Cash remains the most popular and widely accepted payment method in the eurozone, even recording a slight recovery after the decline seen during and immediately after the pandemic. That is the central finding of the European Central Bank’s (ECB) latest survey on cash usage among businesses, with results published on Thursday.
Near-universal acceptance of cash
According to the 2026 survey findings, 92% of businesses with physical points of sale – in retail, food service, hotels and entertainment – say they accept cash. This is up from 90% in 2024, confirming the enduring role of physical money in everyday European commerce.
Other payment methods
The picture for other payment methods is as follows:
- Cards: Acceptance remained essentially stable at 88% between 2024 and 2026.
- Mobile payments: These saw a dramatic increase, with the share of businesses accepting them almost doubling to 68% in 2026, from 36% in 2024.
Push towards digital – but cash keeps advantages
Despite cash’s dominance, 25% of businesses in the eurozone report having taken active steps to promote digital payments. These include investing in cashless payment terminals, reducing the number of cash-handling tills, while 13% of businesses have already introduced self-checkout terminals.
When it comes to choosing payment methods, businesses cite consumer preferences, security and ease of management as key criteria. Yet compared with digital methods, cash still retains unique advantages in merchants’ eyes, chiefly privacy protection and high reliability, as it does not depend on technical failures or network connectivity.
Survey scope
The ECB survey was carried out between February and April 2026, covering a sample of 8,205 businesses across all 21 eurozone member countries.
(Source: InBusinessNews)
