How to pay for shopping in Germany: cash, cards, and contactless payment

Paying with cash — features and useful tips

Tourists in Germany are advised to have some cash: euro bills and coins

Cash is still very important in Germany, especially in daily life. Even though cashless payments are becoming more popular, many places still accept only cash. This is true for small shops, cafes, bakeries, markets, and private services.

It is especially important to have coins. You may need coins in unexpected places: to pay for parking, buy tickets from machines, or use public toilets, where machines often accept only coins (not bills). In tourist areas, you may see a sign "Nur Münzen" — "coins only".

Remember that in Germany, there are very few exchange offices. So tourists should exchange money at a bank before the trip or bring small euro bills and coins. If you need cash, you can use an ATM (Geldautomat) with your international card. Sometimes you can get change in a kiosk or shop, if the seller has coins, but usually you need to buy something first.

Using cash is especially common in eastern regions of Germany — such as Saxony, Brandenburg, Thuringia, and Saxony-Anhalt. In many restaurants, cafes, ticket offices, and services there, people still prefer cash. The sign "Nur Barzahlung" ("cash only") is seen quite often, so tourists should always have enough bills and coins with them.

Useful tip: Keep some small coins and bills of different values. This will help you pay for parking, tickets, or services where cards are not accepted.

Paying with bank cards

In many shops, supermarkets, and shopping centers in Germany, you can pay with a bank card. But, unlike some other European countries, not all shops accept cards, especially small private businesses. If you do not see card symbols at the checkout for cashless payment, ask the seller if you can pay by card: "Kann ich mit Karte bezahlen?" ("Can I pay by card?").

In Germany, bank cards are accepted for payment in stores

Popular types of cards accepted in German shops

• Visa and Mastercard — accepted in almost all supermarkets and chain stores;
• Maestro (debit card from Mastercard) — often supported;
• V Pay (debit card from Visa) — often supported;
• Girocard — national German debit card from German banks.

Possible problems when paying with cards

Cards issued in European Union countries are usually accepted without problems. Most terminals also support international cards like Visa and Mastercard from outside the EU — for example, from the USA or UK.

However, sometimes a card may not be accepted, especially if it is from a local system or has limits on foreign payments. Sometimes the terminal does not support certain cards, like American Express or cards from some CIS banks.

If your card payment is declined, try to:

• check if your card is activated for international payments;
• enter your PIN manually if contactless payment does not work;
• use another card (for example, Visa instead of Maestro);
• withdraw cash from the nearest ATM (Geldautomat) and pay with cash.

Some terminals in Germany accept only cards with a chip (Chipkarte) and do not support old magnetic stripe cards. So before your trip, make sure your card has a chip and contactless function.

Useful tip: If you use a foreign card, choose to pay in euros, not in your home currency. This will help you avoid a bad exchange rate (this is called Dynamic Currency Conversion).

Contactless payment and mobile payments

In recent years, contactless payment and mobile payment services have become very popular in Germany. In big cities and modern chain stores, you can often pay just by tapping your card or phone on the terminal.

Contactless payment (Kontaktloses Bezahlen) works with almost all modern bank cards with the Wi-Fi symbol, as well as smartphones and smartwatches with payment apps:

• Apple Pay, Google Pay — supported by most German banks and terminals;
• PayPal — becoming more popular for both online and offline payments where this is available;
• Girocard kontaktlos — national German contactless debit card.

Contactless payment is especially convenient for small purchases — usually up to 50 euros, you do not need to enter a PIN code. In supermarkets, cafes, pharmacies, and chain stores this is already standard practice.

In some places, especially in small towns or with private sellers, contactless payments are not available yet. If the terminal does not accept phone or card payment, you will need to use cash.

PayPal is also worth mentioning — this service is now used in Germany not only for online payments but also for shopping in some offline places. More shops and cafes now allow you to pay via the PayPal app by scanning a QR code or confirming the payment on your phone.

Tip for tourists: Before your trip, add your bank card to Apple Pay or Google Pay and make sure your bank allows international payments. This will make paying easier and help you avoid carrying too much cash.

Paying with a foreign card

If you are a tourist coming to Germany with a bank card from outside the eurozone (for example, a dollar or pound card), you can use it to pay in shops, hotels, and restaurants. All payments are made in euros, which is the only official currency of Germany.

If you pay with a card that is not in euros, the amount will be automatically converted into your card’s currency (for example, US dollars or British pounds). Conversion is done at the rate of your payment system — Visa or Mastercard. Usually the official rate of these systems is used plus a small fee from your bank.

In some shops and hotels, the terminal may offer you a choice of which currency to pay in — euros or your own currency. This is called Dynamic Currency Conversion (dynamic currency conversion). It may look convenient at first, but most of the time this option is worse for the customer.

If you choose to pay in your own currency (for example, dollars), the shop or its payment operator sets the exchange rate, which is often worse than your bank’s rate. So for tourists it is better to always choose to pay in euros. This way your bank will use the official rate of Visa or Mastercard without hidden extra charges.

You should also remember that some banks block international transactions by default. Before your trip, activate international payments and tell your bank about your trip — this can help avoid problems when paying in Germany.

Currency of payment

The only official currency in Germany is the euro (EUR, €). All payments — in shops, cafes, hotels or service centers — are made only in euros. Payment in other currencies like US dollars, British pounds or Swiss francs is not accepted.

If a tourist has a card, account or cash in another currency, the purchase will still be paid in euros. If you pay by card, currency conversion happens automatically at your bank’s or payment system’s rate. Cash in foreign currency can only be exchanged at banks or special offices in big cities and airports.

You can read more about the currency used in Germany, its symbol, bills and coins in the article What currency is used in Germany: symbols, bills and coins.

Conclusion

To sum up: in Germany both cash and bank cards are still used a lot. In big shops and chain supermarkets cashless payment is common, but in small cafes, kiosks and markets people still prefer cash. Tourists should always have some coins and small bills with them, especially for parking and vending machines.

Most terminals in Germany support contactless payment via Apple Pay, Google Pay and modern bank cards. They also accept international Visa and Mastercard cards. But remember that all payments are made only in euros (EUR). If your card is in another currency, the amount is automatically converted at your bank’s rate. It is better to choose payment in euros.

So Germany combines tradition and modern technology: people still trust cash here, but digital payment methods are also growing fast. If you follow these simple tips, you will be able to pay easily and comfortably anywhere as a tourist.

Paying for shopping in German stores: cash, cards, and contactless payment