A new era begins on a small scale for banks and savings banks. Since various digital and mobile payment methods have recently found their way into our everyday lives, their predecessors have become less important: GeldKarte and the girogo process will be scrapped in the foreseeable future.

No more classic payments: GeldKarte and girogo have been counted

Many bank customers in Germany will still know them, although they have become rare in the meantime: GeldKarte and girogo are among the absolute classics of modern banking offers – at least they have done so in the last 25 and ten years respectively. The need has since fallen. German financial institutions will soon take this into account: 2024 is finally over (Source: Initiative German payment systems).

The GeldKarte has been an integrated function in many bank cards since 1996. Cardholders could do such a Prepaid system on the girocard (formerly EC card) use. Simply top up an amount that was then always ready, for example to pay smaller amounts. Since 2012, the GeldKarte has been expanded to include a contactless payment function called girogo. This made mobile payments possible at supporting payment points.

Both payment options have paved the way for the current procedures, explains the German Payment Systems interest group, and thus made “fast and secure card payment with the girocard” possible. By now, however, they would hardly used anymore, the successors have long since taken over. This includes direct payment via girocard and the integration of the account via NFC and app in smartphones or smartwatches.

Modern online banking is protected with these procedures:

The last bank cards will expire in 2024

Some banks have already started to stop issuing cards with the features. If you still have an older card, you can use it use the GeldKarte function or girogo for a few more years. Bank cards that are still in circulation are to be replaced by 2024. Then it’s finally over.

the girocard itself is probably also a discontinued model. The payment service Maestro from Mastercard will no longer support payments via the German special solution, which should also apply to the competing offer V Pay from Visa. The outside of our bank cards will also change a lot in the future.