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Girocard boom: contactless payments reach new highs!
Pasewalk is a place for cashless payments, where the Girocard 2025 is breaking records. Learn more about trends and statistics.
Girocard boom: contactless payments reach new highs!
There is a clear trend emerging in Germany: cashless payments are becoming more and more important. According to the SVZ, Germans used the Girocard for an incredible 4.04 billion payment transactions in the first half of 2025 - an increase of 5.3% compared to the previous year. This payment method remains the most popular in the country and it is expected that the number of transactions this year could even surpass the record 7.9 billion set in 2024.
What is behind this boom? Cashless payments are increasingly being made, especially for small amounts. The average amount for payments with the Girocard fell below the 40 euro mark for the first time in 2024, and in the first half of 2025 it was only 37.28 euros. This suggests that consumers value the convenience of contactless payments more than ever.
The trend towards contactless payment
Almost 90% of payments with the Girocard are now contactless. A look at the numbers shows that the share of contactless transactions rose to 87.5% in the first half of 2025, an increase of around two percentage points compared to the previous year. This development was strongly stimulated by the corona pandemic, which increased the need for fast and hygienic payment methods. Retailers are responding to this demand: There are now almost 1.26 million payment terminals in Germany that support contactless payments.
But not only Girocards are in play. The use of credit cards with NFC chips and mobile payments via smartphones or smartwatches via services such as Apple Pay and Google Pay is also on the rise. For small amounts, you often don't even need to enter your PIN, which makes paying even more straightforward.
The payment behavior of Germans
As the Bundesbank found in a recent study, people in Germany still rely heavily on cash - around half of everyday transactions are carried out with it. Nevertheless, the use of non-cash payment methods has increased: the share has risen to 49%, an increase of seven percentage points compared to the previous study from 2021. Mobile payment methods in particular are enjoying growing popularity, and their use has tripled since 2021.
Additionally, the data shows that 81% of respondents believe that in-store cashless payments would be possible for most transactions. However, 15% of citizens find access to cash difficult. This applies to both urban and rural areas. However, the convenience and speed of non-cash payment methods seem to be increasingly convincing consumers.
Overall, the development towards cashless payments is an exciting matter. The trend shows that digitalization and the desire for practicality in payment transactions are becoming increasingly important and that the Girocard plays a crucial role in this. The dpa-AFX emphasizes that these developments will not only change the way we pay, but will also entail fundamental changes in the financial landscape.