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I have used Apple Pay in Germany since the day one in October 2014 so I feel more or less qualified to write about my experience with German system and to refute lot of misconceptions and stereotypes.



First of all, I do empirically refute the screen shot of supposedly Apple Pay for Germany. The process of adding and authorising German bank card is not shown. No video of Apple Pay with German bank card has ever been posted. When I added my debit card from the American bank in 2014, I switched the Sprache/Region (Language/Region) to Vereinigten Staaten (United States), I saw all of information in German and was able to activate the card. Every iOS version from 8 on has the same activation screen in German language. Don’t believe me? Try set your iPhone to German language and United States region and see the Wallet.



When I started using the Apple Pay on the day one, I had a steep learning curve of which card readers are NFC-enabled and which aren’t. Today, I see more newer NFC-enabled card readers installed than the older ones, and many of them are integrated with the point-of-sale cash registers, meaning the seamless payments using cards. In 2014 and 2015, I could remember which one had new card readers, but many of them already have updated their system so it’s really moot for me to remember which places anymore. I hardly pay with cash nowadays: it’s due to clever manouevre in avoiding the stores that don’t have card readers (it’s not hard to do that today).



While many commenters griped about the shambolic situation in the United States with Apple Pay at retail stores, I haven’t experienced that in Germany yet, mostly the places that can’t or don’t want to accept MasterCard and Visa (about two or three instances so far). I have come across probably one or two newer card readers with NFC function disabled so far.



Due to the new European Union directive enacted in December 2015 (EU 2015/751), the transaction fee is now limited to 0.2% for debit card (EC and Giro) and 0.3% for credit card from January 2016 on. That started the boom of adopting the card transactions and the rapid upgrade to the newer card readers in Germany. Even the public toilets accept the MasterCard and Visa for paying €1 usage fee. That was godsend for me when nature call came so strongly and no coins available…



Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd, notorious for being so tightwad about money, had installed the NFC-enabled card readers and promoted the contactless payment with MasterCard and Visa. It is cheaper to use the card transaction than to use the cash because they would have to have a trusted person counting all of coins and banknotes, entering the amount in the computer, putting them together in the secured pouches, bringing them to the bank (or hiring the secured transport company to do that), and so forth. In addition, cash transactions are often fraught with theft or mistakes.



The minimum amount for card payment has been mostly eliminated. The business still holding onto the minimum amount is increasingly mocked for that. Cheapest I ever paid with Apple Pay was €0.69 for a bottle of water.



GfK, the German consumer research organisation, recently did a survey on speed and determined that the contactless payment is twice faster than cash. Thus, many supermarkets and discount stores have promoted the contactless payment heavily as to speed up the queues. It does take longer to fish out an elusive coin or two for exact change than it takes the cashier to check all of items since German check-out cashiers are famous for rapid-fire action of swiping each item through barcode readers. I see more and more Germans hemming and huffing at the poor saps who endlessly and infinitely dig deeper and deeper in the wallets for one or two elusive coins at the cashier.



Granted, lot has changed since my first ever transaction with Apple Pay in October 2014, using iOS 8. Today, Apple Pay is so blindly fast that the process starts before I have a chance to tap iPhone on the card reader. The fastest ever with Apple Pay was at OBI, which took less than two seconds for the entire transaction.



As mentioned elsewhere in the comment, Germans have discovered the payback or rebate programmes and used them extensively. Payback, the popular rebate programme, has a tie-in with American Express card, encouraging the Germans to shop with American Express as to collect more points. Ditto for Lufthansa Miles & More and other frequent flyer programmes.



To encourage more contactless payments, several telecom companies offer the SIM cards with integrated NFC technology, allowing the customers to use smartphones for contactless payments. Many German banks have contactless debit card option available for their customers to peruse.



What’s more, many German banks have excellent banking apps for the smartphones. That affords instantaneous monitoring of the bank accounts. Germans used to look in the wallets and see how much money they had in the past. They now look in the smartphone apps and online banking to see how much they have and to see what they spent on. That encouraged many banks to incur the fees for printing out the bank account statements and withdrawing cash in excess of €100 (namely Sparkasse). I annoy my mum to use her iPhone instead of stopping by her bank for printed statement every time we’re in city centre for shopping or eating.



