PayLens /News
Other
Apple Pay enabled for the digital girocard, starting with Commerzbank
What happened
On 22 November 2024 Commerzbank became one of the first banks to enable Apple Pay with the girocard, letting customers pay at around 1.2 million German acceptance points that take girocard, including pharmacies, taxis and smaller retailers. EURO Kartensysteme framed it as strengthening girocard's position as Germany's most-used payment method. Within two months roughly 250,000 Commerzbank customers had set up Apple Pay with their girocard.
Why it matters
girocard had been largely absent from mobile wallets, ceding mobile/online debit to Visa and Mastercard; Apple Pay support (alongside Google Pay and the digital girocard) is central to keeping the domestic scheme relevant as payments shift to phones.
What to watch
Rollout across Sparkassen, Volksbanken and other issuers, girocard's share of mobile NFC payments, and progress on girocard e-commerce and co-badge strategy.
Sources
Related news
- 16 Sep 2026Germany's retail association rejects the planned card-acceptance duty and makes surcharging its price for accepting one
- 11 Sep 2026German finance ministry sets out plans to force shops, restaurants and services to accept a digital payment method from 2027
- 3 Sep 2026DSGV study: 89% of German restaurants that list a payment method accept cards, 8% remain cash-only
PayLens Radar
The newsletter on European payments: the week in five minutes. The developments that matter, curated and sourced, every Tuesday in your inbox. Free, no account needed.
Next issue in