How do people in Austria pay online?
Austrians shop online at close to the EU average. Eurostat puts the share of people who bought something online in the previous 12 months at 72.71% in 2025, against an EU average of 73.56%. The ECB’s SPACE 2024 study found that 28% of Austrians’ day-to-day payments were made online, with only Lithuania (29%) higher and Croatia level.
Cards come first. In SPACE 2024, cards made up 38% of online payments by number, e-payment solutions such as PayPal and other wallets 29%, credit transfers 10%, direct debits 8% and instant payments 5%. By value, cards carried 30% and e-payment solutions 25%, with credit transfers at 18% and instant payments at 13%.
eps is the Austrian online bank transfer. At checkout the shopper picks their bank from a central list, signs in to online banking and approves a transfer with the recipient, amount and reference already filled in, using a TAN or a digital signature. The merchant gets an immediate payment confirmation from the shopper’s bank. eps was set up by the major Austrian banking groups and is listed among the services of PSA Payment Services Austria, which processes card and clearing transactions for the banks. eps payments have no chargeback process, so a shopper who disputes one is sent back to the merchant.
Klarna offers pay-later options in Austria: pay now, pay in up to 30 days, pay in three instalments, or spread the cost in instalments.
Wero is on its way. Erste Bank Oesterreich and the Raiffeisen group agreed in June 2026 to become shareholders of the European Payments Initiative to support Wero’s rollout in Austria, and EPI said in September 2026 that it expects Wero to launch in Austria in 2027. PSA is preparing services to connect Austrian and German banks to Wero.
What rules shape online payments in Austria?
Shoppers have 14 days to withdraw. Under the Distance and Off-Premises Contracts Act (FAGG), a consumer can withdraw from an online purchase within 14 days without giving a reason, counted from delivery for goods. If the seller does not explain the right and provide the model withdrawal form, the period is extended by 12 months. Under Directive (EU) 2023/2673, online shops must also offer an online withdrawal function from 19 June 2026.
Card surcharges are banned. EU rules do not allow merchants to charge customers extra for paying with a consumer credit or debit card. Strong customer authentication applies too: Your Europe notes that online payments above EUR 30 need at least two authentication elements.
Instant payments are now standard. Under the EU Instant Payments Regulation, banks in the euro area must let their customers send instant euro transfers and offer verification of payee since 9 October 2025.
VAT is 20%, with reduced rates of 10% and 13%, and a 4.9% rate on certain staple foods from 1 July 2026. A seller established in another EU country whose cross-border sales to consumers across the EU pass EUR 10,000 a year charges Austrian VAT on sales to Austrian customers, and can declare it through the One Stop Shop.
How would Omno route payments in Austria?
A merchant would connect once and set routing rules per method, amount and customer group. In Austria:
- Card pay-ins would follow rules by BIN, currency and amount, with cascading: if a provider is unavailable or rejects the request, the payment moves to the next provider in the rule until one accepts. Apple Pay and Google Pay would sit in the same hosted checkout.
- eps transfers would go to a provider that supports eps, with the order confirmed by the provider’s notification rather than by the shopper’s return to the store.
- PayPal and Klarna would be offered through providers that support them, with rules by amount and customer group for the pay-later options.
- Wero could be added through a provider with Wero acceptance once Austrian banks offer it.
Webhooks would report the final status of every payment, the record a back office should trust before shipping an order, and the routing-decision log would show which provider handled each payment and why.
What should merchants plan for?
Plan for cards and PayPal first. Together they make up two thirds of online payments, and Austria is one of the euro area countries with the most online payments.
Plan for eps. Austrian shoppers know it from their online banking, and the merchant gets a confirmation straight away.
Plan for withdrawals and refunds. Add the online withdrawal function and check that each method you offer supports refunds, since eps refunds arrive as a separate credit rather than a reversal.
Plan for VAT. Austria now has four VAT rates, so check which one applies to each product, and whether your EU sales pass the EUR 10,000 threshold.