Card payment: nationwide disruption forces cash payment in Germany

Over the past two years, a world without cash has become increasingly conceivable for many people: contact and risk minimization have made card payments seem more attractive even to those who previously preferred to use coins and bills. However, the fact that a completely cashless world will ultimately remain a utopia (and a negative one for data protectionists) has been demonstrated in recent days: a nationwide disruption has paralyzed a large proportion of card payment terminals.

Disruption since Tuesday evening

Affected are card payment terminals of the type H5000 of the manufacturer Verifone, which, according to the Federal Association of German Banks, make up only a small part of all terminals in use, but are nevertheless sufficiently widespread to significantly limit payment options in many busy stores.

Aldi Nord, Rossmann and dm, for example, reported ongoing disruptions in the processing of cashless payments of all kinds. The discounter Netto and the supermarket chains Rewe, Kaufland and Konsum are also affected by the disruption. The same applies to many service stations. The problems are attributed to faults in the software used. The Federal Association of German Banks pointed out in this regard that intensive work was already being done to rectify the fault.

The financial services provider Concordis added that affected companies should not restart the devices on their own. It also pointed out that it was essential to keep the devices connected to the power supply and the network, as it would otherwise not be possible to rectify the problems centrally. It is not yet clear when the problems are expected to be fixed.

Numerous reports of disruption

Meanwhile, the extent of the disruption is also becoming clear on Twitter and other websites. More and more users are reporting failed purchases there because no card payment was possible. These experiences, which are sometimes described in a tone of frustration, make it clear once again that it makes sense not to write off cash completely – even aside from data protection concerns. Most of the stores affected are now displaying notices stating that only cash payment is currently possible.