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Blik
Blik (stylised: blik) is a payment system in Poland that allows users to make instant payments and withdraw cash using only the user's standard mobile banking app. The system allows users to make online and in-store purchases and to transfer money in real time between bank accounts and ATMs,[1][2] including cash withdrawal from ATMs, without the need of a payment card. Transactions are uniquely identified by 6-digit one-time codes, each time valid for up to 2 minutes, which the user obtains using their mobile banking app. The code can then be typed in online, entered on the ATM screen, or on compatible contactless payment terminals. The payment requires final authentification of the vendor and transaction amount in the app and is instantaneous. Blik allows instant transfers between users by binding phone numbers to bank accounts.[3] These transfers are similarly free and instantaneous, even between accounts from different banks. Some online shopping platforms, like Allegro, are able to connect a customer account to a Blik-compatible app instance allowing for payment confirmation with just a notification prompt and pin code or biometric login. Blik was launched in February 2015 by Polski Standard Płatności, an alliance of six Polish banks,[4] itself a member of the European Mobile Payment Systems Association. The number of participating banks has grown since. Blik had 8,6 million users [5] and processed 424 million transactions in 2020.[6] Between 2019 and 2020, police reported several cases of fraud using Blik ATM withdrawal. By gaining access to a person's social media account, the perpetrator was able to request a loan from victim's acquaintances and perform cash withdrawals if provided with a Blik code.[7] In 2021, Blik introduced contactless payments in POS terminals on NFC-enabled Android devices using Mastercard virtual tokens.[8] Notably, this functionality is also available for Polish travellers abroad[9] and has been dubbed a viable alternative to Google Pay on rooted smartphones. In early 2025, Blik compatibility was for the first time introduced by a foreign financial institution, the British-owned Revolut. Although available to all EU citizens who open a PLN account in Revolut, it still is limited to Polish businesses on the recipient side and therefore has no practical application outside Poland.[10] Participating banksThe Blik service is available from the following banks: References
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