It is becoming increasingly difficult and expensive to pay manually

Manual means of payment include cash, postal giro or over-the-counter services at a bank or payment service provider. However, it has become more difficult to pay manually – especially over the counter. The number of locations has fallen sharply in recent years, and today, unless you are a customer of a specific bank, you can only pay a bill over the counter with cash or card at 32 locations in the country – a 95 per cent reduction since 2017 and 80 per cent since 2021. A large majority of these sites are located in southern and central Sweden. There are also 190 local savings bank branches that offer this service, but you must be a customer of that particular savings bank. Moreover, paying over the counter is often expensive and can cost up to SEK 200 per bill.^[82] Jämför avgifter för banktjänster (Konsumenternas Bank och Finansbyrå, Swedish only), retrieved 12-11-2025. For everyone to be able to pay essential bills, more options need to be available. This applies, for example, if you are an asylum seeker, a visiting student, or for some reason have not been able to open a payment account in Sweden. This also applies to people who have difficulties making digital payments, for example via their online bank or Swish. The Riksbank's position on this issue is developed in section “There must be payment methods for everyone”.

Postal giro is also an important service for people who cannot pay a bill digitally for various reasons. The Swedish Post and Telecom Authority and the county administrative boards have long argued that it is important that postal giros remain available for people who need manual payment methods. Postal giros cost more than the banks’ digital services, and not all banks offer them. Finance Sweden works with banks to ensure the availability of postal giros over time.^[83] Bankföreningens synpunkter på Kontantutredningen (Fi2024/00068) (Finance Sweden, Swedish only). The Riksbank shares the assessment of the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority and the county administrative boards and is in favour of the work of Finance Sweden.

Different payment options needed for important fees

When banks and companies accept multiple payment methods, consumers have more choices. This is good for people who don't have access to or can't use a particular payment method, but it’s also good if a particular payment method stops working, as there may be another one that does. The Riksbank therefore considers that it should be possible to pay using several payment methods – not least for important fees and services. Currently, it can be difficult to pay certain fees, such as for parking and public transport, without downloading and managing different apps, making it more difficult for people who do not have a smart phone or cannot manage the apps for other reasons.