What is the most used card in Europe?

Visa is Europe's biggest payment brand... For instance, credit cards and prepaid cards issued across the European continent were used for nearly 97 billion transactions in 2019. Nearly 60 percent of all these transactions were done with Visa general purpose cards, while MasterCard made up for 39 percent of the market.



The most used card across Europe is Visa, followed very closely by Mastercard. These two global giants dominate the European payment landscape, with Visa holding a slightly higher market share in terms of total transaction volume and "cards in force." However, the "type" of card used most frequently is the Debit Card. Unlike in the United States, where credit cards are the norm, Europeans overwhelmingly prefer to pay with funds directly from their bank accounts. Many countries also have powerful local "co-badged" cards; for example, in Germany, the Girocard is the most common daily card, and in France, the Carte Bleue system is ubiquitous. Most of these local cards are co-branded with Visa or Mastercard to ensure they work for international travel. In 2026, the shift toward Contactless (NFC) payments and mobile wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay has become the standard, with over 90% of all face-to-face transactions in hubs like London, Paris, and Amsterdam being completed with a simple "tap" of a Visa or Mastercard-linked device.

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Resist the urge to buy foreign currency before your trip. Some tourists feel like they just have to have euros or British pounds in their pockets when they step off the airplane, but they pay the price in bad stateside exchange rates. Wait until you arrive to withdraw money.

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Should You Use Cash or Credit When Traveling to Europe? Most international travelers will end up using a combination of cash and cards when visiting Europe. While credit cards are accepted in most situations, currency can be more convenient for public transportation and small vendors.

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If you prefer dealing in cash, then by all means get some euros out before your trip. But actually, you'll find that debit and credit cards are widely accepted in most European cities. Paying by card can be easier and more convenient, without the potential security risk of carrying cash around you.

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Below is a list of countries where your ASB Visa credit card or ASB Visa Debit card will not be accepted:
  • Belarus.
  • Ukraine disputed/occupied regions (Crimea, Sevastopol, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia)
  • Cuba.
  • Iran.
  • North Korea.
  • Russia.
  • Syria.


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It all depends on where you're going and what you plan to do during your trip. As you can see from our travel costs table above, some European cities are cheaper or more expensive than others. As a general rule, though, it's a good idea to budget at least $100 a day for your vacation.

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Most European countries use the Global System for Mobiles or GSM network, as do a whole heap of other countries around the world. This is one of the main reasons why, as long as your phone is operating on the same network, you shouldn't come across any usage issues when travelling.

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Carry little, take reasonable precautions, and then don't worry about it. <For a man, I would suggest a pouch worn under your clothing, where you keep credit cards and larger banknotes, and a wallet in your front pocket, where you keep coins and smaller notes. Don't get money from the hidden pouch in a public place.

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To quickly recap, if you are traveling to Europe, you are looking at spending around 120 euros per day on average. However, once you have your itinerary in place (try using our convenient tour builder), you will have a tailored and accurate answer to the ever-relevant question - how much to budget per day in Europe.

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