Digital euro: HDE wants card-based fees only as a transition, ECB briefs merchants on 6 October
The German Retail Federation HDE is calling for a fair, transparent and low-cost fee model for the digital euro; benchmarking fees against established payment methods should apply at most for a transition period and take national specifics into account. On 6 October at 15:00 the ECB will explain online how it selects merchants for the twelve-month pilot starting in 2027.
What is the retail federation asking for on the digital euro?
At the end of September the German Retail Federation (HDE) published its position on the upcoming decisions in European payments: PSD3/PSR, the digital euro and a cash acceptance obligation. At its core is the fee model for the digital euro: fair, transparent and as low as possible. HDE payments expert Ulrich Binnebößel says that benchmarking fees against established payment methods can at most apply for a transition period and should take national specifics into account. What the draft legislation says on mandatory acceptance and the fee cap is explained in the guide Digital euro for merchants.
What happens on 6 October?
On Tuesday, 6 October 2026, at 15:00 CET the ECB is holding an online information session on the pilot: objectives, timeline and the process for selecting merchants. Anyone can join, including payment service providers and consumers. The pilot starts in the second half of 2027, runs for twelve months and involves 36 payment service providers. Online merchants can apply until 27 October.
Why the national specific is the real price anchor
The least conspicuous half-sentence in the HDE statement is the most important one. A fee benchmarked against the average of established methods across Europe means Visa and Mastercard in most countries. In Germany, however, a large share of card turnover runs over girocard, which is usually cheaper for the merchant. A European average would therefore not be an entry price for a German supermarket, but a surcharge on what it pays today.
That is why the federation is right to accept the transition rule only as a transition. The digital euro will only succeed at the till if merchants are happy to accept it, and they are only happy to accept what costs no more than what they already have. We know the pattern: more volume has not made card payments cheaper so far, as I wrote in my commentary on card growth. If the price question is not settled now, it will be answered later on the statement.
What to do now
- Attend the ECB session on 6 October and listen specifically for whether merchant fees will already be tested in the pilot.
- Work out from your own statement the cost difference per payment between girocard and credit card. That figure is the yardstick for any future digital euro offer.
- Online merchants who want to shape the pilot should consider applying by 27 October, 17:00.