justperry
macrumors G5
No it isn't, I already have my card out upon paying, tap, done.
As for security, I already answered that before, where I live I don't have to bare the costs if my card gets compromised, the banks do.
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Apple Pay Launches in Germany
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No it isn't, I already have my card out upon paying, tap, done.
As for security, I already answered that before, where I live I don't have to bare the costs if my card gets compromised, the banks do.
Internet Enzyme
macrumors 65816
To me cash is kind of a 'legacy' concept—I can't see anyone fiddling around with pennies or dollar bills in the 22nd century
tevion5
macrumors 68000
I suppose the ease of spending can make it easier to impulse buy, but I wish we did away with cash altogether!
I hate carrying change.
Much harder to mug someone for money.
Pretty much brings an end to a bunch of illicit criminal transactions, with full accountability of every penny. Much harder to escape the tax man!
I love making fingerprint NFC purchases with ApplePay on my 6S everyday for small items.
- Convenience depends on preference and situation. I find Apple Pay far more convenient - especially on the Apple Watch. I don't have to get anything out of my pocket, so it's quicker, and I never have to enter a PIN.
If your tap to pay plastic card is less secure, the likelihood of it being compromised are higher than with Apple Pay. If it is compromised, you will be inconvenienced even if you don't bear the costs. Hence Apple Pay is more convenient. 😉
Interestingly enough N26 who have launched recently don’t support Apple Pay over here in the UK.
Good to see Germany join the party... but c’mon Apple and spread the love to The Netherlands now 🙂
Good to see Germany join the party... but c’mon Apple and spread the love to The Netherlands now 🙂
justperry
macrumors G5
Bold, that I can fully agree with but that's the only reason.
If you lose your iPhone you are also inconvenienced so moot point.
Really, in many places it won't add a thing, except the watch maybe.
People are getting lazier by the day, Tap and Pay is already fast enough.
dampfnudel
macrumors 603
logicstudiouser
macrumors 6502a
I think the cultural difference here is that Germans tend to use any kind of cards only for stuff that costs more than they carry around in cash with them. And for those kinds of purchases, using a card is generally not a problem (though sometimes this is via direct debit authorisation, "Lastschriftverfahren", which might not work across borders, or maybe it only works inside the Euro area).
It's places like bakeries or kiosks that may not always accept cards. Though not a perfect comparison, it's things you can pay for with coins (instead of banknotes) that you might not be able to pay with cards. I cannot remember any instance when I wasn't able to pay for with a card in Germany, but then I wouldn't use any kind of card for daily purchases anyway and thus I'm probably not the best person to ask.
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Yes, the issuing bank needs to support it. I tried entering debit and credit cards from banks not on the list and I got the response that my bank does not support it. If you really want to use Apple Pay in Germany now, the easiest way might be to get another account (and debit card) with one of the online-only banks that support Apple Pay (eg, N26). Costs for this should be pretty low with online-only banks.
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verpeiler
macrumors 6502a
Maybe 2-3 years ago, but now most stores updated their payment device and almost every store I visit accepts my contactless EC- or VISA-Card.
Many people here just have a better feeling for money when you actually have to spend it in a physical way. Paying everything with cards gives you less control (no wonder why so many americans are in debt).
Oh, and unless you're living in the future and found a way to post in a forum from the past, you're living in the 21st century ;-)
justperry
macrumors G5
chfilm
macrumors 68040
I wonder guys, if there’s a favorite café of yours here in Germany that simply doesn’t accept any kind of card payment- what’s the best way to push them towards it? The bartenders usually just react with a shrug and don’t know what to answer me when I ask them about it. Most of the time they’re Americans themselves who are annoyed by the fact that their bosses didn’t find it necessary to install a reader in the place.
How to put some pressure on these owners so that they bring their place to the 21st century?
How to put some pressure on these owners so that they bring their place to the 21st century?
BvizioN
macrumors 603
Going cashless is great! Someone is going to lose on this and I can't imagine it is going to be the good guys.
