Card payments in the Czech Republic rise significantly

Card payments and digital payment methods remain firmly on a growth trajectory in the Czech Republic. The use of online payments and payments with smartphones is increasing particularly strongly.

Cashless payments continue to gain importance in the Czech Republic. In the first half of 2026, both the number and volume of card payments increased significantly. Payments in online retail as well as payments with smartphones developed particularly dynamically.

In total, around 1.775 billion cashless transactions were carried out at points of sale in the first six months of the year. This was twelve per cent more than in the same period of the previous year, when 1.581 billion transactions were recorded.

Transaction volume also increased. The value of cashless payments reached around 1.012 trillion crowns in the first half of 2026. Compared with 916 billion crowns in the same period of the previous year, this represents an increase of more than ten per cent.

Online payments grow by around 20 per cent

E-commerce developed particularly strongly. In the first half of the year, around 346 million online payments were made using cards and other electronic means of payment. This was more than 20 per cent higher than in the same period of the previous year, when 287 million transactions were recorded. The total value of these online payments rose from 289 billion to 344 billion crowns, an increase of almost 20 per cent.

Payments with smartphones becoming increasingly common

The use of smartphones and other digital means of payment, where card details are stored, for example, in the form of so-called tokens, is growing even more strongly. The number of these transactions increased by 26 per cent to 958 million in the first half of 2026. In the same period of the previous year, the figure had been 760 million.

Transaction volume rose by almost 30 per cent: from 444 billion crowns in the first half of 2025 to 576 billion crowns this year.

This means that the trend towards mobile and digital payment methods in the Czech Republic is continuing. The domestic market is one of the fastest-growing markets in Europe in terms of the use of payment cards and electronic means of payment. The development is supported, among other things, by investments from banks and technology companies as well as the introduction of new payment technologies.

Fewer cash withdrawals from ATMs

Despite the strong growth in cashless payments, the ATM network remains an important part of the payment infrastructure in the Czech Republic. However, the number of cash withdrawals declined in the first half of the year. In total, around 60 million withdrawals were recorded. In the same period of the previous year, the figure had been 64 million.

The total amount withdrawn, however, increased slightly. In the first six months of 2026, around 409 billion crowns were withdrawn from ATMs, compared with 407 billion crowns in the first half of 2025.