Now, what ruffed my feather more every time there’s announcement by Apple…and Germany isn’t on the A-List yet.



I get miffed every time when some cashiers don’t understand or know about the contactless payment technology. Some insisted on handing them the cards so they could insert them themselves. I had to explain what I wanted to do or insist on activating the card reader so I could do it myself. Some required me to sign the receipt when it’s not necessary (especially Galerie Kaufhof).



And lastly…



My biggest peeve is those tiresome and irritating old German stereotypes that commenters keep mentioning every time there’s announcement about new countries being added to the Apple Pay. Lot has changed in the last ten years, ok? Even more in the last three years.
 
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To encourage more contactless payments, several telecom companies offer the SIM cards with integrated NFC technology, allowing the customers to use smartphones for contactless payments. Many German banks have contactless debit card option available for their customers to peruse.
That system is already "dead", if I'm not wrong. Telekom Deutschland stopped it recently.
 
Yeah Germany is very behind in this area. Lots of businesses only accept cash (I have never seen a bakery in Germany which accepts cards), or they have a minimum amount for paying with card (which is actually against the T&Cs for Electronic Cash/EC cards).

If that wasn’t bad enough, you can never find an ATM. Most of the big banks except Sparkasse got together to let customers use each other’s ATMs, but somehow Sparkasse still has more than Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank, HypovereinsBank, etc... combined! Withdrawing money from your Commerzbank account from a Sparkasse ATM costs nearly €5 at a minimum, which is, frankly, an absurdly high figure.

It’s a nightmare. Banking in Germany seems designed to treat the consumer with hostility.

I moved to Germany from the U.K. when i was a kid. Over there, the ATMs are part of the “LINK” network so essentially everyone can make a withdrawal from any ATM with no fees. Basically every shop, even down to the newsagent on the corner, accepts card payments (although the smaller ones do have a minimum amount, it’s still usually lower than the minimum in Germany; £5 vs €10).

The UK consumer baking sector in the mid-90s (when I left) was still more modern and consumer-friendly than Germany is today, in 2017.

Germany has only _just_ discovered cashback! There are only one or two large retailers who will do it (e.g. REWE, since last year, IIRC).
I have a CC from Ing-Diba for free and can withdraw money for free at 800000 ATMs around the world including practically every ATM in Germany. I'm also able to pay contactless with it. Seriously, change your bank and stop talking about non-existing "nightmares". It's just a lack of information on your side.
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Well, such innovations zou can only find in the biggest capital we have - Hamburg <3
Berlin's the capital of Germany...
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I get miffed every time when some cashiers don’t understand or know about the contactless payment technology. Some insisted on handing them the cards so they could insert them themselves. I had to explain what I wanted to do or insist on activating the card reader so I could do it myself. Some required me to sign the receipt when it’s not necessary (especially Galerie Kaufhof).
Yup, I was looking at widened eyes and open mouths when I was swiping my card over the terminal and the payment was done. There is a giant lack of information about what's possible with CCs these days.
 
First of all, I do empirically refute the screen shot of supposedly Apple Pay for Germany. The process of adding and authorising German bank card is not shown. No video of Apple Pay with German bank card has ever been posted. When I added my debit card from the American bank in 2014, I switched the Sprache/Region (Language/Region) to Vereinigten Staaten (United States), I saw all of information in German and was able to activate the card. Every iOS version from 8 on has the same activation screen in German language. Don’t believe me? Try set your iPhone to German language and United States region and see the Wallet.

The Apple Watch setup process has not been available in German yet. At least it has not been presented until now. Additionally to this, with iOS 11 beta 6 we saw a new splash screen to complete the configuration which included setting up Apple Pay. This screen has not been there before.


When I started using the Apple Pay on the day one, I had a steep learning curve of which card readers are NFC-enabled and which aren’t. Today, I see more newer NFC-enabled card readers installed than the older ones, and many of them are integrated with the point-of-sale cash registers, meaning the seamless payments using cards. In 2014 and 2015, I could remember which one had new card readers, but many of them already have updated their system so it’s really moot for me to remember which places anymore. I hardly pay with cash nowadays: it’s due to clever manouevre in avoiding the stores that don’t have card readers (it’s not hard to do that today).

