Hello Folks,

I was in Essen the other day where I tried to buy a few grocery items in a supermarket. I proffered my UK, Visa-issued, debit card - which was refused. Of course, the hausfrauen standing behind me in the queue started clucking and fussing because they were being delayed by a few seconds!

The card worked fine in the local geldautomaten, so can someone explain why it does not work in shops and stores, please?