After 25 years: Banks and savings banks are shutting down long-running operations

Banks and savings banks will no longer be dependent on Geldkart and Girogo. Division “Initiative German Payment Systems eV” in a detailed blog post. The Money card was introduced in 1996, while the Girogo was introduced in 2012. Both have survived until now, although interest in them has been declining rapidly over the years. All cards are to be replaced by 2024.

Both systems are prepaid options. Geldkart is intended for payment at machines, shops and other places where small amounts are required to be paid; Girogo was the pioneer of contactless payments. The additional chip on the card also enabled automatic topping up at bank terminals or when making payments.

Geldkarte and finally Girogo: The Heiress is here for a long time

Both systems have the problem that the card has to be preloaded. While this also happens with Girogo when making direct payments, it may happen that unused funds remain on the prepaid card or result in lengthy payment processing. According to banks, customers rarely use this system anymore. Instead, Girocard has become the payment method of choice.

However, customers who have previously trusted Geldkart or Girogo need not panic. Functions can be continued to be used for some time. If you wish to transfer the prepaid credit back to your account, you can do so at your bank’s ATM. If you get a new card in the future, it will be issued to you without two systems.