I am looking for an update as only older posts are on the forum. As we have slowly moved to credit cards when traveling is it still true that Berlin is very much a cash city.
Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
9424 posts
All of Germany is like that, though cards are more common than they used to be. Stores and large restaurants are fine for cards, street food, small local restaurants, etc. may still want cash. Or they may have a minimum, of say 30€ to use a card.
Posted by
ATL, USA
610 posts
I was in Berlin in late March and except for using some Euro coins I already had at the coffee station in my hotel, I used Google Pay for everything. I did not eat in any sit down restaurants; I ate in cafes, picked up takeaway, and bought groceries, all with Google Pay. I did browse the Kunstmarkt on Museuminsel and several of the vendors there were cash only. So, in short, you can tap to pay many places, but it won't hurt to have some Euros either.
Posted by
Schwerin
3906 posts
This article about the report "Payment behavior in Germany in 2023" gives you a quick overview.
Berlin is somehow representative to this report but the center areas offer more opportunities to pay cashless. Nevertheless there are so cafes, small businesses and street stands which accept cash only. So it gives you more freedom to carry a little bit of Euro cash with you. The outskirts of Berlin are by tendency a little more conservative regarding payment behavior.
German politicians discuss a regulation by which businesses have to offer cash and a non-cash payment option. But this is not decided yet.