Between December 2025 and February 2026, tourists spent over 260 million lei through digital payments in hotels and restaurants across Romania, according to Global Payments. Compared to the 2023–2024 winter season, the value of cashless spending increased significantly: +51% for food services and +31% for accommodation.
While the average transaction value remained almost unchanged, the number of transactions recorded a strong 42% increase over the past two years. This trend shows that while tourists have maintained their consumption habits, they have shifted their payment behavior—using less cash and increasingly adopting digital payment solutions during the winter season.
Global Payments data shows that cashless payments have already become a standard in mountain areas and no longer represent a competitive advantage, but rather a necessity for businesses and entrepreneurs. During the three months of the winter season, more than two million electronic transactions were made in Romania through Global Payments terminals in restaurants (including fast-food restaurants) and hotels. The peak of activity was recorded in December 2025, when the number of transactions was 12% higher than in February 2026.
January and February recorded relatively balanced levels, both in terms of the number and value of transactions. This trend suggests that the school ski holiday plays an important role in sustaining tourism activity.
„The 45% increase in the value of digital payments during the winter season over the past two years shows that tourists have fully embraced cashless solutions. Today, almost everyone has a smartphone, and in a sports context, more and more people are using smartwatches, making payments much easier and faster than using cash. This is also reflected in the 42% increase in the number of digital transactions in the last two years. At the same time, Global Payments data indicates an extension of the peak season beyond the winter holidays, with a more even distribution of spending throughout the entire winter. Overall, this payment behavior confirms that digital payments are becoming the standard in Romania’s mountain resorts,” said Ionela Mitran, Country Manager Romania at Global Payments.
Contactless payments: from trend to standard
Global Payments data highlights a rapid shift in consumer behavior: in just two years, contactless payments have evolved from an optional advantage in attracting customers to a standard in mountain tourism. Today, they are widely used not only for large payments, but also for everyday expenses—from snacks and slope-side services to small purchases around resorts. This rapid adoption reflects not only tourists’ preference for fast and convenient solutions, but also a growing opportunity for entrepreneurs and tourism operators to better meet demand by integrating digital payments.
The average transaction value has also seen a slight increase during this year’s winter season—from approximately 86 to over 90 lei in restaurants (including fast-food), and from 342 to 356 lei in accommodation units (vs. 2023-2024 winter season). This evolution confirms that contactless payments are consistently used, regardless of the transaction value.
Consumption peaks further highlight this behavior. During the winter season, the highest value of contactless payments in restaurants was recorded on February 14, when spending reached nearly 3.2 million lei. With an average transaction value of over 160 lei, the total amount exceeded the level recorded during the New Year period (December 31, 2025 – January 1, 2026) by approximately 1 million lei and was more than seven times higher than on Christmas Day.
The data indicates that Romanians place increasing importance on special moments and choose to mark occasions with personal significance, such as romantic celebrations, in a distinct way.
“The trend continues beyond the winter season. For example, on March 7–8, 2026, Romanians made cashless payments of over 5.5 million lei in restaurants alone, nearly double compared to the same period in 2024. This shows that contactless payments have become a standard expectation for consumers, while also opening up new growth opportunities in the tourism and hospitality sector,” sustained Ionela Mitran, Country Manager Romania at Global Payments.
Contactles payment map: how much do tourists pay in mountain resorts?
Across Romania’s main mountain tourism areas, the value of digital payments increased by 24% over the past two years, while the number of transactions grew by 18%. Global Payments data shows that payment behavior varies depending on the size and profile of each destination. Cashless payments are now present across all types of services – from accommodation and restaurants to retail and leisure activities – but their usage differs from one region to another.
Brașov County, which includes some of the most popular tourist destinations – such as Poiana Brașov, Predeal and the Bran-Moieciu area – accounts for the highest volume of digital payments in mountain tourism regions, processed through Global Payments terminals. In the 2025 – 2026 winter season, these reached nearly 47 million lei, around 10 million lei more than in the 2023 – 2024 season. The 23% increase in the number of transactions, combined with a stable average value (approximately 155 lei), indicates a
consumption pattern driven by more frequent payments across restaurants, retail outlets, mountain bars, cafés, equipment rental centers or ski schools.
Sibiu County is another important destination for mountain tourism, but with a slightly different payment behavior. The total volume of contactless payments exceeded 23 million lei, up by 5 million compared to two years ago, while the average transaction value is higher than in Brașov, reaching 194 lei. This suggests a stronger orientation towards higher value- added services.
The Maramureș region shows a distinct dynamic, with a total cashless transaction volume of 18 million lei and a remarkable 71% increase in the number of transactions compared to the 2023 – 2024 winter season. At the same time, the average transaction value – 276 lei – is higher than in the regions mentioned above, indicating a combination of growing adoption of digital payments and consumption focused on more comprehensive tourism experiences, including accommodation and leisure activities.
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Global Payments s.r.o. is a joint venture between Global Payments (NYSE: GPN) and the Erste banking group. The company provides advanced omnichannel payment solutions, covering the full spectrum of business needs: from modern POS terminals and e-commerce payment solutions to EV charging station payments, self-service solutions, and hospitality payment integrations for Oracle systems.
Global Payments was the first company to launch the GP tom app in Central Europe. This technology transforms both iPhone and Android devices into POS payment terminals, offering total mobility without the need for additional hardware. With over 60,000 users in Europe, the GP tom app is currently expanding into the Asian market.
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