It appears extremely important for the success of an e-commerce platform to accept forms of alternative payments, to keep up with digital transformation and customer requirements and increase conversions.

Some customers may not feel at ease using a credit or debit card to make online and in-store payments, and some others prefer using local payment methods or don’t use cards at all.

What is the current state of the market around Europe? And what are the most popular payment methods?

France

The national Carte Bleue is the most used card in France.  Among other popular options there are American Express, Visa, PayPal, Paylib, Lydia, Amazon Pay.

The Netherlands

Most Dutch consumers prefer iDeal, a local online payment method that enables consumers to pay online through their own bank. Digital wallets and cards take second place, with Mastercard, Visa, and PayPal as favourites.

Spain

Debit and credit cards are the most used payment methods in Spain, followed by digital wallets. Cards’ popularity is expected to decrease by 2023, with digital wallets and bank transfers starting to take over. Among notable digital wallets are PayPal and Apple Pay, as well as local options BBVA Wallet and CaixaBank Wallet.

Italy

Credit/debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, local CartaSi) and digital wallets (PayPal) share the top of the rating in Italy. Cash delivery is also pretty common as payment method. Bank transfers are forecasted to become more common for online shopping by 2024.

Germany

In Germany, companies that sell online mainly make usage of open invoices, which popularity is expected to increase to 35% by 2023. Other common online payment methods are: Visa, Mastercard, cash in advance, digital wallets, Giropay, SEPA Direct Debit, Apple Pay, Sofort, Klarna, PayPal.

Romania

Due to the pandemic, the number of Romanian consumers paying cash decreased from 45% to 21%, and the popularity of contactless cards reached 59%. Top 3 payment methods in Romania are: prepaid cards (with a market share of 70% in 2021), mobile payments, cash-on-delivery.

Poland

Most used payment methods in Poland are direct bank transfers via Przelewy24, BLIK, and PayU. Debit and cards (Mastercard, Visa) are less common but still used, as well as digital wallets like Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, and the local YetiPay.

Sweden

Sweden is more and more becoming a cashless society. Most used payment method is Klarna BNPL (Buy-Now-Pay-Later), followed by invoices and cards (Visa, Mastercard, Eurocard).

Finland

Top 3 payment methods in Finland are bank transfers, digital wallets, and credit cards. As for digital payment solution providers, the main are Trustly, Klarna, Zimpler, and MobilePay.

In Europe, the Payment Services Directive Two (PSD2) implementation contributed to the spread of electronic contactless payments, mobile payments, and digital wallets, allowing for quicker, more user-friendly, convenient and safe banking services for customers. By simplifying electronic transactions, the European PSD2 regulation is expected to boost the creation of more third-party payment services too.