What happens to Payconiq when Wero arrives in Luxembourg?

Table of content:

What is Wero?
What will happen to Payconiq in Luxembourg?
How does Wero compare to Payconiq?
Luxembourg is not alone: How Wero is replacing local payment methods across Europe?
Why a European payment standard matters?
The next steps for Luxembourg merchants
How the change affects consumers
What you need to remember

Payments in Luxembourg are about to change in a meaningful way. If you or your customers currently use Payconiq to pay in-store, online, or person-to-person, you need to understand what is coming. The short version: Payconiq will be replaced by Wero, a new pan-European payment solution – and the transition window is shorter than you might think.

In this article you will learn:

What Wero is and why it is replacing Payconiq in Luxembourg
The exact timeline: when Payconiq shuts down and what happens next
How Wero compares to Payconiq – and what merchants gain
What Luxembourg merchants need to do before September 2026
How the change affects consumers banking at Spuerkeess, BGL BNP Paribas, BIL, POST Luxembourg, and Banque Raiffeisen

What is Wero?

Wero is the new digital wallet and instant payment solution developed by the European Payments Initiative (EPI). It is an account-to-account (A2A) payment method, meaning payments move directly between bank accounts – with no card network or foreign intermediary involved. Since 2024, Wero has launched in Germany, France, and Belgium. Luxembourg is now joining. The full transition from Payconiq to Wero in Luxembourg is set to complete by September 2026 (Source: https://epicompany.eu/media-insights/wero-successfully-positioned-itself-on-payments).

What will happen to Payconiq in Luxembourg?

Payconiq has been a trusted mobile payment tool for Luxembourg consumers and merchants for years, covering everything from in-store QR code payments to peer-to-peer transfers and online checkouts. It also absorbed the earlier Digicash platform, making it the default mobile payment experience for many Luxembourg bank customers.

That chapter is now closing. Between July and September 2026, all Luxembourg customers and merchants on Payconiq will transition to Wero. The Payconiq app will be permanently shut down on 30 September 2026.

The transition period is designed to be smooth. Merchants will be able to start accepting Wero payments while still running on Payconiq, so there is no hard cutoff that leaves anyone stranded overnight. For many consumers, the switch will happen directly through their banking app, which will integrate Wero the same way it previously integrated Payconiq.

How does Wero compare to Payconiq?

Think of Wero as the next version of everything Payconiq offered – but with a wider reach and additional features being added over time.

	Payconiq	Wero
Status	⚠️ Shutting down 30 September 2026	✅ Launching in Luxembourg 1 September 2026
Payment infrastructure	Proprietary mobile payment rails	SEPA Instant – European sovereign infrastructure
Payment types	In-store (QR code), online checkout, peer-to-peer transfers	In-store (QR code), online checkout, peer-to-peer transfers + subscription management and loyalty (coming)
Geographic reach	Luxembourg and Belgium only	Luxembourg, Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands – more countries to follow
Cross-border payments	❌ Not available	✅ Pay across all Wero countries with one app and one bank account
App model	Standalone Payconiq app or integrated in banking app	Wero app or integrated directly in existing banking app
QR code support	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Merchant integration	Payconiq QR code + API	Wero QR code + API – same infrastructure, simple activation for existing Worldline merchants
Luxembourg banks supported	Spuerkeess, BGL BNP Paribas, BIL, POST Luxembourg, Banque Raiffeisen	Spuerkeess, BGL BNP Paribas, BIL, POST Luxembourg, Banque Raiffeisen
Cost to merchants	Standard transaction fees	Standard transaction fees – activation cost: check with Worldline account manager
Cost to consumers	Free for standard transfers	Free for standard transfers
Future features	None – platform closing	Subscription management, loyalty programmes, expanded in-store options (rolling out)
Digicash / legacy support	✅ Absorbed Digicash	Wero replaces Payconiq – Digicash users transition via their bank

Learn more about Wero

Luxembourg is not alone: How Wero is replacing local payment methods across Europe

To understand why this change is happening, it helps to look at the bigger picture. Before Wero, each country had developed its own local payment method. Each one worked well domestically but could not cross borders.

Giropay was Germany's trusted online banking payment method. It was widely supported by German banks but remained invisible to anyone shopping from abroad. Giropay was decommissioned on 31 December 2024.
Paylib was France's answer to the same problem: a digital wallet developed by major French banks and backed by the Cartes Bancaires network. It served French consumers well for online payments but had no reach outside France. Paylib was decommissioned in early 2025.
Payconiq served Luxembourg and Belgium as a mobile-first payment platform built around QR codes. In Belgium, it has already been rebranded to Bancontact. Payconiq will transition fully in Luxembourg to Wero, completing in September 2026.
iDEAL in the Netherlands is a slightly different story. iDEAL is one of the most dominant online payment methods in European e-commerce, used by the vast majority of Dutch consumers. It too is being phased into Wero, though with a longer runway given its scale. iDEAL is expected to be fully decommissioned by 2028.