Very true and I may add one thing as far as credit cards in Germany are concerned: They are not really credit cards like the ones in the states, because whatever you put on them will be deducted from your bank account by the end of the month in full!
In the US, you will get your credit card bill and it will state what the minimum payment is, that you have to do. You don't have to pay the full amount due. So, if, like many americans do, you have lots of different credit cards, it is very easy to get in debt really fast. That can't happen like that with a german credit card, because it's nature is more like a debit card that subtracts the total by the end of the month in full.
I have family in the states and I also can't believe, that all the utility bills and other stuff is still paid by check. That seems so ancient to me and it is such a hassle. Just alone the postage that has to be paid every month to send in those checks!
A little anecdote: When I was in NYC three years ago, I wanted to purchase metro north tickets for my family and couldn't pay with credit card, because foreign credit cards are only accepted up to $ 50 per day! When I asked the lady in the booth why that was like that, she replied: Well, that is because you are from another country and we don't know if we ever get paid those $ 50 from your card! I thought to myself, lady, there is something you haven't at all understood about how credit cards and the financial system work. If that had happened somewhere in North Dakota, granted, but in NYC?
Nowadays in Germany I have problems paying with cards just in restaurants or small shops. Any supermarket, any big clothing, electronics,... shop in the city supports contactless payments since a while. Yes, Germany is still behind but things are moving faster. When I wait at the cashier at Rewe, I already see that the majority of the customers is paying with card.
Speaking of Apple Pay... Do you know if the cashier needs to activate something specific when you pay with it or it is just a normal contactless payment for the terminal? Meaning...can I just say that I pay “with card” and then use my watch or do I have to explicitly say “with Apple Pay”? With the former I would avoid much discussions...
Speaking of Apple Pay... Do you know if the cashier needs to activate something specific when you pay with it or it is just a normal contactless payment for the terminal? Meaning...can I just say that I pay “with card” and then use my watch or do I have to explicitly say “with Apple Pay”? With the former I would avoid much discussions...
I don’t know if there are differences to foreign debit cards but I’ve been primarily using my bank issued ‘Girocard’/Maestro debit card for the vast majority of my daily payments for the last decade. There are a few little cafés, bars or shops that don’t accept any cards but every standard restaurant, retailer, supermarket, drugstore, gas station or whatever has a card terminal - and I can even pay for the bus ticket contactless in my eastern German city. You might not always be able to use a credit card but as others explained there has never been a need for a wider credit card acceptance in Germany since they offer no advantage over the existing bank cards and have been more expensive for both customers and retailers for the longest time (until the EU regulated the payment fees).
In my experience the only USP of credit cards is car rentals where you can (/have to) use them for the deposit without actually deducting that money from your bank account.
And speaking of privacy, since Apple likes to highlight it: I think it is a huge disadvantage of credit cards that they include at least one additional company (Visa/MasterCard/AmEx...) in your regular payment processes - even two if the card isn’t issued by your own bank - enabling those companies to track your purchasing behaviour. This is completely unnecessary and in my eyes much worse than the risk of having your card skimmed at a rigged terminal.
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colmaclean
macrumors 68000
Sparkasse has their own mobile payment system....
https://angebote.berliner-sparkasse.de/online/mobilesbezahlen
Currently Android only. I'm guessing Apple told them to shove their app and to use Apple Pay instead... 😀
https://angebote.berliner-sparkasse.de/online/mobilesbezahlen
Currently Android only. I'm guessing Apple told them to shove their app and to use Apple Pay instead... 😀
Apple doesn’t allow any third-party developer to use NFC-functionality for alternate payment systems. They said it would ‘fundamentally diminish’ revenue, sorry, I meant ‘security’, because they don’t trust banks to meet the high standards Apple mandates for payments made on their systems (funny they don’t require those standards to be met by payment systems not directly competing with Apple Pay like PayPal, isn’t it?).
This is the only reason Deutscher Bank offers Apple Pay, otherwise they would force users to use their own App like they do on Android instead of supporting Android Pay.
