Card payments in the Czech Republic have exceeded 1 trillion crowns. What does this mean for entrepreneurs?

by | 1.Apr.2026 | Blog

Cashless payments in the Czech Republic have been experiencing long-term growth, and current data only confirms this. According to statistics from the Bank Card Association (SBK), the volume of transactions with Visa cards issued in the Czech Republic has exceeded one trillion crowns per year. At the same time, the number of payments itself is also growing, which indicates a fundamental change in customer behavior. Payment by card is no longer a supplement to cash - it has become a standard that people expect practically everywhere.

This trend is crucial for any entrepreneur who sells services or goods to end customers. Customers today routinely carry minimal cash and rely on a card, mobile phone or smartwatch. If they cannot pay cashless with you, they will very often simply not make a purchase. This is not just about convenience, but about the real impact on sales, which is difficult to track in accounting – because a lost customer is not reflected in the data.

The growing volume of card payments is also associated with higher average spending. When paying cashless, customers are less likely to deal with small amounts and more likely to add additional items. This effect is well known from practice and studies, and it represents an opportunity for entrepreneurs to increase turnover without having to raise prices or invest in complex marketing campaigns.

From an operational perspective, the demands on the payment solution itself are also changing. Today, „just any terminal“ is no longer enough. Customers expect fast, reliable and seamless payment, ideally contactless and compatible with Apple Pay or Google Pay. Any delays or complications with payment can negatively affect the overall impression of the service, and thus the likelihood that the customer will return.

For entrepreneurs, this does not only mean the need to accept cards, but also to choose the right solution. There is a wide range of options on the market - from classic payment terminals to mobile solutions such as SoftPOS to complex cash registers and payment gateways for e-commerce. The differences between the individual offers are not only technical, but also primarily price. A poorly chosen model can mean unnecessarily high fees for each transaction or disadvantageous monthly costs.

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A very common mistake is to choose the first available offer, typically from the bank where the entrepreneur has an account. However, such a solution may not be the most advantageous. The differences in fees can total thousands to tens of thousands of crowns per year, especially for businesses with higher turnover. It is therefore crucial to assess the total costs, not just the percentage of the transaction, and to take into account the specific type of business - a restaurant has different needs, an e-shop has different needs, and a field service provider, for example, has different needs.

The growth of cashless payments in the Czech Republic is clear and will likely continue in the coming years. For entrepreneurs, this means only one thing: Adapting to these developments is not a competitive advantage, but a necessity. Those who offer customers fast and convenient payment options have a higher chance of not only gaining new customers, but also increasing the value of each purchase.

If you are not sure which solution is best for your business, it makes sense to compare the available options and choose the one that matches your turnover, segment and sales method. A properly configured payment solution is not just a technical matter, but an important tool that directly affects your sales and profitability.

About the author

Radomir Januch
I simply enjoy the world of business and I am lucky that it is also my job. I mainly focus on the world of payments and technology. I was initially marginal in the world of payments, but now I focus only on them in Business. In Business, he is in charge of content and comparison of payment terminals, he has been in business/fintech for 5 years.

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