25 cents is not the drink price
Since 1 January 2025 you pay 25 cents Einwegpfand in Austria on closed PET bottles and metal cans of 0.1 to 3 litres – on top of the product price, with the Austrian Pfand logo. You get it back when logo and barcode are readable. Shoppers comparing Hofer, Lidl, Spar and Billa tills often count Pfand as the drink.
25 ct
mitbringen compares your list across Hofer, Lidl, Spar and Billa. It does not add Einwegpfand to the basket and does not remind you to return empties – the 25 cents come from the deposit system, not from the app.
Two numbers on the till receipt: product price and deposit line
The product price is what the drink costs. The large number on the shelf tag, the one you want to compare.
Einwegpfand is a second number: 25 cents per closed bottle or can with a fill volume of 0.1 to 3 litres, on top of the product price. On the receipt it sits on its own line at 0% VAT – not inside the drink price. Source: WKO, Einwegpfand ordinance FAQs. Returning it means 25 cents back, at a shop that sells logo-marked one-way packs, including a different store from the one you bought from (oesterreich.gv.at).
Two numbers on the till are the drinks analogue of two numbers on the shelf tag: compare unit prices – pack price versus kilo price. Read the €/l of the drink there. The deposit does not belong in that comparison.
Three traps at the till – no invented shelf prices
The deposit trap
A six-pack that looks €1.50 cheaper at the till can be the same drink once 6 × €0.25 comes back. The receipt adds 6 × 25 cents. That is empties, not a discount and not a more expensive drink. Compare the product line, not the deposit line.
The small bottle
25 cents is per pack, not per litre. The deposit is the same for every bottle and can (oesterreich.gv.at). 0.5 l and 1.5 l carry the same Pfand (Option Magazin). If you do not return the empties, the small bottle costs €0.50/l in deposit – the large one only about €0.17/l. Without a return, the 0.5 l bottle is the expensive Pfand.
The milk trap
Cow’s milk in PET is exempt; oat and soy drinks in PET usually are not. Beverage cartons, one-way glass, baby-food bottles and syrups carry no Einwegpfand either. The test is the Austrian Pfand logo, not the fridge door. Sources: oesterreich.gv.at, Die Umweltberatung, Option Magazin.
Worked example, not a shelf price
No 2026 shelf price, no named chain, only arithmetic:
Six-pack 6 × €0.25 → €1.50 deposit
0.5 l PET €0.25 → €0.50/l deposit *
1.5 l PET €0.25 → €0.17/l deposit *
* if you do not return the empties.
The 25 cents are not the drink price.
Worked example, not a shelf price. Not Hofer, not Lidl, not Spar, not Billa, not “seen in September 2026”.
6 × €0.25 is €1.50. That is the deposit line, not a drinks discount. €0.25 on 0.5 l is €0.50/l; €0.25 on 1.5 l is €0.17/l – but only if the bottle goes in the bin. Returning both sets them to zero.
Return it, don’t philosophise
The condition: Austrian Pfand logo and barcode (EAN) clearly readable. The bottle or can should be empty, preferably uncrushed, label still on. Packs that cannot be matched to the Austrian system – including ones bought abroad without the Austrian logo – are refused (oesterreich.gv.at).
You can return them at shops that sell logo-marked one-way packs, including a different store from the purchase. Machine or over the counter. Lidl takes one-way empties in all Austrian stores (Lidl.at, Pfandrückgabe) – that is Lidl, not a claim about Hofer, Spar or Billa.
How this fits the other levers
Three different questions, three different answers.
Which pack of the same drinks line you take is the unit price – €/l of the drink. That is post #4: compare unit prices – pack price versus kilo price.
The deposit line is a number you get back. It does not belong in the drinks comparison.
Where you take the basket – Hofer, Lidl, Spar or Billa – changes the chain. That is post #3: which supermarket is cheaper for your list right now. Own-brand instead of brand is another lever, in post #1: grocery savings in Vienna 2026. Not another own-brand table. Not another chain-role chart.
Compare the list, return the deposit yourself
mitbringen lays your weekly shop next to Hofer, Lidl, Spar and Billa. The app does not add the 25-cent Einwegpfand to the basket – free, set up in under a minute.
