Card, cash, or contactless? Payment trends at the checkout

Customers expect payments to be quick and easy. Check out the latest news and choose from the various payment options.

What does ‘paying by card’ mean these days?

Paying by card has long since ceased to mean simply paying with a debit card. You can also make contactless payments using a smartphone or smartwatch. Contactless payments work via NFC (Near Field Communication), which allows devices to exchange data securely over short distances.

A payment method is the way in which your customer pays, for example by debit card, cash, or a QR code. The payment instrument is what the customer uses to pay, such as a debit card, smartphone, or smartwatch.

A customer can insert a debit card into the payment terminal and enter their PIN. With contactless payments, the customer simply holds their debit card, smartphone, or smartwatch briefly against the payment terminal. It makes no difference to the payment terminal which payment instrument the customer uses.

Contactless payments are increasing

You can make contactless payments at virtually all payment terminals in Europe. Increasingly, you will also see payment terminals that only accept contactless payments. Often, this involves a smartphone with a special app that acts as a payment terminal. This is known as a softPOS solution.

Do you work on location, for example as a market trader, a handyman, or a self-employed professional? Or do you handle few transactions? In that case, using a smartphone as a payment terminal can be a practical solution. To do this, you sign a contract with a payment service provider who processes the payments.

In the Netherlands, contactless payments are now the norm. By 2025, around 95% of all electronic payments at the till were contactless. Almost half of these were made using a smartphone or smartwatch.

Paying with a smartphone or smartwatch

Contactless payments can be made using a debit card, but also with a smartphone or smartwatch fitted with an NFC chip. Apps such as Apple Pay and Google Pay allow a device to function as a digital debit card. Some banks and other payment service providers also offer their own payment apps.

For you as a business owner, little changes. If you accept contactless payments via a debit card, customers can usually also pay using their smartphone or smartwatch.

Paying online with Apple Pay or Google Pay works differently. These are not contactless payments via NFC, but remote card payments. In this case, the customer does not connect to a payment terminal.

From iDEAL to Wero

Online payments are set to change in the coming years. iDEAL is being integrated into Wero. Wero is a European payment service that will replace iDEAL for online payments in the coming years. Until then, the name iDEAL|Wero will be used.

For standard online payments, little will change for consumers. Wero will, however, offer new features in the future, such as recurring payments for subscriptions and other payment functions.

For the time being, Wero will not replace contactless payments at shop checkouts. Contactless payments using a debit card, smartphone, or smartwatch will remain the standard in the coming years. In the long term, Wero also aims to enable contactless payments in physical shops via smartphone or smartwatch. This will create an extra payment option alongside existing card payments.

What does Wero mean for online businesses?

For consumers, little will change with the switch from iDEAL to Wero. For online businesses, however, there will be new opportunities and responsibilities will arise.

According to the current planning, Wero will include purchase protection from 2028. Customers will then be able to dispute a payment via their bank in certain situations. For example, if a product has not been delivered or is significantly different from the product ordered. Online businesses must take chargebacks into account and have a procedure in place for payment disputes. This is similar to the way chargebacks already occur with online card payments.

QR codes and other new payment options

Alongside debit card payments, new ways for customers to pay are emerging. For example, via QR codes or retail apps. 

Paying via a retail app

Some shops use their own app. Customers can, for example, scan their own groceries, pay using a payment card or iDEAL|Wero, and then leave the shop without going through a standard checkout.

The app can also communicate with anti-theft gates. Once all purchases have been paid for, the customer can leave the shop without setting off the alarm.

Taking it a step further is recognition via mobile phone. This technology is currently being tested. The customer registers once and is recognised as soon as they enter the shop. Cameras record what is placed in the shopping basket. The customer does not need to go to the till or payment terminal. The amount is automatically debited from their bank account.

Paying with a QR code

QR payments are also becoming more common. For example, in a restaurant where customers place their order and pay immediately via a QR code on the table. The payment is then processed via, for example, iDEAL|Wero, an online card payment, or another mobile payment solution.

Another option is a QR code for a payment request. The customer scans the code with their smartphone and pays via the payment page of a payment service. An example of this is Tikkie Zakelijk.

Are you creating your own QR code or order page? If so, bear in mind the privacy regulations (GDPR). Clearly inform customers which data you are collecting and why.

Paying with cryptocurrencies

Some businesses are experimenting with digital currencies, such as cryptocurrencies. Customers can then pay via a QR code that supports blockchain payments.

For most business owners, this is not yet a standard payment method. Most customers still pay by debit card, contactless, cash, or online payment methods. So ask yourself whether there is a genuine need for this amongst your target audience before investing in crypto payments.

Paying in cash: rules and developments

Do you accept cash? If so, you must take rules into account. Since 1 January 2026, businesses have not been allowed to accept cash payments of €3,000 or more. This measure is intended to help prevent money laundering and fraud.

This restriction applies, for example, to shops and traders who sell or buy goods. This limit does not yet apply to services. From July 2027, a threshold for cash payments to service providers is also expected to be introduced.

In addition, banks are checking cash deposits increasingly strictly. Do you handle a lot of cash? If so, bear in mind your bank’s fees and terms and conditions for depositing money.

Can you refuse cash?

Currently, you usually decide for yourself which payment methods to accept. For example, you can choose to accept only debit card payments.

This may change in the future. The European Commission is working on rules to ensure that consumers in eurozone countries can continue to pay in cash. The Dutch government also wants cash payments to remain available in the future. However, exceptions may apply, for example if accepting cash poses security risks or is not practically feasible.

So do not just look at the costs, but also at what suits your customers and your business operations.

Which payment solution suits your business?

The right payment solution does not just depend on the card terminal you choose. You should also consider your business situation, the number of transactions, where you work, and how your customers pay. A shop with a high volume of transactions at a fixed location has different requirements to an entrepreneur who often works on location. So do not just think about buying a payment terminal, but also about the costs, the integration with your till system, and the internet connection.

A fixed payment terminal is often a good choice for shops and hospitality establishments. If you work in different locations, a mobile card terminal may be more convenient. Do you have few transactions, or do you want to remain flexible? Then a mobile solution might be worth considering. For example, you could hire a mobile card terminal or use your smartphone as a payment terminal via softPOS.

Other features also play a role when choosing a payment solution. Consider, for example, the option to leave a tip in the hospitality industry, support for foreign payment methods, or being able to refund payments via card refunds (retour pinnen, in Dutch).

Buying or renting a payment terminal

Buying a payment terminal means you immediately become the owner of the device. You usually pay more to start with but often have lower fixed costs afterwards.

If you rent, you usually pay a fixed monthly fee. This can be a good option if you want to remain flexible or do not yet know how many payments you’ll be processing. Do bear in mind the total cost of the contract and the cost per transaction.

Do you have a lot of international customers? If so, check whether the payment system supports the payment methods your customers use, such as widely accepted credit cards.

Finally, always make sure you have an alternative in case a payment system is temporarily down. For example, a second payment terminal, a different internet connection, or an additional payment option such as a QR code or payment request.

Card or cash: which costs more?

For many business owners, card payments are cheaper than cash payments. This is because handling cash involves extra work, such as counting money, giving change, balancing the till, and depositing cash.

According to the Betaalvereniging Nederland (Payments Association of the Netherlands), the average cost of a debit card transaction is lower than that of a cash payment. The exact costs depend on your business, the number of transactions, and how you process payments.

Do you want to limit cash payments? If so, you could, for example, actively encourage customers to pay by debit card using a sticker or sign at the till. Some business owners also opt for a separate till for cash payments or a closed till system where staff no longer handle the cash.