but what people in Germany really use is cash or a girocard (card attached to your regular checking account).
but yes, european reliance on america is horrible, usually in addition to the girocard functionality on your card, which is usable only in germany, there’s also some mastercard or visa functionality in the card, which allows you to use the card at the very least in the SEPA area (single euro payments area, 41 countries are members, visa vpay or mastercard maestro) and in cases where you get the full mastercard or visa on top of your girocard you can of course pay worldwide with a bunch of asterisks.
that means cross-country payments with your card are locked behind america, which is why wero (europe’s new digital payment system for use in the SEPA) makes so much sense.
Girocard is used less and less because many banks don’t issue girocards free of charge anymore. You only get a debit card for free and have to pay extra to get a girocard.
but what people in Germany really use is cash or a girocard (card attached to your regular checking account).
but yes, european reliance on america is horrible, usually in addition to the girocard functionality on your card, which is usable only in germany, there’s also some mastercard or visa functionality in the card, which allows you to use the card at the very least in the SEPA area (single euro payments area, 41 countries are members, visa vpay or mastercard maestro) and in cases where you get the full mastercard or visa on top of your girocard you can of course pay worldwide with a bunch of asterisks.
that means cross-country payments with your card are locked behind america, which is why wero (europe’s new digital payment system for use in the SEPA) makes so much sense.
I wrote them an email asking about Wero and they replied that they’ll launch it soon. So let’s stay hopeful.
I mean I’m surprised they’re not offering SEPA tbh
Girocard is used less and less because many banks don’t issue girocards free of charge anymore. You only get a debit card for free and have to pay extra to get a girocard.
I feel dumb, what’s the difference?
they’re pushing visa and mastercard over germany’s own payment system