Overview
- Euro Kartensysteme reports about 8.3 billion girocard payments in 2025, up 4.8% from 2024, with roughly €308 billion in turnover rising only 0.4%.
- Contactless usage hit a new high in December at 88.5% of transactions, supported by about 1.344 million active terminals across retail, gastronomy and services.
- The average ticket fell to €37.25 as acceptance expanded to bakeries, kiosks and vending, reflecting broader use for small purchases and contributing to softer revenue growth.
- Security data show more than half of losses occur when criminals get both card and PIN, and over 92% of fraud involves stolen physical or copied digital cards, while ATM skimming has largely disappeared.
- Fourteen consumer and social groups are urging a law to safeguard cash acceptance and free local access, as Hamburg and the Federal Employment Agency prepare payment cards for a small group of Bürgergeld recipients without bank accounts.