Am I allowed to pay with cash in Denmark?
Yes — you can almost always pay with cash in a staffed shop between 6am and 10pm. Under the cash rule in the Payments Act, a staffed shop that accepts cards must also accept cash between 6am and 10pm. In areas with a high risk of robbery, shops may refuse cash between 8pm and 6am. There is an upper limit the other way: under the anti-money-laundering law a trader may not receive cash of 15,000 kr or more — the limit was lowered from 20,000 kr in 2024, and it is the old figure people still remember. It binds the trader, not you as the buyer. You may pay with at most 25 coins of each denomination, and online shops and unstaffed machines are not covered at all.
📋 The rules
- Staffed shops must accept cash 6am–10pm
- Robbery-prone areas can refuse cash 8pm–6am
- A trader may not receive 15,000 kr or more in cash
- At most 25 coins of each denomination in one payment
- Online shops and machines are not covered
🔓 Exceptions
- Distance sales online or by phone are not covered by the cash rule
- Pharmacies and dentists must accept cash their entire opening hours
- Unstaffed machines and temporary events are exempt
⚠️ Penalties & fines
If a shop breaches the cash rule it is no formality: the Consumer Ombudsman has brought cases with fines of 40,000-50,000 kr, and the bill lands on the shop, not on the assistant at the till. It costs the other way too. If a trader receives 15,000 kr or more in cash, that typically brings a fine of about 25% of the amount above the limit — and the trader pays it, even though it was the customer who insisted. The expensive mistake is banking on the old 20,000 kr: the limit has been 15,000 kr since 2024.
📎 Official sources
- Financial Supervisory Authority · Cash rule →
- Consumer Ombudsman · Cash rule →
- AML amendment · Retsinformation →
❓ Frequently asked
Can I pay with cash?
Yes. A staffed shop that accepts cards must also accept cash between 6am and 10pm, and pharmacies and dentists must accept cash throughout their opening hours. Outside those hours, online and at unstaffed machines the duty does not apply.
Can a shop refuse cash?
Only in robbery-prone areas between 8pm and 6am, in distance sales online or by phone, and at unstaffed machines. Pharmacies and dentists, by contrast, must accept cash throughout their opening hours, wherever they are.
Is there an upper limit for cash payment?
Yes. Under the anti-money-laundering law a trader may not receive cash of 15,000 kr or more. The limit was lowered from 20,000 kr in 2024, and it binds the trader, not you — so it is the shop that must say no.
How many coins can I pay with?
At most 25 coins of each denomination in one payment. If you want to settle a bill in small change, the shop can lawfully refuse everything beyond those 25 coins of each individual denomination.
Does the cash rule apply online?
No. Distance sales online or by phone are not covered, and neither are unstaffed machines or temporary events. The cash rule only binds staffed shops that already accept cards for payment. Machines are outside the rule.
🔎 Common searches
What people search to land here:
- “can I pay with cash denmark”
- “cash rule 6am 10pm”
- “cash limit 15000 kr”
- “shop refuse cash”
- “25 coins payment”
- “money laundering cash”