Payment methods in Germany

Europe

20methods

45banks

Germany is Europe's second largest e-commerce market. It is worth a massive US$145 billion a year - and that will rise to US$197 billion by 2027.

Market takeaways

Germany is Europe's second largest e-commerce market. It is worth a massive US$145 billion a year - and that will rise to US$197 billion by 2027.
The average German consumer spends US$1,806 online every year. By 2027, that will rise to US$2,442.
Germany is a fragmented country when it comes to payment methods, some of the most popular being Girocard, PayPal, and Sepa Direct Debit.
In the last three years, the percentage of online shoppers who bought things from merchants outside of Germany rose from 37% to 43%.
Germans make 42% of all their online purchases using mobile devices. To ensure the best possible conversion rate, your payment options must be optimized for mobile.

Population

83.6M

Online population

80.3M

B2C e-commerce

$134B

Banked population

99.9%

Credit card population

56%

E-commerce of total retail

16%

Payment method breakdown

Card17%
Cash4%
Bank Transfer30%
E-Wallet33%
Other16%

Card scheme breakdown

Visa15%
Mastercard12%
American Express2%
Local Schemes (Girocard)72%
Other0%

Cross-border e-commerce

Cross-border shoppers

43%

Share of e-commerce

20%

Cross-border value (est.)

$26.8B

Featured payment methods in Germany

Popular options based on coverage and prominence in this market.

Paysafecard

Paysafecard is a prepaid voucher payment method allowing consumers to pay online without a bank account or card. Vouchers are purchased at retail points of sale and redeemed with a 16-digit PIN at checkout. Switzerland is a supported Paysafecard consumer country and usage is concentrated in gaming, digital goods, and entertainment sectors.

Skrill

Skrill is a global digital wallet widely used for online payments, money transfers, iGaming and forex, accepted at e-commerce checkouts in 100+ countries. Operator: Paysafe Limited. Est. users: tens of millions of accounts (2024).

FLOA Pay

French BNP Paribas-owned buy-now-pay-later service offering instalment and deferred payments across Europe. Operator: FLOA SA (BNP Paribas). Est. users: 4M+ customers (2024).

PayPal Pay Later

PayPal Pay Later (including PayPal Credit) is PayPal buy-now-pay-later, letting shoppers split into installments or defer payment at checkout wherever PayPal is accepted. Operator: PayPal. Est. users: tens of millions (2024).

Maestro

Maestro is Mastercard's international debit scheme; new issuance ended July 2023 and remaining cards are being replaced by Debit Mastercard, with only limited e-commerce support. Operator: Mastercard. Est. users: historically hundreds of millions (cards expire by 2027).

Neteller

Neteller is a global digital wallet for online payments and money transfers, popular in iGaming and forex, run alongside Skrill. Operator: Paysafe Limited. Est. users: millions of accounts (2024).

All payment methods in Germany

Discover 20 payment methods from around the world

Showing 20 of 20 payment methods

Featured banks in Germany

Major institutions operating in this market.

HSBC Holdings

London, United Kingdom

HSBC is one of the world's largest banks by assets, headquartered in London with a dominant presence in Asia. It offers retail, commercial, and investment banking in over 60 countries.

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC)

Beijing, China

ICBC is the world's largest bank by total assets and the largest of China's 'Big Four' state-owned banks. It offers retail, corporate, and investment banking globally.

JPMorgan Chase

New York, United States

JPMorgan Chase is the largest US bank and one of the world's largest financial institutions, offering consumer banking, investment banking, commercial banking, and asset management globally.

UBS Group

Zurich, Switzerland

UBS Group is Switzerland's largest bank and one of the world's premier wealth managers. Following its acquisition of Credit Suisse in 2023, UBS now manages over $5 trillion in invested assets globally.

MUFG (Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group)

Tokyo, Japan

MUFG is Japan's largest bank and one of the world's largest financial groups, offering retail, corporate, investment, and trust banking globally.

Bank of China (BOC)

Beijing, China

Bank of China is China's most internationally active bank, specialising in foreign exchange and cross-border trade finance. It is one of the Big Four state-owned banks.