At the end of 2024 Aldi Nord announced that it had reduced the minimum purchase for cashback transactions at its 2,000+ stores across West, North and East Germany.
Aldi customers who spend at least €1 with a debit or credit card can now add a cash withdrawal to their transaction. Cash withdrawals on card purchases have been possible at Aldi locations since 2014, but not everyone is aware of this option in Germany.
Keeping some cash on hand is important in Germany - lest you find yourself unable to pay for a kebab or a coffee.
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And while cash payments are still commonplace in the Bundesrepublik, quickly finding an ATM (especially an ATM in your network that won't charge withdrawal fees), can be tricky.
So here’s how to use 'cashback' services at a German supermarket.
How does cashback work in Germany?
Similar to supermarkets in the US and the UK and elsewhere, in many cases you can request ‘cashback’ along with a purchase. Then the cashier adds the amount requested to your purchase price and in turn gives you the amount in cash.
Cashback transactions are offered by most major supermarket chains, and they allow you to collect cash conveniently along with your trip to the store. Cashback can also offer a convenient way to dodge ATM fees, especially if you were planning on picking up some groceries anyway.
Cashback is generally limited to withdrawals between €10 and €200.
How do I request cashback?
Although the service was first introduced in Germany under its English name, it’s more commonly referred to by the German translation, Bargeld abheben.
To get cashback, you need to ask the cashier for it before they’ve run the transaction on your card.
So if you’d like to get €50 back, start by saying, "Ich möchte bitte €50 Bargeld abheben," before you hand them your card.
Note that Geld zurück – as you might see if you translate “cash back” from English – is a refund, and Rückgeld means change. So stick to Geld abheben and ‘cashback’ to avoid any confusion.
Which shops offer cashback for credit cards?
Most major supermarkets in Germany offer cashback for Girocard purchases, but only some grocery store chains will give cashback for standard Mastercard/Visa debit or credit card purchases.
At Lidl, Rewe or Edeka, for example, you can only receive cashback on a Girocard purchase for now.
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According to an article in Das Magazin by Hanseatic Bank, these supermarkets include Aldi, DM, Famila, Striking, Miller, Net and Rossmann. Additionally Norma will give you cash back on a Mastercard or Maestro card.
The minimum purchase required to get cashback ranges from a one-item purchase (at DM) to €20 (at Edeka or Denn’s BioMarkt).
For a list of the major German grocers that offer cashback, and their minimum purchase requirements, scroll to the bottom of this article on the Hanseatic Bank website.
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