I tend to agree with you on that. Since using Apple Pay with an Canadian Bank, it is a goody to have. On the other side, German CC have been more secure than American CC for ten years. European CC issuers introduced the EMV-Chip at the begin of this century. Some banks changed their cards even though they had been valid for 1+ years.

In the USA, small bank still uses magnetic strip cards. That's why they are willing to share the cake with Apple. It's cheaper for them to work with Apple than changing all their cards with magnetic stripe at once.


While many commenters griped about the shambolic situation in the United States with Apple Pay at retail stores, I haven’t experienced that in Germany yet, mostly the places that can’t or don’t want to accept MasterCard and Visa (about two or three instances so far). I have come across probably one or two newer card readers with NFC function disabled so far.

All the main German retailers/shopping opportunities (e.g. ALDI, LIDL, REWE, almost all gas station, hotels, Galeria Kaufhof) have their terminals with NFC-enabled, because they are also compatible with the contactless Girocard.

If you speak to an average German, you'll hear that they use an EC-Card (they mean the Girocard). The average German don't care how it is called. One can blame the banks for that development, because they are responsible what customers can do with the new card. On the other hand, as long as they are able to get money (for free) at the ATM, the average German is happy.

The problem here is, that banks in Germany have had a bad reputation, for what ever reason. A lot of Germans still believe that that online banking is less secure than offline banking. Germans are known to be much more conservative than a lot of other countries. Even though your assets cover your debts, you get a strange look.


Due to the new European Union directive enacted in December 2015 (EU 2015/751), the transaction fee is now limited to 0.2% for debit card (EC and Giro) and 0.3% for credit card from January 2016 on. That started the boom of adopting the card transactions and the rapid upgrade to the newer card readers in Germany. Even the public toilets accept the MasterCard and Visa for paying €1 usage fee. That was godsend for me when nature call came so strongly and no coins available…

The limited transaction might one hurdle. But why has Apple agreed with banks within in the EU (France, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Sweden, etc.)? Maybe there is a "fix" yearly fee (e.g. 5€ per card per year)?

Now, what ruffed my feather more every time there’s announcement by Apple…and Germany isn’t on the A-List yet.

One could argue, that 40% of the germans have an account with the Sparkasse (divided in numerous small regional Sparkassen (e.g. one region for Frankfurt,, one for Hamburg, ....). If Apple had contracts with the german Sparkasse, they have to negotiate with every regional Sparkasse and have individual contracts. Apple usually started with smalll banks in Europe. Only the UniCredit in Italy and Santander are the only Big Player in Europe who currently offer Apple Pay. The other banks are niche banks compared to the big players (e.g. in Germany Sparkasse, Volksbanken). Even Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank have small market share based on the overall customer market.

And in Germany (outside the filter bubble), the willingness to change banks only for "features" like Apple Pay is pretty slim.


I get miffed every time when some cashiers don’t understand or know about the contactless payment technology. Some insisted on handing them the cards so they could insert them themselves. I had to explain what I wanted to do or insist on activating the card reader so I could do it myself. Some required me to sign the receipt when it’s not necessary (especially Galerie Kaufhof).

I have never seen such an experience. Normally the NFC-terminal is available without handing over the card to cashier.


And lastly…



My biggest peeve is those tiresome and irritating old German stereotypes that commenters keep mentioning every time there’s announcement about new countries being added to the Apple Pay. Lot has changed in the last ten years, ok? Even more in the last three years.

Look outside of your filter bubble. If you talk to people (and that might be 90%+) who are not tech interest, they don't know (and don't care) that their phone might be a wallet replacement. They use their smartphone for What's App, Facebook, Instagram or for calling purposes. They doesn't care it until What's App or Facebook does not work. It's sad, but it is unfortunately the truth.


Here my two most interesting points for the future of Apple Pay this year:

- how does Apple work together with the Spanish CaixaBank:

They are - from an organisational structure - comparable to the German Sparkasse/Volksbanken (locally focused) That might hint us what happens in Germany

- Does Apple has to enable Apple Pay in Germany because of N26 announcement for Europe?

