Originally Posted by
Concerto
I’m with you all the way. However, Switzerland and Germany are not at all credit card oriented like the USA and people often pay by direct bank debit (myself included). Here the mentality is to book as far in advance as possible, a mentally engendered by the rise of easyJet (whose advertising always screamed that the earlier you book, the cheaper a deal you will get).
Right, different mentality and pricing structures. In the USA, the "sweet spot" for discounted airfares is usually 2 or 3 months in advance, but when there are crazy promos (the type of fares you see on secretflying.com) you obviously want to buy ASAP if your plans are firm. In Europe, earlier almost always seems to be better (especially with the discount airlines).
As far as cash goes, I find it weird. In Iceland, cash is almost useless. In Japan, a country where you'd THINK cash might be useless, lots of folks don't take credit cards. I know in Germany and Switzerland, I always have enough cash in my pocket to pay for dinner in case I need to. In the USA, I can often go a month without needing any cash, except a stash of singles for our silly tipping culture (parking lot attendants, bartenders, etc).