Your questions for girocard, our answers—explained in a concise and understandable way. Here you will find important information about security, payment options, use abroad, and much more.
Contactless payment is now possible across the board in retail: almost all girocard terminals in Germany also accept contactless payment. Simply look for the contactless payment acceptance symbol - usually a stylized wave symbol - directly at the checkout.
You girocard withdraw cash from all German ATMs using girocard . Withdrawals from ATMs belonging to your bank or banking association (e.g., Cashgroup, Cashpool) are usually free of charge. Cash withdrawals at other banks or banking associations usually incur a fee. This will be displayed before the cash is dispensed. Cash withdrawals with girocard are often free of charge girocard shopping in supermarkets, gas stations, and hardware stores. retail sector minimum purchase value may be required for withdrawals in retail sector participating retail sector .
Paying with girocard complies with the high security standards of the German banking industry. Data transmission is encrypted and your personal identification number (PIN) is protected. Near Field Communication (NFC) for contactless payment is a globally established standard that is reliable and secure. However, you should always handle your card PIN with care and treat girocard cash. If your card is lost or stolen, you should contact your bank and the central emergency hotline (116 116) immediately.
With mobile payment, girocard is stored girocard in an app, which can either Sparkasse an app from your bank or Sparkasse or, alternatively, a wallet app on your smartphone. For this payment method, you must store the digital girocard on your smartphone. The procedure may vary depending on the institution and mobile payment solution. Sparkasse check with your bank or Sparkasse for the individual steps to set up the digital girocard.
Banks and Sparkassen generally girocard Sparkassen years after issuance. Customers usually receive their new girocard automatically up to four months before the current card expires. You can find the expiration date on the front of your girocard.
The 116 116 barring emergency number can be reached via the respective country code for Germany. This is usually +49 116 116. If, in exceptional cases, 116 116 cannot be reached from a foreign telephone network, you can also reach the blocking emergency number: +49 (0) 30 4050 4050. In any case, contact your bank immediately! The sooner you report direct debits, the sooner your bank can react. If you notice irregularities outside your bank's business hours, make sure you have your girocard blocked to be on the safe side.
For contactless payments, simply hold your girocard close to the terminal and the data will be transferred via Near Field Communication (NFC). Amounts up to €50 can usually be paid without entering a PIN. For security reasons, card PIN is also requested at certain intervals for contactless payments with a physical card . With girocard contactless, you can also pay larger amounts contactlessly – but then usually always with a PIN entry. Contactless payments are just as secure as conventional payments, as the proven security standards of the German banking industry continue to apply.
In order to remain the most popular and most widely used payment card in Germany in the future, girocard is girocard being expanded to include new functions. In a so-called "co-creation" approach, this is being done in close cooperation with other players involved in the girocard system, such as the retail sector, network operators, banks, and Sparkassen. These new features are intended to open up girocard areas of application girocard , such as booking rental cars or making payments in retailers' own apps. Beyond payments, there are also options for integrating girocard everyday life: for example, age verification is carried out at the same time as payment – this is particularly practical at vending machines that sell age-restricted products.
When you use mobile payment, you pay with a digital girocard stored on your smartphone. Thanks to NFC, you only need to hold your smartphone or smartwatch close to the terminal to pay—this works anywhere you can card contactless with your physical card . The security of contactless payments is the same as that of contact payments. So when you pay contactlessly, the usual security standards of the German banking industry remain unchanged.
There are currently over 1.2 million active girocard terminals in retail sector. Wherever card payments are card in Germany, girocard is generally girocard . In addition to well-known areas of use such as supermarkets and department stores, small businesses such as bakeries also accept girocard. Card payments are also increasingly possible at unattended vending machines. Furthermore, more and more electric charging stations offer the option of paying with girocard.
To protect your digitally stored payment cards (e.g., girocard, Mastercard, or VISA) and payment services from unauthorized access, you must take the following steps as soon as possible: Contact your payment service provider (e.g., Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay) and report the loss to your card-issuing bank or Sparkasse. Not only should you report the loss of your smartphone with payment function, but also the measures taken by your payment service provider. This may help you avoid an unnecessary replacement. Good to know: Youcard also have yourcard blocked by calling the emergency number 116 116 – available around the clock.
The card be retained by the ATM if the PIN has been entered incorrectly more than three times, if no PIN has been entered for a prolonged period, or if girocard or been blocked. If the ATM is located inside a branch that is open, you can contact a bank employee directly. In other cases, you should Sparkasse the bank or Sparkasse by phone to either get your girocard back promptly or card a new card . In most cases, it is advisable to have the confiscated girocard blocked.
In the event of loss or card your card , you should immediately contact your bank's emergency hotline or the central emergency hotline at 116 116 – available around the clock – and explain the situation. Have your IBAN or, alternatively, your account number and bank code ready. Your contact person will be able to advise you on your specific case. Make a note of the time when the card was blocked.
If your card has been card , report the loss to the police immediately and file a report. For more information on the emergency card blocking service, visit www.sperr-notruf.de.
Customers usually receive a girocard automatically with their checking account. Since it is a debit card, the cardholder's checking account is debited immediately or within a very short time after the purchase. In addition, girocard offers girocard other functions, such as withdrawing cash from around 60,000 ATMs or in various supermarkets and drugstores.
girocard the associated PIN (Personal Identification Number) are the key to making payments with girocard in retail sector withdrawing cash from ATMs (German ATM system). Together, these form the girocard system.
The name and logo girocard were introduced by the German banking industry back in 2007 to create a uniform umbrella brand for the electronic cash procedure and the German ATM system and to increase the international acceptance of German debit cards within the framework of SEPA.
More and more retailers are accepting payments via the girocard system due to its favorable cost structure, even abroad. In addition, girocard has an additional function, a so-called co-badge of an international debit system (Maestro, Debit Mastercard, V Pay, Visa Debit, or JCB), which enables payments beyond Germany's borders and outside the girocard system. The card also card used at all ATMs that display the girocard symbol or the co-badge symbol. A surcharge is often payable when you withdraw money in a foreign currency. The card-issuing bank or Sparkasse will provide information about any fees that may apply abroad.
Each bank and Sparkasse girocard the limits girocard transactions with girocard . You girocard find out your individual limits for payments and cash withdrawals directly from your bank or Sparkasse often directly in your online banking account. There are daily and/or weekly limits, for example. If you are planning a larger purchase, many institutions offer the option of increasing your card payment limit at short notice.
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