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Greece has had a primarily cash-based economy in the past, but credit cards and other payment methods have surged in popularity over the past few years. The nation established cash withdrawal limits and mandatory card use for large purchases, encouraging greater use of credit and debit card purchases among Greek customers.
Today, while cash is still more commonly used in Greece than in other European countries, Greek consumers often use credit cards, digital wallets, and bank transfers.
In this article, I’ll examine the 6 most commonly used payment methods in Greece. If you want to expand your business into the country, offering these payment options is essential.
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6 Top Payment Methods in Greece
1. Cash
While cash used to dominate the Greek market, new laws require most Greek businesses to accept credit cards. However, cash payments are still extremely common, particularly among smaller businesses such as convenience stores.
2. Credit and Debit Cards
Credit and debit card usage in Greece has grown steadily in recent years. Debit cards have seen a particularly strong surge in usage.
Contactless debit Mastercard is the most popular payment method in this category. The nation’s most popular credit card brands are Mastercard and Visa.
3. PayPal
Digital wallets are an increasingly popular payment method among shoppers in Greece, for both online and offline purchases.
The most widely used digital wallet platform in Greece is PayPal. According to a European Central Bank survey, one in every five Greek consumers uses PayPal. It’s more popular in Greece than both Google Pay and Apple Pay.
4. Bank Transfers
Bank transfers are popular in Greece, especially for large payments. They make up around 9% of online payments across the country, typically used by people who don’t have debit or credit cards.
Bank transfers offer customers a hassle-free way to pay for both one-off transactions and recurring payments. They can make a direct transfer with their bank or use a third-party service such as SEPA or Hyperwallet.
5. Google Pay
Google Pay is a mobile wallet available to Android users on smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches. In Greece, it's more prevalent than its iOS counterpart Apple Pay. However, in smaller cities and shops, mobile payments are less commonly accepted than cash and credit cards.
Adding Google Pay to your checkout system is a good way to appeal to customers who prefer this method for online purchases.
6. Apple Pay
Apple Pay can be used both online and in person for fast contactless payments through Apple devices like iPhones, iPads, or Apple Watches. However, many Greek citizens use Android, which makes Google Pay the more popular option.
The Best Way to Accept Global Payments
Pay.com lets you accept Greece's most popular payment methods, including Mastercard, Visa, and PayPal.
You can use our no-code solutions to set up a checkout page for your website. For more flexibility, our developer-friendly API lets you seamlessly integrate Pay.com into your existing platform.
With support for 3D Secure 2.0, Pay.com protects your business from fraudulent payments, giving you peace of mind when accepting payments from Greece and other countries.
Click here to get started with Pay.com now!
The Bottom Line
In Greece, credit cards and mobile wallets are not used as commonly as in many other European countries. Many Greek businesses have a preference for cash, although they're legally required to take cards at the point of sale.
Pay.com lets you accept a variety of online payment methods, allowing you to easily expand your business to the Greek market. Our full-service payment infrastructure complies with PCI DSS security standards, benefiting your business and your customers with safe transactions.
