GERMANY: Aldi allows payment by card at last

German discounter Aldi has finally succumbed to customer demand and authorised payment using credit and debit cards. In view of the group’s swelling non-food range, customers are spending more on each individual unit – and, as German weekly Lebensmittelzeitung pointed out, “Who wants to pay DM2000 for a PC in cash?”

June 4, 2001

German discounter Aldi has finally succumbed to customer demand and authorised payment using credit and debit cards. In view of the group’s swelling non-food range, customers are spending more on each individual unit – and, as German weekly Lebensmittelzeitung pointed out, “Who wants to pay DM2000 for a PC in cash?”

Rival discounters Penny and Plus have already implemented payment by card, and now Aldi is catching up. It is possible that the group will introduce a proprietary payment card strategy.