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As a German, I think ot's always intersting to get an outsiders perspective. The article strikes me as absurd, though. There is a deep caution against technolo
by jupp0r 9y ago
As a German, I think ot's always intersting to get an outsiders perspective. The article strikes me as absurd, though.
There is a deep caution against technology here, especially if it's foreign technology. There were numerous attempts by German banks to reinvent the wheel with incompatible payment systems (Geldkarte, ...) none of which could be used for online payment. All of them failed. I would also counter the efficiency argument: having recently visited Norway for vacation, I'm still impressed with the efficiency of grocery shopping where everyone pays with their credit cards. Imho it's a mixture of privacy concerns and generally negative attitudes towards technology.
- k__ 9y agoBut I have the feeling credit cards are getting more mainstream lately. When I moved to Stuttgart 10 years ago I only could pay with EC card at supermarkets, now I can pay with credit card. With the RFIDs they even got much faster, I often don't have to enter a PIN or give a signature, just wave my credit card over the terminal and be done with it. Also I can withdraw money from all ATMs of all banks without any fees.
- rb2k_ 9y agoI moved from Stuttgart to the US 5 years ago. I am always delighted to come back and see that I need less and less cash. It blew my mind when even Aldi and Lidl jumped on the credit card train. Looking forward to the day when I can visit Germany without having to go to the ATM.
- Thlom 9y agoNorwegians mostly use debit card thanks to the BankAxept system which all banks are part of. Most BankAxept cards are both bankAxept for everyday use and VISA if necessary (online shopping etc). When you pay with BankAxept it's counted against your account immediately. Another reason debit is mostly used is that not all shops accept credit card (which might also be because everyone has a BankAxept card so having MaterCard capabilities or whatever costs more than it's worth. I think BankAxept is pretty similar to the Danish Dankort.
- elihu 9y agoI'm glad you brought up the privacy thing. I don't know much about Germany specifically, but people not wanting to create an electronic trail of financial transactions seems like a reasonable explanation for at least some people to be avoiding credit cards.