girocard is an interbank network and debit card service in Germany connecting virtually all automated teller machines (ATMs) and banks.

German girocards are commonly co-branded with Mastercard's Maestro/Cirrus or Visa's V Pay logo, allowing cardholders to use them in other European countries.

Two principal processing methods can be used: chip-and-pin guaranteed girocard payment and chip-and-signature non-guaranteed Electronic Direct Debit (ELV, Elektronisches Lastschriftverfahren).

The slow pace of the expansion of the girocard acceptance network has attracted criticism from authors who have pointed out that, in the UK, the once-dominant Switch/Maestro debit cards were accepted at 571,268 locations in 2001 (one location per 103 inhabitants) and at over 900,000 places in 2005 – "from high street shops to pubs, opticians, websites, cinemas – even local councils".

girocards are generally not equipped for e-commerce and any attempt to use the internal 19-digit card number, starting with 672 or 482, through Maestro or V Pay will fail.

In addition, some large chain stores such as REWE, PENNY Markt, toom Baumarkt and Netto Marken-Discount offer cashback at the till.