Six in ten Romanians pay in cash when making purchases with cash-on-delivery, even though they have access to several electronic payment methods at delivery, such as card payment to the courier, payment via courier app or payment link, according to a national online survey conducted by Cargus.
The reasons behind the preference for cash payments on delivery are more psychological than technological. Four in ten Romanians (42%) fear online fraud, and over a third (37%) do not fully trust retailers.
Distrust is even higher among younger people: 52% of Gen Z say they do not trust online stores, and 43% fear fraud. In addition, 38% prefer to pay only after checking the product, while a quarter choose cash for the freedom to refuse the order without complications.
Cash is perceived as the safest option, but reality tells a different story. Nearly 60% of Romanians admit they have at least once been caught without cash ready when the courier arrived, a figure that rises to almost two in three (66%) among Gen Z.
On the other hand, thirty-five percent of respondents say they use their cards daily, for POS transactions, contactless, in apps or online, while a further 40.5% do so several times a week.
For online purchases, seven out of ten Romanians pay by card directly on the retailer’s website, while cash is consistently used by only 19%. Younger generations are leading the digital shift – 73% of Millennials and 70% of Gen Z prefer to pay online by card.
