It wasn't required by law and the ocpp charging protocol, used to manage charge sessions at a high level between the charger and the service provider (not the vehicle) did not include payments management. Everybody just found it easier to manage payments using apps and credits. But I think Europe is going to make it mandatory soon(ish)

These chargers have an RFID tag too, but I'd forgotten it in my jacket, so it was mobile app for me.

There are some chargers that take card payments though. My local IKEA has some. There's also EU legislation to mandate payment card support.

https://electrek.co/2023/07/11/europe-passes-two-big-laws-to...