4 ms·

We actually had a debate about this in Norway; removing cash completely. Only 2.7% of all Norwegian transactions are in cash, anyway. In Norway I can go for mon

by tormeh 12y ago

We actually had a debate about this in Norway; removing cash completely. Only 2.7% of all Norwegian transactions are in cash, anyway. In Norway I can go for months without having any cash with me. Germany, where I live now, lives and breathes cash, which was very shocking when I came here.

xxs 12y ago
I guess that heavily depends on the province you live in. In Berlin and Stuttgart I don't recall using much cash at all.
frik 12y ago
True. Cash is still the primary payment method in central Europe (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, etc). With cash you always have the overview of how much you carry around in your wallet. Cash is also a proven anonymous payment method. ATM are available everywhere and usually free (no service fee). On the other hand online payment (ebanking, paypal) is popular too (for online shopping). All payment methods (incl cash) come with some hidden fees and/or operating costs. And all have advantages and disadvantages. Let's hope that cash will survive for a long time to come.
- mpweiher 12y ago
  "With cash you always have the overview of how much you carry around in your wallet." Also, when you spend, something is removed from your wallet.
_delirium 12y ago
Denmark is having that debate as well. Currently stores doing in-person business must accept cash (part of the law on what constitutes legal tender). There's a proposal to let them go to card-only and not accept cash, but it hasn't passed. One of the complications is that the only card some stores accept is Dankort, a Danish debit card system with low merchant fees (especially true of some small bars, coffee kiosks, etc.). So if they stop accepting cash, those places will effectively become limited to Danish residents. Today even if most customers pay with Dankort, a foreigner can always pay in cash.
- jedberg 12y ago
  Why is that a complication? Wouldn't it be up to the vendor if they want to lose the foreign business? Or are you saying that the government doesn't want it because they don't want to exclude foreigners?
  - _delirium 12y ago
    It's a discussion, but yes, one of the arguments is that allowing places to exclude non-Danes is undesirable from a public-policy perspective. It's currently not legal to explicitly exclude non-Danes: you cannot ask for ID cards and refuse to serve foreigners. This change would make it possible to do that de facto, with the Dankort being sort of the ID card. There is also a possibility it would violate Denmark's commitments to the EU, requiring it to ensure equal treatment of EU citizens in commerce.
    - tormeh 12y ago
      Well, the EU should probably do something about these regional card services. Ideally they should be forced to offer processing to all merchants in the EU. Here in Germany, they have EC and girocard, both of which aren't very foreigner-friendly. Expect foreign Visa cards to only work in the more commercial half of shops that take cards - maybe a third of all places you may want to shop. I doubt Neelie Kroes is listening, but if she is, this is the kind of stuff that needs to go.
ksec 12y ago
2.7% of transaction!!! That is really an eye opener. What do Norwegian paid with? Debit Card? or NFC Credit based Cards?
- tormeh 12y ago
  Debit, mostly Visa with a little Mastercard mixed in.

by tormeh 12y ago

xxs 12y ago

I guess that heavily depends on the province you live in. In Berlin and Stuttgart I don't recall using much cash at all.

frik 12y ago

True. Cash is still the primary payment method in central Europe (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, etc). With cash you always have the overview of how much you carry around in your wallet. Cash is also a proven anonymous payment method. ATM are available everywhere and usually free (no service fee). On the other hand online payment (ebanking, paypal) is popular too (for online shopping). All payment methods (incl cash) come with some hidden fees and/or operating costs. And all have advantages and disadvantages. Let's hope that cash will survive for a long time to come.

mpweiher 12y ago
"With cash you always have the overview of how much you carry around in your wallet." Also, when you spend, something is removed from your wallet.

_delirium 12y ago

Denmark is having that debate as well. Currently stores doing in-person business must accept cash (part of the law on what constitutes legal tender). There's a proposal to let them go to card-only and not accept cash, but it hasn't passed. One of the complications is that the only card some stores accept is Dankort, a Danish debit card system with low merchant fees (especially true of some small bars, coffee kiosks, etc.). So if they stop accepting cash, those places will effectively become limited to Danish residents. Today even if most customers pay with Dankort, a foreigner can always pay in cash.

jedberg 12y ago
Why is that a complication? Wouldn't it be up to the vendor if they want to lose the foreign business? Or are you saying that the government doesn't want it because they don't want to exclude foreigners?
- _delirium 12y ago
  It's a discussion, but yes, one of the arguments is that allowing places to exclude non-Danes is undesirable from a public-policy perspective. It's currently not legal to explicitly exclude non-Danes: you cannot ask for ID cards and refuse to serve foreigners. This change would make it possible to do that de facto, with the Dankort being sort of the ID card. There is also a possibility it would violate Denmark's commitments to the EU, requiring it to ensure equal treatment of EU citizens in commerce.
  - tormeh 12y ago
    Well, the EU should probably do something about these regional card services. Ideally they should be forced to offer processing to all merchants in the EU. Here in Germany, they have EC and girocard, both of which aren't very foreigner-friendly. Expect foreign Visa cards to only work in the more commercial half of shops that take cards - maybe a third of all places you may want to shop. I doubt Neelie Kroes is listening, but if she is, this is the kind of stuff that needs to go.

ksec 12y ago

2.7% of transaction!!! That is really an eye opener. What do Norwegian paid with? Debit Card? or NFC Credit based Cards?

tormeh 12y ago
Debit, mostly Visa with a little Mastercard mixed in.