German retail federation rejects the planned card-acceptance duty and demands the right to surcharge

The Handelsverband Deutschland (HDE) came out against the federal finance ministry's plan to oblige shops, restaurants and service businesses to offer at least one digital payment option alongside cash, arguing there is no regulatory need because around 99 percent of retail locations already offer both. Instead of a mandate the HDE wants merchants to be allowed to pass card fees on to customers, and it wants policy to push cheaper digital methods, naming the planned digital euro.

It also warned against any rule that would force retailers to accept practically every widespread card, particularly the international schemes. The hospitality association DEHOGA, whose chief executive Jana Schimke noted that over 90 percent of its businesses already accept cashless payment, separately asked for adequate transition periods for smaller operators and flagged that transaction fees scale with ticket size.

The acceptance mandate has so far been discussed as a consumer-convenience measure; the retail side has now reframed it as a cost question and put surcharging, banned in the EU for regulated consumer cards since 2018, back on the table as its price for compliance. If that demand gains traction it would reopen a settled part of the fee architecture, and the HDE's warning about being forced to take every scheme is a direct argument about blended rates rather than about cash.

Whether the cabinet draft expected this year names which payment methods satisfy the duty, and whether any surcharging carve-out or transition rule for small businesses survives into the text.

• retail-news.de