A news article in the Swedish news media Aftonbladet writes that a chain of retailers in bedroom furniture had stopped handling cash at their stores, after a successful test project this year. From today, customers at KungSängen can only pay by credit card or by invoice at all of their 37 stores. The reason behind this is to prevent the risk of break-ins and robberies, and improve the safety and work routines for their staff.

This is not an isolated case, and many other businesses in Scandinavia are starting to follow this trend. Svensk Handel, the Swedish labor union for the mercantile sector, confirms this trend and estimates that for some markets, credit payment exceeds 90% of all sales.

For travellers in Scandinavia, it might be good to know that credit card is the preferred choice for payment. For businesses that handle a lot of tourists, this will most likely not have any effect in the near future. Still, it might be wise to bring a usable credit card when visiting Sweden and Scandinavia in general.

The most common types used in Scandinavia is VISA or MasterCard. These are accepted almost anywhere they take payment by card. As for the Japanese JCB, this is not commonly accepted outside tourist/tax free shops, so please keep that in mind.

Have any questions regarding credit cards or cash payment in Scandinavia? Feel free to ask us by leaving a comment!

Photo: MIKI staff