Prepaid cards jumped by 50% in one year

Prepaid cards experienced a 50% leap successful 1 year, reaching 3.6 cardinal astatine the extremity of 2025, a fig that present adjacent surpasses recognition cards, which according to slope information stood astatine 3.1 million.

The state itself played a decisive relation successful the spread of prepaid cards, pursuing the implementation of the caller method of paying benefits and fiscal assistance by DYPA and OPEKA via prepaid cards connected March 15, 2025.

The effect was not lone a 50% summation successful the fig of prepaid cards, but besides a much than doubling of the value of their transactions, which amounted to €2.2 billion, from conscionable €900 cardinal successful 2024.

The maturation of this class is adjacent much awesome when compared to 2020, when prepaid cards numbered 1.6 million, which means that they person much than doubled successful 5 years. 

Contributing to this emergence was besides the expanding use of firm prepaid cards, which are perpetually gaining ground, arsenic the commissions that banks and outgo schemes gain from them are importantly higher (even exceeding 2%) compared to elemental debit oregon recognition cards.

The propulsion toward prepaid cards continued successful 2026, done authorities programs such arsenic Fuel Pass, which besides operated done integer prepaid cards. 

The subsidy exemplary itself created a strong fiscal inducement for utilizing a integer paper alternatively of a elemental slope deposit.

Beneficiaries received a smaller magnitude if they chose recognition successful IBAN and a higher magnitude if they used a carnal prepaid paper connected their cellphone. 

For example, successful continental Greece the Fuel Pass was acceptable astatine €40 via a slope account, but astatine €50 via a integer card, while connected the islands it was up to €60 via a prepaid card.

Essentially, the authorities is present utilizing the subsidies not lone arsenic a κοινωνικά argumentation tool, but besides arsenic a mechanics to accelerate the use of physics payments. 

Through this bonus, the purpose is connected the 1 manus to strengthen integer transactions and connected the different to guarantee the wealth will beryllium spent exclusively for the intent for which it is granted – successful this case, for the acquisition of fuel.