As of today, AFAIK they have to, because every N26 customer receives a German IBAN and a German CC. So by saying that, N26 can't start without launching in Germany as N26 can't divide between German and European customers.-
 
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I have a CC from Ing-Diba for free and can withdraw money for free at 800000 ATMs around the world including practically every ATM in Germany. I'm also able to pay contactless with it. Seriously, change your bank and stop talking about non-existing "nightmares". It's just a lack of information on your side.

Hahaha, that's the German mentality: always try to find a way to blame the person for being irresponsible. That's why the UK and US have far more advanced consumer economies (not just in physical retail, but also online) - they understand the importance of convenience, whereas Germans just blame the consumer for not accommodating to the clearly-stated terms of the business, regardless of what those terms are.

There are lots of consumer-unfriendly business practices in Germany that fall under just such a cloud. For example, the idea that your mobile phone company may automatically renew your contract unless you explicitly tell them not to, and you only get a small window of time where the company has to accept that instruction (so you can't opt-out). I remember I was on a 2-year contract which included an iPhone subsidy, and the mobile operator just extended it for another year (at the same price, even though I'd already paid for the phone), because my termination letter was too early. As a Brit, I find that absolutely outrageous! Moreover, it discourages people from switching mobile operators and lowers overall competition in the market.

I use Commerzbank for a multitude of reasons besides just ATMs; that does not take away from the fact that ATM policy in this country puts needless barriers between the consumer and his/her money. If everybody could withdraw cash at any ATM without fees, it would encourage people to spend more, and the increased flow of money benefits the economy. There have been plenty of times when I wanted to withdraw a small amount of cash (say, €10 for some lunch from a small local shop), but the fact that there were only Sparkasse ATMs nearby and the fees would be about 50% of the sum meant that I held off.

That's the entire lesson of the 'electronic money' revolution: easy access to your money encourages spending. It's a pretty obvious lesson.
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One could argue, that 40% of the germans have an account with the Sparkasse (divided in numerous small regional Sparkassen (e.g. one region for Frankfurt,, one for Hamburg, ....). If Apple had contracts with the german Sparkasse, they have to negotiate with every regional Sparkasse and have individual contracts. Apple usually started with smalll banks in Europe. Only the UniCredit in Italy and Santander are the only Big Player in Europe who currently offer Apple Pay. The other banks are niche banks compared to the big players (e.g. in Germany Sparkasse, Volksbanken). Even Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank have small market share based on the overall customer market.

With my experience of Germany, what I see as most likely is that the banks will form some kind of association for contactless payment fees (if they don't already have one) and collectively come up with terms which they present to Apple, Google, etc. Sort of like GEMA.

The banks will want that, as it gives them more bargaining power, and it means a single point of contact for future contract issues, fee collection, etc.
 
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With my experience of Germany, what I see as most likely is that the banks will form some kind of association for contactless payment fees (if they don't already have one) and collectively come up with terms which they present to Apple, Google, etc. Sort of like GEMA.

The banks will want that, as it gives them more bargaining power, and it means a single point of contact for future contract issues, fee collection, etc.

If the banks are creative, they will find ways to charge anybody for their costs of ApplePay they have to pay.

I could see bank trying to get their money from the customer. Either they will stop offering free cc or they introduce additional options to enable Mobile Payment for their accounts for a yearly fee.
 
If the banks are creative, they will find ways to charge anybody for their costs of ApplePay they have to pay.

I could see bank trying to get their money from the customer. Either they will stop offering free cc or they introduce additional options to enable Mobile Payment for their accounts for a yearly fee.
They already did this. My bank account costs more now.

Another hint for AP in Germany: https://www.iphone-ticker.de/branch...ch-in-diesem-quartal-nach-deutschland-115605/ Considering this article leading direct banks are ready to go. It should have come already in 2016, So, know we know why Germany was highlighted on the map.
 
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Based on my information we will see Apple Pay Launch in Germany (and maybe even more Euro-countries) within September and October. Within the last couple of months, many banks urged Apple to Start Apple Pay by the end of 2017. if that does not happen, all mobile payment project will be frozen due to other more important projects (e.g. Brexit preparations).

