I was writing about software. Of course everyone knows German cars are much better than US ones (even the dumbed down ones sold in the US that don't need to han

I was writing about software. Of course everyone knows German cars are much better than US ones (even the dumbed down ones sold in the US that don't need to handle speeds over 100mph). Obviously, US doesn't care about trains, Silicon Valley has like one line comparable to average S-Bahn line and nobody cares anyway. As for your lack of a middle man in paying online via 'Bankeinzug', instead of merchant bearing the cost of payment, you're depending on how many free transfers your bank gives you until it starts charging you fees for any additional transfer (and Amazon often splits your charges per item so you are likely to run over your limit easily).