>At food stores almost everyone was paying with cash though there was some sort of card reader (debit I assume ...?) that I saw people using occasionally. Ther

>At food stores almost everyone was paying with cash though there was some sort of card reader (debit I assume ...?) that I saw people using occasionally. There is a popular domestic EFTPOS scheme used in Germany. A lot of small shops (especially restaurants) don't use it though because it leaves a papertrail (ie. you have to pay taxes on it). Often Maestro/VPay will be accepted though. In terms of card payments in general: A lot of people associate (credit) cards with being poor, in debt and having no control on how you are spending your money. Cash on the other hand is associated with having control on how much you are spending. I've even seen people apologizing at the register, because they are paying a "small amount" ($5+) with card. Almost all big stores accept credit cards now though after the European union cut the fees.