2.5 Billion Dollars Spent by Romanians Via Bank Cards In First Six Months

The 22 million Romanians have some 5.2 million bank cards. Still, Romanians are very much into cash payments.

The majority of transactions using bank cards (some 95% of them) are in fact cash payments. According to data from VISA, between June 2003 and June 2004, the gross volume of transactions amounted to 2.2 billion dollars, while MasterCard Europe reported a gross volume of 900 million dollars for the second trimester of 2004, according to Denisa Mateescu, Operations Manager at Romania MasterCard Europe. This was an 80 million dollars increase, when compared to the first trimester of 2004, when the gross volume stayed at 820 million dollars.

Though at very low levels, the use of bank cards for purchases is on the rise. Visa reported a 135% increase, which is 119.5 million dollars.
"Though cash payments are still the norm, more and more Romanian clients experiment with and understand the benefits of using bank cards. This is also good for the dynamic development of Romania and contributes to greater transparency and stability."

A Romanian first is having drive-in ATMs: one was mounted in a gas station and another in a fast-food restaurant.
The drive-in ATM weighs a ton and is one and a half meter high. The screen, the keyboard and the money delivery system are placed so that only drivers seated in a vehicle can access them. The driver stops the car next to the ATM machine, puts the card into it, punches the personal data and takes the cash amount he or she needs, just as he or she will do it at regular ATMs.