Hebrew for Credit Cards in Israel

If you live in Israel, you will hear credit card and payment words all the time: in stores, over the phone, on delivery apps, and when paying bills. The good news is that the basic Hebrew is pretty manageable. You do not need a huge vocabulary to handle most situations.

This guide focuses on the words and phrases you are most likely to see and hear when paying with a card.

Core words to know

• כרטיס אשראי — credit card
• כרטיס — card
• אשראי — credit / credit card-related
• תשלום — payment
• לשלם — to pay
• בכרטיס — by card / with a card
• במזומן — in cash
• חשבון — bill / account
• סכום — amount
• קבלה — receipt

A very common phrase is:

• אפשר לשלם בכרטיס? — Can I pay by card?

You may also hear:

• רק מזומן — cash only
• לא עובד — not working
• הכרטיס עבר? — Did the card go through?

Useful phrases in real life

In a store

• אפשר לשלם בכרטיס אשראי? — Can I pay with a credit card?
• אפשר בתשלומים? — Can I pay in installments?
• צריך קוד? — Do I need a PIN/code?
• אפשר בלי מגע? — Can I tap / pay contactless?

On the phone or with a service rep

If you are paying for a service, you might hear questions like:

• מספר כרטיס — card number
• תוקף — expiry date
• שלוש ספרות מאחורה — the three digits on the back
• שם בעל הכרטיס — cardholder name

You can also say:

• אני רוצה לשלם בכרטיס אשראי. — I want to pay by credit card.
• אפשר לחלק לתשלומים? — Can I split it into installments?
• לא קיבלתי אישור. — I did not get confirmation.

What you may see on signs and screens

Some common words on payment screens and receipts:

• סכום לתשלום — amount to pay
• אישור — approval / confirmation
• דחייה — decline
• הזן קוד — enter code
• העבר כרטיס — swipe the card
• הצמד כרטיס — tap the card

If a machine asks for תשלום, it simply means payment. If you see אשראי, it usually refers to credit card payment.

A few practical notes

In Israel, people often say אשראי when they mean a card payment. So if someone asks באשראי או במזומן?, they are asking whether you want to pay by card or cash.

Also, not every business uses the same payment setup. Sometimes the answer will be כן, sometimes רק בשעות מסוימות, and sometimes אין. If you are not sure, a simple question like אפשר לשלם בכרטיס? is usually enough.

If you are also learning how to handle everyday conversations with service staff, Hebrew for Israeli Service Calls is a useful next step. And if you need to ask for a bill in a restaurant or café, Hebrew for Saying You’re Hungry can help with food-related situations too.

Quick practice

Try reading these out loud:

• כרטיס אשראי
• אפשר לשלם בכרטיס?
• רק מזומן
• תוקף הכרטיס
• אפשר בתשלומים?

Mini dialogue

A: אפשר לשלם בכרטיס?
B: כן, בטח.
A: מעולה, תודה.

Or at a service desk:

A: אני רוצה לשלם בכרטיס אשראי.
B: בסדר, תעביר את הכרטיס כאן.

The main goal is not to memorize every payment word at once. Start with the basics: כרטיס אשראי, לשלם, בכרטיס, במזומן, and אפשר לשלם?. Those five will already help in many everyday situations.