The relevant banks are technically ready for three to four months. To summarize it: Apple gambled for higher fees and gambled to high. The reason why Apple Pay has not Lauch in Germany and other Eurozone countries is Apple, not the banks.
 
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To those who are SSK customers: Call them, chat with them about the fact that you want AP. I`ve just closed my chat popup.
 
Still no sign of ApplePay in Germany. Any new rumors around?

I was thinking that ApplePay would launch with iOS 11.1, but I am not sure about it.
 
I just read the general terms and conditions from Stadtsparkasse, for 2018... Credit card and Girocard for mobile devices, biometric authentication etc. You all know, what I think, right??
 
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I just read the general terms and conditions from Stadtsparkasse, for 2018... Credit card and Girocard for mobile devices, biometric authentication etc. You all know, what I think, right??
I found something else, if the use of a Virtual Card is not part of the general terms and conditions, then Apple Pay etc. is not possible.

Source: https://www.iphone-ticker.de/n26-un...ich-jedoch-nicht-fuer-deutsche-kunden-118152/ (Read the answer from Boon-tester, if you are able to understand German.)
 
To sum up where we stand regarding Apple Pay in Germany:

The technical implementation is done - in the back end of the banking system as well as on the OS side (btw: Android Pay is technically also ready)

Apple has also signed letters of intent with several banks. The final contracts are resp. will be signed in the near the future.

I see to two reason WHY Apple (Android Pay) hasn’t launched yet:

Apple awaits the the PSD2 requirements taking into fully effect, as this gives Apple the opportunity to get (limited) access to customer data as if the customer approves. The banks has to grant access to the customer data (transactional related data, etc). There will be an extra Legal Notice Screen during the setup process.

The second reason looks like to the signed banks are niche banks. Apple tries to land the big splash (one big bank signed a letter of intent with Apple to offer Apple Pay).
 
Hahaha, that's the German mentality: always try to find a way to blame the person for being irresponsible. That's why the UK and US have far more advanced consumer economies (not just in physical retail, but also online) - they understand the importance of convenience, whereas Germans just blame the consumer for not accommodating to the clearly-stated terms of the business, regardless of what those terms are.

There are lots of consumer-unfriendly business practices in Germany that fall under just such a cloud. For example, the idea that your mobile phone company may automatically renew your contract unless you explicitly tell them not to, and you only get a small window of time where the company has to accept that instruction (so you can't opt-out). I remember I was on a 2-year contract which included an iPhone subsidy, and the mobile operator just extended it for another year (at the same price, even though I'd already paid for the phone), because my termination letter was too early. As a Brit, I find that absolutely outrageous! Moreover, it discourages people from switching mobile operators and lowers overall competition in the market.

I use Commerzbank for a multitude of reasons besides just ATMs; that does not take away from the fact that ATM policy in this country puts needless barriers between the consumer and his/her money. If everybody could withdraw cash at any ATM without fees, it would encourage people to spend more, and the increased flow of money benefits the economy. There have been plenty of times when I wanted to withdraw a small amount of cash (say, €10 for some lunch from a small local shop), but the fact that there were only Sparkasse ATMs nearby and the fees would be about 50% of the sum meant that I held off.

That's the entire lesson of the 'electronic money' revolution: easy access to your money encourages spending. It's a pretty obvious lesson.
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With my experience of Germany, what I see as most likely is that the banks will form some kind of association for contactless payment fees (if they don't already have one) and collectively come up with terms which they present to Apple, Google, etc. Sort of like GEMA.

The banks will want that, as it gives them more bargaining power, and it means a single point of contact for future contract issues, fee collection, etc.

This. So much this. I once absentmindedly withdrew €20 from an ATM at Cologne railway station, and got charged six euros for my troubles… Also, you know those little machines with your card to verify online transactions? They're free here in the UK, but banks in Germany charge you around €15 for one. Also, my wife had to get a nano Sim card to replace a micro Sim from O2 Germany… They charged her €30 for the privilege...
 
According to my sources, iOS 11.2 contains an updated Apple Pay Engine for Germany and the Netherlands. Changes are unknown at this point...
Sounds great but I still wonder how many weeks (months?) we are away from it finally launching in Germany. It seems negotiations with banks are terribly slow...
 
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