European comparison shows:

Austrians and Germans are the biggest fans of cash

(Bild: vegefox.com - stock.adobe.com)

According to a survey, Austrians and Germans are quite alone in their great love of cash: 73% of Austrians and 69% of Germans stated in the online survey that they use cash particularly frequently. In all other seven European countries surveyed, contactless payment by card is the favorite. 

On average, more than a third (38%) of those surveyed believe it is more likely than not that cash will be abandoned in the next ten years. In Austria, however, only 19 percent of the 1025 respondents surveyed on behalf of the consulting firm BearingPoint can imagine doing without cash by then. In Germany, the figure is 33% of those surveyed in 2019.

For 69% of Austrians, it is hard to imagine giving up cash in the next ten years.(Bild: BearingPoint GmbH)

Trend towards digital payment methods
In all nine countries in which data was collected by surveying a total of 10,222 adults, the survey participants can imagine using digital payment methods more intensively in the next two years. The frontrunner here is Ireland, where 40 percent of respondents can imagine a greater use of card payments and 39 percent a greater use of mobile payments via smartphone or smartwatch.

Contactless card payments dominate in Nordic countries
According to the respondents in the respective countries, contactless payments are used particularly frequently in Finland (89%), Denmark (76%) and Sweden (75%), where they are also far ahead of other payment methods.

Accordingly, people in these Nordic countries use bills and coins less frequently: in Finland, 46% of respondents said that they use cash particularly often, in Denmark the figure is 35% and in Sweden 28%. When answering the question, the survey participants could name up to five payment methods.