profile

Country Snapshot: Austria

Landlocked in central Europe and bordered by eight other countries, Austria has a population of 8.1 million with Vienna being both its capital and largest city.

Often overshadowed by its larger big brother Germany next door, the Austrian market is an attractive one for webmasters for several reasons.

For starters, webmasters are not legally obliged to stick to the stringent child protection laws of its big brother.

Austria is a sexually tolerant society, with hardcore pornography being freely available at every newspaper kiosk in the shape of the popular ÖKM magazine, which proclaims itself to be Europe's favorite.

It is also the home of several key niche websites that cater for the Austrian's seemingly insatiable appetite for all things fetish – fetishes which, rather conveniently, are more often than not shared by their kinky neighbors next door, who even more conveniently, just so happen to share the same language.

Translating your tours and join pages into German with therefore not only help convert surfers from Austria, but also the 85 million or so other German speakers in both Germany and Switzerland.

More than half of Austrians are online, and according to Internetworldstats.com this market grew by 121.4 percent since 2000.

Credit card growth in the last five years has also been slow. This is because of a number of factors including a culture that is adverse to debt and promotes work, discipline and saving.

Furthermore, poor credit card penetration and a reliance on the German economy, which has performed particularly badly in recent years, has hampered growth in this area, with Austrians often reluctant to use credit cards online with fellow Austrians – yet alone foreign porn merchants based in the USA or elsewhere.

On the other hand, Austria is the world's most attractive pay-per-call market since it allows you to charge €3.63/Minute for content via its "09" premium rate prefix. This is why we pay a full $10 per password sold in that market.

Furthermore, thanks to their careful and conservative attitude towards money, chargebacks from Austrians who pay you this way are practically unheard of.

Phone billing should therefore be included in your billing armory if you intend to make more Euros from this market.

Related:  

Copyright © 2026 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More Articles

opinion

How Layered Fraud Controls Can Stop Card Testing Before Chargebacks Hit

You suddenly have 400 new $1 trial signups. Sales are up, the approval rate looks great and, at first glance, the numbers seem worth celebrating.

Jonathan Corona ·
profile

BranditScan's Aerie Saunders on Fostering Creator Knowledge, Confidence and Community

Aerie Saunders is firmly in her season. When she sits down with XBIZ, a fall-scented WoodWick candle burns in the background, pumpkins decorate her desk and the first signs of spooky season are already on display. Not that Saunders waits until autumn to embrace the macabre.

Jackie Backman ·
opinion

What Mastercard's Scam Monitoring Program Means for Adult Merchants

Mastercard's Scam Merchant Monitoring Program (SMMP) has introduced a new, investigation-led framework that works very differently from the ratio-based chargeback programs the industry has relied on for years. It applies to card-not-present merchants globally, and Mastercard's guidance on business models warranting closer attention includes adult content and dating platforms, along with subscription services, digital goods and forex.

Len Garcia ·
opinion

Why the Right Merchant Category Code Matters for NSFW AI Businesses

You explained exactly what your NSFW AI business does to your payment processor and they seemed to get it. The underwriting process felt thorough and exhausting, but it was well worth it because you began processing.

Jonathan Corona ·
opinion

How Local Payments Can Expand Access and Reduce Friction at Checkout

Global adult platforms often enter new markets with a familiar assumption: If their checkout accepts major cards, they're ready for local customers. In reality, payment habits vary widely by country. Dutch consumers use iDEAL for online shopping, BLIK is a leading e-commerce payment method in Poland, and India's UPI handles billions of transactions each month.

Mitch Platt ·
opinion

How Detailed Receipts Build Consumer Trust and Reduce Chargeback

When was the last time you bought something online? Chances are you looked for the confirmation almost immediately. Did the transaction go through? Does it show what you bought? Were you charged correctly? And if there's a problem, who can you contact?

Cathy Beardsley ·
opinion

What Adult Platforms Should Know About the EU AI Act

The European Union's Artificial Intelligence Act is now largely in force, creating new obligations for adult platforms using AI for content creation, performer verification, age estimation, moderation and other functions.

Corey Silverstein ·
profile

Verifymy's Emma Robert-Tissot on Putting People at the Heart of Online Safety

Warm, friendly and always happy to help, Emma Robert-Tissot has a gift for making even the most complex corners of online safety feel approachable.

Jackie Backman ·
profile

YourVids' Gino on Listening, Learning and Putting Creators First

Get Gino talking about the work creators pour into their careers, and his passion quickly becomes contagious. He deeply appreciates the people powering the business and has firm ideas about what they deserve in return.

Jackie Backman ·
profile

Vendo CEO Mitch Platt Reflects on 20 Years of Lessons and Evolution

More than 20 years ago, three entrepreneurs in Barcelona began gathering over beers to pitch, dissect and routinely destroy one another's business ideas. The ritual was simple: One person arrived with a concept, while the other two tried to expose every weakness. Any proposal that survived earned another look. Most did not.

Jackie Backman ·
Show More