Cash remains the most widely used means of payment in Germany and fulfils important societal functions, including ensuring all segments of the population can participate in the economy. It also offers resilience to crises, according to an article in the latest issue of the Monthly Report. In this article, Bundesbank experts examine what cash acceptance is like in Germany and what challenges are involved.

Cash is accepted almost everywhere

As part of the study, around 2,060 test purchases were made in the retail sector, food and beverage service activities and at service providers during summer 2025. In addition, smaller samples were analysed for public transport and public authorities. The results show that 99.4 % of the sales outlets visited accept cash. In 98.7 % of cases, cash payments were possible first time around. In a mere 0.7 % of cases, cash payments were only possible upon request or at another checkout. For public transport, it was possible to purchase tickets with cash in all test situations. 

However, in the case of public authorities, it appears that cash payments are not always possible, the authors of the study explain. In 8 out of 30 cases, it was not possible to pay for public services, such as issuing an identity card or registering a motor vehicle, using cash.

Overall, the results indicate that the acceptance of cash in Germany is currently guaranteed, the experts write. According to the article, this applies regardless of the size of the enterprise or sector.

Challenges and future developments

In future, one thing that could pose a challenge is the increasing prevalence of self-service checkouts. Given that the number of self-service checkouts is expected to rise sharply, especially in supermarkets, drugstores and DIY stores, this could worsen the acceptance of cash in these sectors, the report states. In particular, a gradual replacement of staffed cash checkouts with self-service checkouts without a cash payment option could lead to cash payments becoming significantly more time-consuming than cashless payments. Only a few checkouts would then be available for this purpose.

The future of cash

The Bundesbank, together with politicians, retailers and other stakeholders, is committed to ensuring that cash remains available and accepted as a means of payment in future. To this end, the European Commission has presented a proposal for a regulation aimed at strengthening the role of euro cash as legal tender. The Bundesbank supports these efforts and is investing in a future-proof branch network to ensure the supply of cash in Germany.