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Prince Akeem
macrumors regular
Talking about card payments (be it debit or credit card), I was amazed about how behind Germany still is in most areas outside of the big cities. In most shops or restaurants (with the exception of gas stations) in villages, or even towns, cashiers or restaurant employers are often gazing confused at you when you ask to pay with card.
Here in the Netherlands, by now virtually everyone accepts card payments, you can even safely assume card payments (even NFC contactless) are accepted at something like a countryside farm that sells traditional cheese 🙂
BTW, while we're on the subject of the Debit/European-PIN versus Credit Cards discussion; it's true that over here in Europe, or at least in Netherlands/Germany, debit is more common than credit. But in Netherlands credit card is accepted on post places. I also strongly believe that credit card is a MUCH safer and better system. That is, you remove ANY risk when using a credit card. You have zero liability. If you have any dispute on a purchase (be it online or in physical store), the seller can deal with the credit card company and not you. If someone steals it and takes a lot of money, it's not your problem, the credit card company deals with it. It's too bad something like a US credit score system doesn't exist here in the Netherlands, don't know about Germany.
Here in the Netherlands, by now virtually everyone accepts card payments, you can even safely assume card payments (even NFC contactless) are accepted at something like a countryside farm that sells traditional cheese 🙂
BTW, while we're on the subject of the Debit/European-PIN versus Credit Cards discussion; it's true that over here in Europe, or at least in Netherlands/Germany, debit is more common than credit. But in Netherlands credit card is accepted on post places. I also strongly believe that credit card is a MUCH safer and better system. That is, you remove ANY risk when using a credit card. You have zero liability. If you have any dispute on a purchase (be it online or in physical store), the seller can deal with the credit card company and not you. If someone steals it and takes a lot of money, it's not your problem, the credit card company deals with it. It's too bad something like a US credit score system doesn't exist here in the Netherlands, don't know about Germany.
I can't add a credit card, because a software update is required. Am I understanding this correctly, that only iOS 12 users will be able to use Apple Pay? I'm on iOS 10 with an iPhone SE.
I don't think it is about being behind something.
We Germans are different 🙂
We don't like paying with credit cards. 80% of the Germans still pay with cash only. If you can't pay cash you will go for a debit card, maybe a contactless one. Honestly, it all comes together with data protection. We don't want to be tracked even it costs comfort.
In 2001 the European Union (Germany is part of it) got the € as currency. After 17 years 12,5 billion DM-Mark (German's currency before the €) is till in the hands of Germans and it is still accepted in some of the shops 🙂
We are strange 🙂
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and more, for instance DKB.
https://www.apple.com/de/apple-pay/
We Germans are different 🙂
We don't like paying with credit cards. 80% of the Germans still pay with cash only. If you can't pay cash you will go for a debit card, maybe a contactless one. Honestly, it all comes together with data protection. We don't want to be tracked even it costs comfort.
In 2001 the European Union (Germany is part of it) got the € as currency. After 17 years 12,5 billion DM-Mark (German's currency before the €) is till in the hands of Germans and it is still accepted in some of the shops 🙂
We are strange 🙂
[doublepost=1544620176][/doublepost]
and more, for instance DKB.
https://www.apple.com/de/apple-pay/
lartola
macrumors 68020
Traveling to Germany and using apple pay has always been possible. From day one, Apple Pay has always worked anywhere there is contactless payment once it’s set up with a supported card regardless of specific support by local banks in each country. With a supported US card, for example, I have been able to use apple pay in Mexico regularly since 2016 despite that apple hasn’t launched it in the country.
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Apple pay is just a normal contactless payment for the terminal, and it uses the same reader as the contactless cards. Therefore, you can just say you’re paying with a card (or contactless card) and then use the watch instead, as many cashiers may believe that they still can’t take apple pay because it’s just launching. As soon as the cashier unlocks the reader and it is ready to tap the card, just tap your watch on the same reader instead. That’s how I do it here in Mexico, where apple pay hasn’t officially launched and therefore people would say no they don’t have it if I specifically asked for apple pay.
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