The pattern is consistent: each country had built something excellent for its own market, but those local solutions were islands. Wero is the bridge.

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Why a European payment standard matters?

For decades, the dominant payment infrastructure in Europe has been largely controlled by non-European players. For European banks, businesses, and governments, this has long been a point of concern: strategic dependency on foreign infrastructure for something as critical as everyday payments.

Wero is Europe's answer to that challenge. Built on SEPA Instant rails, it keeps payments within European infrastructure. Transactions move directly between bank accounts, with no foreign intermediary taking a cut or holding visibility over European spending data.

For consumers, it means something simple but powerful: one payment method that works whether you are buying from a shop in Luxembourg City, a website in France, or a marketplace in Germany. The same app. The same experience. No need to check whether your preferred payment method is accepted.

The next steps for Luxembourg merchants

If you currently accept Payconiq, the most important thing to know is that you have time. The transition window runs from July to September 2026, and Worldline can guide you through the technical steps. Wero acceptance is built on the same infrastructure as Payconiq, so the change will not require a complete overhaul of your checkout setup. For merchants already processing with Worldline, it's just a simple switch to turn on Wero acceptance in your webshop. Adding Wero as a checkout option will soon be a straightforward way to reach customers not just in Luxembourg but across Belgium, France, Germany, and the Netherlands as well – with more countries expected to follow.

How the change affects consumers

If you use Payconiq today through your banking app at Spuerkeess, BGL BNP Paribas, BIL, POST Luxembourg, or Banque Raiffeisen, the transition will be managed by your bank. In most cases, Wero will be integrated directly into the banking app you already use, with little or no action required on your part.

If you use the standalone Payconiq app, you will be guided to download the Wero app and set it up before the September 2026 shutdown. The process is designed to be straightforward.

The one thing worth noting: once you are on Wero, you gain something Payconiq never offered. You can pay and send money to people and merchants in other Wero countries – without any additional setup. Your Luxembourg bank account becomes your passport for payments across Europe.

What you need to remember

Payconiq has been a genuinely good service for Luxembourg. Its successor is designed to be better in every dimension that matters: faster setup for new users, broader acceptance across Europe, richer features over time, and sovereign infrastructure that keeps European payments in European hands.

The transition is not something to fear. It is something to prepare for. Whether you are a merchant planning your integration or a consumer curious about what changes, the message is the same: Wero is coming to Luxembourg, the timeline is clear, and the benefits are real.

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The Payconiq-to-Wero transition is already underway. For Luxembourg merchants, now is the time to review your checkout setup and confirm your Wero integration is on the roadmap.

Already a Worldline merchant?

Contact your account manager or reach us via the form below to confirm your Wero activation timeline.

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Frequently asked questions

Wero is replacing Payconiq in Luxembourg. Developed by the European Payments Initiative (EPI), Wero is a pan-European account-to-account payment method that works across Luxembourg, Belgium, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. The Payconiq app will be permanently shut down on 30 September 2026.
Payconiq will shut down permanently in Luxembourg on 30 September 2026. The transition period runs from July to September 2026, during which merchants can accept both Payconiq and Wero simultaneously, giving businesses time to switch without disruption.
If you already process payments with Worldline, accepting Wero requires only a simple activation – no complete checkout overhaul. Worldline will guide you through the technical steps. Contact your account manager or reach us via the form on this page to confirm your activation timeline.
No. Once Payconiq is decommissioned on 30 September 2026, existing Payconiq QR codes will no longer be valid. Merchants need to migrate to Wero QR codes before that date. Worldline will support this process for all existing merchants.
Yes – and this is one of Wero's key advantages over Payconiq. Wero works across all participating countries, meaning Luxembourg consumers can pay at merchants in Belgium, France, and Germany using the same app and the same bank account. No additional setup is required.
If you use Payconiq through your banking app (Spuerkeess, BGL BNP Paribas, BIL, POST Luxembourg, or Banque Raiffeisen), your bank will manage the transition and integrate Wero directly into your existing app. If you use the standalone Payconiq app, you will be guided to download the Wero app before the September 2026 shutdown.
For consumers, Wero works the same way Payconiq did – payments are made directly from your bank account at no extra charge for standard transfers. Contact your bank for specific terms and conditions applicable to your account.

About the author

Margaux Scheers
Product Manager Wero, Worldline

Margaux Scheers specialises in digital payments and merchant acquiring for Worldline, with 10 years of experience shaping payment solutions across European markets. As Product Manager for Wero, she leads the acquiring workstream for its launch in Luxembourg and other countries, connecting payment innovation with local merchant needs and making the next generation of seamless European payments a reality.

LinkedIn: Margaux Scheers