Industry
Allensbach Study 2025 – Card Beats Cash
Term from the vending glossary
The Allensbach 2025 Study on payment behaviour is a representative survey by the Institute for Demoscopy Allensbach that for the first time demonstrates that a majority of Germans prefer card or digital payment methods over cash. It marks the turning point in German payment behaviour and serves as a reference document for investment decisions on cashless systems in the vending and retail sectors.
What the Study Measures
The Institute for Demoscopy Allensbach surveyed a representative sample of the German population in 2025 on payment habits and preferences at the point of sale. The finding that gives the headline its name: for the first time, a majority of respondents stated they prefer to pay by card or digitally than in cash for everyday purchases. This ends a distinctive position of Germany that economists and payment service providers had observed for years.
Historical Context
The 2021 Bundesbank study "Payment Behaviour in Germany" still documented a cash share of approximately 58% of all point-of-sale transactions by transaction count. Germany was thus one of the last cash strongholds in Western Europe: in the United Kingdom and Scandinavian countries, card payments had already crossed this threshold by 2015. The 2025 Allensbach survey closes this gap on the preference side. It is no longer actual executed transactions, but declared payment preference, that has shifted.
Implications for Vending Operators
For vending operators, the study has clear operational consequences. Operators relying exclusively on coin acceptance structurally reach only the minority of preferred payers. Retrofitting an MDB-compatible cashless unit costs between €300 and €800 net, depending on the device and provider. Contactless payment via NFC and EMV chip has been standard equipment for new installations in office buildings, schools and public facilities since 2025. Operators basing location decisions solely on cash data underestimate demand potential at sites with younger or urban demographics.