Problems with card payments: nationwide disruptions at Aldi, Rewe, Rossmann and Co.

Created: 05/26/2022, 05:00

By: Fee Halberstadt

Card terminals are currently disrupted throughout Germany.

For this reason, only cash payments are currently possible in some shops and petrol stations.

Kassel – In many shops, drugstores and supermarkets such as Aldi, Rewe and Rossmann, customers cannot currently pay with EC or credit cards.

As early as Tuesday (May 24) there were reports of problems with card payments in supermarkets, petrol stations and drugstores.

"Unfortunately, due to a Germany-wide disruption, no card payment is currently possible in our stores," informed the grocery retailer Konsum in Dresden at 12 noon via Facebook.

As of Wednesday (May 25), the technical problems that prevent payments with debit and credit cards are still unresolved.

The problem appears to be with the Verifone H 5000 card terminal, which, according to Lebensmittelzeitung, is widespread in Germany.

The reason seems to be remote maintenance of the terminal, whereupon the malfunction occurred.

Nationwide disruption at card terminals: Currently only cash payments are possible

This means that in many Netto, Edeka and Rewe stores it is currently only possible to pay with cash.

These problems also occur at Aldi, as well as drugstores such as Rossmann and dm, as Chip reports.

When exactly the disruption will be lifted remains unclear for the time being.

However, the German Banking Association assures that "network operators and technical service providers are working intensively on troubleshooting", as dpa reports.

A nationwide disruption ensures that payment with giro and credit cards is not possible.

(Iconic image) © Daniel Karmann/dpa

All customers are advised to check whether the card system works at the checkout before making a purchase.

In addition, some branches already have signs at the entrance to inform them whether the branch is affected.

Alternatively, it makes sense to carry cash with you for the time being in order to avoid unnecessary waiting times and discussions at the checkout.

If necessary, the purchase must be left in the store.

At gas stations, ID cards or something similar are sometimes taken as a deposit, as Chip reports.

(Fee Halberstadt)

At the beginning of May, the mobile phone company Vodafone experienced a Germany-wide disruption to the mobile Internet and fixed network connections.