Germany plans to make digital payments mandatory from 2027

The German Ministry of Finance is working on a project that will introduce significant changes in the way we pay for goods and services. According to the latest assumptions, from 2027, shops, restaurants and service companies will be obliged to enable customers to pay not only in cash, but also in at least one digital payment method. The dpa news agency reported the ministry's plans.

The aim of the project is to provide consumers with choice and to adapt the market to dynamic changes in payment preferences. “We want enterprises to offer a digital form of payment wherever goods and services are paid for on-site,” we read in the draft bill.

Selection of the payment method by the entrepreneur

According to the ministry's proposal, the entrepreneur will decide which form of digital payment he will implement at his point. However, the condition will be that it is a method commonly used in Europe. The new regulations do not mean giving up cash - shops and restaurants will still be obliged to accept it.

The planned changes will not apply to non-commercial organizations, such as amateur sports clubs or charitable associations. Thanks to this, cash payments will remain the basic form of settlement in the social sector.

Cash or card? The changing habits of Germans

Currently, German shops and restaurants are not obliged to accept cashless payments. In practice, it is smaller shops, night shops (Spaeti) and some restaurants that most often do not accept payment cards or only allow card payments for a certain amount.

Meanwhile, according to data from the German Federal Bank, in 2025 Germans paid more often digitally than in cash - as many as 55 percent of retail transactions took place without the use of banknotes and coins. However, cash payments still remain popular among older people, those with health limitations, lower incomes and weaker digital skills.

A blow to the gray zone and money laundering

The Ministry of Finance emphasizes that the popularization of digital payments is not only convenient for consumers, but also an effective way to fight financial crimes. “Digital payments help fight tax evasion, money laundering and other financial crimes,” argue the authors of the project.