Overview
- Retailers report strong uptake of digital payments, with Rewe saying more than half of customers now pay digitally and some self-checkout lanes at Lidl accepting cards only, while Kaufland still offers cash at most self-service stations.
- Cash remains broadly usable in practice, as a Bundesbank-cited figure indicates about 99.4% of points of sale still accept banknotes and coins.
- The retail lobby HDE argues a legal mandate to accept cards would add confusion rather than help consumers, noting merchants already support multiple options and choose specific methods based on local needs.
- Merchants describe concrete cost pressures from card payments—roughly 1% of monthly turnover or about €2,000 per year for some small shops—balanced against time savings from less cash handling and concerns over privacy with certain platforms.
- Analysis highlights resilience and inclusion risks in going cashless, citing civil protection advice to keep emergency cash, warnings for vulnerable groups, local pro-cash campaigns such as “Weilheim zahlt bar,” and unresolved questions over enforcing any cash-acceptance duty under digital euro proposals when private AGB can exclude cash.