Cashless.pl announced at the beginning of last year that the Czechs want to launch a program modeled on the one run by the Polska Bezgotówkowa foundation. It was then that the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade signed an agreement with the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic, the Confederation of Trade and Tourism and Mastercard on an initiative to support the development of the card acceptance network in the Czech Republic.

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The Czech Republic Pay with Card program started this week. In addition to the Czech authorities and Mastercard, local banking organizations, business associations and Visa also got involved in the project. As in Poland, also companies from our southern neighbors that do not yet accept card payments can receive a payment terminal for free for a year. After this period, they can give it back or continue accepting cards on market terms.

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Czechs boast that they are one of the world leaders in using contactless payments. Contactless transactions are even more popular there than in Poland. However, not everywhere in the Czech Republic you can pay without cash and the number of payment terminals per thousand inhabitants is lower than the European average. The Czech Republic's Pay by Card program is designed to change this situation. Project initiators emphasize, however, that the project is not intended to eliminate cash, but to create equal rights for customers paying with cards and banknotes.