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And in Germany it's Girocard[1]. You couldn't even buy a metro ticket with a Visa / MasterCard in Berlin a few years ago. And maybe you still can't. [1] https:

by krn 8y ago

And in Germany it's Girocard[1]. You couldn't even buy a metro ticket with a Visa / MasterCard in Berlin a few years ago. And maybe you still can't. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girocard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girocard

detaro 8y ago
You actually can buy tickets with credit cards since summer 2017! (it positively surprised me when I checked for visiting friends a while back)
- krn 8y ago
  Thanks, that's great news. My last visit was in May 2017. And for 10 years between 2007-2017 I pretty much carried only cash in Berlin. The cardless life was very strange in the beginning, but I learnt to love the absolute sense of freedom and privacy the lack of any digital records of my day-to-day life provided me. I even stopped carrying my smartphone when I didn't need it. It was like back to 1990s.
interfixus 8y ago
German supermarket chain Aldi was, until not too many years ago, one of the last places in Denmark which didn't take Visa or Mastercard, only the above mentioned Dankort (which I personally abhor, like everything else coming out of its controlling company, Nets).
smsm42 8y ago
I was astonished when I was in Berlin couple of years ago how many places wouldn't accept credit cards. I was used to the US where I could get around for months without carrying any cash, and there everybody was refusing to deal with CCs. And I arrived on week-end, means I couldn't just go to a bank to change cash (there were probably still places to do it, but I didn't know where they were...). Had to borrow cash from local friends to get by until the workweek started. No idea why Berlin is so reluctant to deal with credit cards.
- mafuy 8y ago
  I can answer this :) Because in Germany, everyone uses Girocard. It has a lower fee, so it is preferred over credit cards. We also don't need the consumer protections that credit cards offer because most of them are law here.
  - smsm42 8y ago
    But if you already accept Girocard marginal cost of accepting Visa/MC (with which they are co-branded frequently, as I understand) should be extremely low. But what I encountered is a lot of cash-only places, from fast food & restaurants to museums. In US, where I live, I know maybe one or two cash-only restaurant out of a thousand. In Berlin, it felt like the majority is. And the delta in fees can't be that big...
- krn 8y ago
  > No idea why Berlin is so reluctant to deal with credit cards. https://qz.com/262595/why-germans-pay-cash-for-almost-everything/ https://qz.com/262595/why-germans-pay-cash-for-almost-everyt... A short answer: because of history.
- DKnoll 8y ago
  If I recall there is an ATM in Alexanderplatz station that accepts foreign debit cards (used a Canadian card) and also a currency exchange business. You should always bring some local currency with you if you travel internationally. Your bank will likely get you a better exchange rate than the money changers at your destination.

by krn 8y ago

detaro 8y ago

You actually can buy tickets with credit cards since summer 2017! (it positively surprised me when I checked for visiting friends a while back)

krn 8y ago
Thanks, that's great news. My last visit was in May 2017. And for 10 years between 2007-2017 I pretty much carried only cash in Berlin. The cardless life was very strange in the beginning, but I learnt to love the absolute sense of freedom and privacy the lack of any digital records of my day-to-day life provided me. I even stopped carrying my smartphone when I didn't need it. It was like back to 1990s.

interfixus 8y ago

German supermarket chain Aldi was, until not too many years ago, one of the last places in Denmark which didn't take Visa or Mastercard, only the above mentioned Dankort (which I personally abhor, like everything else coming out of its controlling company, Nets).

smsm42 8y ago

I was astonished when I was in Berlin couple of years ago how many places wouldn't accept credit cards. I was used to the US where I could get around for months without carrying any cash, and there everybody was refusing to deal with CCs. And I arrived on week-end, means I couldn't just go to a bank to change cash (there were probably still places to do it, but I didn't know where they were...). Had to borrow cash from local friends to get by until the workweek started. No idea why Berlin is so reluctant to deal with credit cards.

mafuy 8y ago
I can answer this :) Because in Germany, everyone uses Girocard. It has a lower fee, so it is preferred over credit cards. We also don't need the consumer protections that credit cards offer because most of them are law here.
- smsm42 8y ago
  But if you already accept Girocard marginal cost of accepting Visa/MC (with which they are co-branded frequently, as I understand) should be extremely low. But what I encountered is a lot of cash-only places, from fast food & restaurants to museums. In US, where I live, I know maybe one or two cash-only restaurant out of a thousand. In Berlin, it felt like the majority is. And the delta in fees can't be that big...
krn 8y ago
> No idea why Berlin is so reluctant to deal with credit cards. https://qz.com/262595/why-germans-pay-cash-for-almost-everything/ https://qz.com/262595/why-germans-pay-cash-for-almost-everyt... A short answer: because of history.
DKnoll 8y ago
If I recall there is an ATM in Alexanderplatz station that accepts foreign debit cards (used a Canadian card) and also a currency exchange business. You should always bring some local currency with you if you travel internationally. Your bank will likely get you a better exchange rate than the money changers at your destination.