> Well yes, but surely that's something that cash does even better, isn't it? [...] > Agree re credit cards, but I never carry a balance, they're just a payme

> Well yes, but surely that's something that cash does even better, isn't it? [...] > Agree re credit cards, but I never carry a balance, they're just a payment mechanism. I think you just answered your own question. For most people here (Holland), a credit card is not a 'default' (and so many people don't even have one). We still use our debit card all the time because it's so much more convenient as payment method than messing around with cash. Over the past few years they've been rolling out contactless payment, which is even better. You see the amount of a screen, swipe your card, and only after x transactions or over a certain amount are you asked to use the chip and enter your PIN. I'm pretty sure most of these machines also allow you to use your phone (or watch) to pay for things, but that's not as common yet. Or another example: one of the big supermarket chains here has been rolling out self-checkout kiosks at many of their stores, making the process even easier: take the stuff you want, scan it, swipe your card, and just walk away!