts. The EU rules on consumer credit (CCD2) will tighten conditions for BNPL from late 2026.
Installment and BNPL providers in Romania
Star BT
Installment card
Banca Transilvania's shopping card program offering up to 18 interest-free installments at partner merchants, in stores, online and in the BT Pay app.
800,000 Star cards and 50,000 partner merchants in 2026, Revista Biz
TBI Bank
BNPL
Challenger bank offering Slice, four interest-free installments up to 2,000 lei, and fixed installments up to 60 months, available through PayU and other gateways.
300,000+ clients financed through partner merchants in 2024, Revista Biz
Mokka
BNPL
One of the first BNPL providers in Romania, used by retailers such as Reserved, Sinsay and Romstal, with checkout confirmed by SMS code.
Klarna
BNPL
The Swedish provider launched in Romania in June 2023 with Pay in 3 and its shopping app, mainly through international fashion brands.
Payment by digital wallet and X-Pay in Romania
Phones are a common way to pay in Romanian stores and online. Apple Pay and Google Pay accounted for 10% of online transactions in 2024 at PayU, according to The Paypers, and local gateways such as EuPlătesc offer them at checkout. These X-Pay wallets carry tokenized Visa and Mastercard cards.
Banks and neobanks compete hard for the wallet. Banca Transilvania's BT Pay app works as a wallet in stores and as a checkout button, with Pay with BT Pay available on about 35,000 sites and apps. Revolut is a giant in Romania: its users made more than 56 million card payments per month over the last 12 months, 77% of them at local merchants, and Revolut Pay has over 150,000 active users in the country.
Digital wallets and X-Pay in Romania
Apple Pay
Mobile wallet
Apple's wallet, used for contactless payments in stores and one-click payments online, offered by Romanian gateways such as EuPlătesc and PayU.
10% share of Apple Pay and Google Pay in online transactions at PayU in 2024, The Paypers
Google Pay
Mobile wallet
The Android wallet used for tap-to-pay with tokenized Romanian bank cards and as a checkout option at local gateways.
BT Pay
Bank wallet
Banca Transilvania's mobile banking and wallet app, used to pay in stores, manage Star installments and pay online with the Pay with BT Pay button.
35,000 sites and apps offering Pay with BT Pay in 2026, Revista Biz
Revolut
Neobank wallet
The neobank's app, tokenized cards and Revolut Pay checkout are used daily by millions of Romanians, many of whom now use it as their main account.
5 million+ retail customers in Romania in September 2026, Economica.net
Payments in Romania: FAQ
What is the most popular online payment method in Romania?
Cash on delivery still leads by number of orders, with 60 to 65% of e-commerce orders according to ARMO. Cards dominate prepaid orders, often stored for one-click payment: on Black Friday 2025, more than 64% of PayU payments used saved cards.
What is RoPay?
RoPay is Romania's national instant mobile payment scheme, run by TRANSFOND and the Romanian Banking Association. Users pay from their banking app by QR code, deep link or phone number, and merchants receive funds in seconds. It had 10 participating banks and 8.3 million phone aliases at the end of 2025.
Are installments important in Romania?
Yes. Bank installment cards such as Star BT, with 800,000 cards and 50,000 partner merchants, are mainstream, and installments made up about 35% of PayU's Black Friday 2025 volume. BNPL providers such as TBI Bank, Mokka and Klarna add to the offer.
How big is Revolut in Romania?
Very big. Revolut has more than 5 million retail customers in Romania and its users make over 56 million card payments a month. It is also a direct participant in Romanian instant payments.
Accept local payments in Romania with NORBr
Romanian online merchants mostly use BNR-licensed gateways such as NETOPIA Payments, EuPlătesc, PayU and Plati.Online, while Banca Transilvania leads a concentrated acquiring market. Check installment card support, a live RoPay integration, settlement in lei and cash-on-delivery tools.
With NORBr, you can connect any acquirer, PSP or local provider that offers cards, cash on delivery, RoPay instant payments and wallets such as BT Pay. 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 Romania
NETOPIA Payments
Payment gateway
Romanian online payment processor founded in the early 2000s, licensed as a payment institution by the BNR in July 2026, serving small and large merchants with cards, meal vouchers and installments.
25,000+ partner merchants in 2026, company figure, Ziarul Financiar
Covers: Cards, Installment cards, Meal and gift cards, Click to Pay, mobilPay Wallet
EuPlătesc
Payment gateway
BNR-licensed payment institution that processed the first RoPay e-commerce payments with BRD and in 2026 connected directly to the RoPay infrastructure of TRANSFOND, with a PayFac model planned.
Covers: Cards, Installment cards, RoPay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, TBI Bank BNPL
PayU Romania
Aggregator
One of the largest online payment providers in Romania, offering a full local menu from installment cards to RoPay and open banking to e-commerce merchants.
1.31 million transactions worth about 720 million lei on Black Friday 2025, Capital
Covers: Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Click to Pay, BT Pay, Installment cards, TBI Bank BNPL, RoPay, Pay by bank
Banca Transilvania
Acquirer
Romania's largest bank and a leading card acquirer, providing POS, SoftPOS and e-commerce terminals and the Star BT installment program.
150,000 physical POS terminals and 9,000 e-commerce terminals in 2026, Revista Biz
Covers: Cards, Star BT installments, BT Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay
Plati.Online
Payment gateway
Romanian online payment platform run by C Solution SRL since 2002, which received a payment institution license from the BNR in January 2026 covering acquiring, with plugins for GoMag, MerchantPro, WooCommerce, Magento, OpenCart and PrestaShop.
Covers: Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay
