Year after year, more and more citizens use debit and credit cards in their daily transactions, even for low-value purchases.
The shift of citizens to electronic transactions is an important ally of the Independent Public Revenue Authority (AADE) and the State in general, as it increases public revenues due to higher VAT and income tax revenues. Furthermore, it contributes to combating tax evasion in professional categories with high rates of tax evasion.
Based on data from the Bank of Greece (BoG), in 2024 the total number of payment card transactions increased by 14%, reaching 2,511 million. Correspondingly, the value of payment card transactions amounted to a total of 112 billion euros from 102 billion euros in 2023, recording an increase of 9%.
The number of debit card transactions increased by 14%, reaching 2,325 million euros in 2024, from 2,042 million in 2023. Debit cards participate with a percentage of 93% in the total number of transactions with all types of payment cards.
The number of credit card transactions, in 2024, increased to 186 million, from 168 million in 2023. Regarding their participation in the total number of transactions, it amounted to 7%.
The average number of transactions per card in the previous year was 122 transactions, up from 107 transactions in 2023. The analysis of the individual card categories shows that the change in the average number of transactions per card is due to the increase in the average number of transactions per debit card to 134 from 115 transactions in the previous year.
The average transaction value per card increased by 10% to 5,468 euros, from 4,947 euros in 2023. The change is mainly due to the increase in the average transaction value per debit card by 12% to 6,002 euros, from 5,365 euros in 2023. The average transaction value per credit card increased by 2% to 2,616 euros, from 2,547 euros in the previous year.