What you do at the till, what the app takes over
At the till and in the drinks aisle: compare the product line, check the Pfand logo, return empties with logo and barcode.
At home, before you leave: lay the list across four chains. mitbringen runs exactly that list-level compare – current prices and deals at Hofer, Lidl, Spar and Billa, then the cheaper basket. mitbringen compares your list across Hofer, Lidl, Spar and Billa. It does not add Einwegpfand to the basket and does not remind you to return empties – the 25 cents come from the deposit system, not from the app.
Honestly: the two only help together. The cheaper store with the more expensive drink plus unreturned deposit is still the more expensive drink.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the bottle deposit (Einwegpfand) in Austria?
25 cents per closed one-way plastic bottle or metal can between 0.1 and 3 litres, on top of the product price. You get the 25 cents back when the Austrian Pfand logo and the barcode are readable. Source: oesterreich.gv.at, page “Seit Jänner 2025: Neues Pfandsystem in Österreich”, checked 2026-09-08.
Which bottles and cans carry a deposit – and which do not?
Closed drinks in plastic bottles and metal cans from 0.1 to 3 litres carry Einwegpfand, marked with the Austrian Pfand logo. There is no one-way deposit on beverage cartons, one-way glass, baby-food and FSMP bottles, syrups, or cow’s-milk and milk-mix drinks. Oat and soy drinks in PET are usually deposit-bearing. The test is the logo, not the fridge door.
Where can I return Einwegpfand?
At shops that sell logo-marked one-way packs – including a different store from the one you bought from. Machine or over the counter. The logo and barcode (EAN) must be readable; the bottle or can should be empty and preferably uncrushed. Packs without the Austrian logo, including ones bought abroad, are not taken back. Lidl takes one-way empties in all Austrian stores; that is a Lidl fact, not a claim about Hofer, Spar or Billa.
Does the deposit count as the drink price when I compare Hofer, Lidl, Spar and Billa?
No. Einwegpfand sits on the receipt as its own line at 0% VAT. It is not the drink price. Compare the product line – and take the 25 cents back when you return the empties. Anyone who only compares the till total often counts €1.50 of deposit on a six-pack as the drink.
Ready to compare the list – and read the deposit as its own line?
Build your list in mitbringen and compare Hofer, Lidl, Spar and Billa in one pass. You handle the 25 cents at the till and the reverse-vending machine.
Sources
- oesterreich.gv.at: New deposit system in Austria since January 2025 – Einwegpfand since 1 January 2025; 25 cents; closed plastic or metal packs 0.1 to 3 litres; Austrian Pfand logo; return at shops (including a different one); logo + barcode readable, empty, preferably uncrushed; no return without the Austrian logo; last updated 1 January 2026.
- AK Vienna: Das Einwegpfand – 25 cents per one-way plastic bottle or drinks can; return at shops that sell them.
- Wien.gv.at: One-way deposit since 1 January 2025 – same 25-cent rules; last updated 2 July 2026.
- Die Umweltberatung: 9 questions and answers on Einwegpfand – no deposit on one-way glass, beverage cartons, cow’s-milk products / >51% milk, syrups.
- WKO: Einwegpfand ordinance FAQs – deposit as its own line at 0% VAT; return credit likewise.
- Recycling Pfand Österreich – system operator (EWP Recycling Pfand Österreich gGmbH). No deep links to 404 FAQ paths.
- Option Magazin: Einwegpfand in Austria – 25 cents independent of size (0.5 l same as 1.5 l); oat/soy drinks usually deposit-bearing, cow’s milk not.
- Lidl.at: Pfandrückgabe – one-way return in all Austrian Lidl stores. Do not copy that onto Hofer, Spar or Billa.
- Compare unit prices (mitbringen, post #4) – €/kg and €/l of the drink.
- Cheapest supermarket (mitbringen, post #3) – where to take the basket.
- Grocery savings in Vienna 2026 (mitbringen, post #1) – what to buy.
The worked example (six-pack €1.50; €0.50/l vs €0.17/l) is arithmetic, not a measured shelf price and not a mitbringen figure. All legal and deposit claims come from the original sources linked above. This section must stay visible and linked on the published page.