No reason for you to shout at him or consider his words to be not credible. We are Germans and for us is EC or Maestro or V-Pay the equivalent for a debit card. Why the heck do you expect that a US Visa debit card works overseas? Germany is not the US and the more than 80 Million people have other payment habits than the US. An internationally acknowledged Credit Card will certainly be accepted but not a US debit card.

US???

The OP is based in the Bailiwick of Jersey which was in Europe (and part of the British Isles) last time I looked on a map.

UK banks used to issue Maestro cards. Over the last couple of years they have all switched to Visa debit card - which works fine in the UK (and the Channel Islands!) but causes problems in countries whose debit card systems are entirely Maestro-based.

As an aside, I read somewhere recently that Lufthansa charges the same fee for Visa debit cards as they do for Visa credit cards because their system cannot tell the difference.

I am actually living in Germany right now. When I moved here the first thing I got rid of was my Amex as too few stores would accept it. In Switzerland it was not an issue.

The markets in the US etc. are competitive too. In France, Netherlands, Uk, Scandinavia etc. its not aproblem, but in Germany it is.

I guess it has to do how people are being "raised".
When nobody really accepts those cards, why would anyone bother. Same goes for the very limited opportunities to collect miles and points.

To me its still annoying...

In regards to shopping in Germany during weekends, none of my Swiss relatives / friends do that. But I can understand that to some its reasonable to do so, as it´s quite expensive in Switzerland.

This is far from affecting only Americans. Visitors from other parts of Europe have the same problem in Germany. Denmark has a comparable situation, though, with stores often only accepting their beloved Dankort, althogh things have improved in recent years.

For non-EC/Maestro credit/debit-card grocery shopping in Germany, I would suggest going to one of the high-end chains (Edeka, REWE...), rather than the discount places (Lidl, Aldi, Netto...). I know several stores in Hamburg who do accept VISA/MasterCard/Amex.

My bad. Language and style appeared more to be New Jersey than Jersey, CI so I made that mistake. However, it does not make a big difference. As long as a shop cannot get authorisation a shop will not accept a card. And to what I understand the Visa Debit Card System goes back to the issueing bank.

To what I have read the supermarket market in Germany is one of the most competive globally due to the competition between Aldi, Penny, Lidl and Netto. Margins can be as low as 1 or 2 percent. This is certainly different in other countries and as it has been said, it is different in Germany with chains like Edeka, Rewe, Tengelmann and others.

Certain supermarket chains do not take credit cards at all. However, other chains, such as REWE, Edeka and Tengelmann usually take major credit cards. I never had problems using my Amex card in any location of these brands in the last 10 years! Further on, there are SATURNs and Media Markts around that accept AMEX but don't accept VISA or Master Card.

In the end, just keep asking -even if there is no sign at the door. Except for low-cost supermarket chains or small stores ("Tante-Emma-Laden"), there are more stores around that accept credit cards than it looks like.

Using a debit-card system other than Maestro is a different story. However, I cannot expect that German debit-cards will work in any location of this planet - regardless of the company logo on it.

Well, one would expect a VISA-branded (not V-Pay) debit card to work. In places like Sweden this is the kind of card that most people have. Maestro is usually only issued to teenagers and people with bad credit.

i have no problems in germany with my visa electron card. most shops accept it - and for those who don't I must admit, that my german maestro card works fine - and maestro worked fine in France, Switzerland and even in Russia.

If Flying Lawyer's attitude is indicative of the rest of his/her compatriots I shall not be visiting Germany again in a hurry.

Just keep up attitudes like those you have displayed here and your country might just lose the goodwill of a lot of other potential investors.

Germany is not the only country in Europe (or the rest of the world, for that matter). Do try to think outside the box!

I think the situation can probably be summarised like this:

- The German banking system does not recognise Visa as a debit card, only as a credit card. So a Visa debit card can only be used in places that accept credit cards.

- Retailers that expect trade from foreign visitors generally accept credit cards

- Retailers that cater largely to locals (like grocery stores) generally only accept cards that they can process through the debit card system (i.e., Maestro) because there is insufficient demand for them to get connected to the credit card system.

Germans don't expect to use credit cards in supermarkets, and I don't think supermarkets should be expected to make special provisions for the occasional visitor from abroad.

Even Ikea in Germany only accept EC card :td: We bought a baby matress and some other things at Ikea and at the till they told us that they only accept EC card. Fortunately we had cash with us. Mr. Nacho's colleague was shopping in Ikea for furniture in his apartment in Berlin and he took about 300 EUR of furniture and found out that they only took EC card and he was :mad:

Even Ikeas in Denmark accept credit cards.

In MUC we stored our bag at left luggage and we tried to use our credit card and the staff there said, 'Don't you have 3 Euros?' We didn't want to waste our cash (we probably need them somewhere) so we insisted on paying with CC and he was mumbling the whole time - 3 Euros paying with credit card. :td:

You clearly set your sights too low: the whole point of a credit card that it should be usable all over the world (subject, of course, to currency regulations).

The whole point of my OP was to point out the insularity of the German banking system. Subsequent postings have done much to prove my thesis!

Even the IKEA stores in "third world" countries accept credit cards without any demur.

One can only assume that there is something in the German psyche that adores unnecessary bureaucracy and making commercial life as difficult and as frustrating as is humanly possible.

In my experience the vast majority of Germans are happy to use cash or debit cards. What's so bureaucratic about that?

Those that depend on tourists accept credit cards. Tourists who venture off the tourist trail (which in itself is quite laudable) just have to accept that they have to do what the locals do.

I spend about a third of my time in Germany. Not being able to use my UK credit (or Visa debit) cards does not bother me one little bit.

As the saying goes.. "When in Rome do as the Romans" (And when In Germany do as the Germans). I choose to be here. I choose to shop at Supermarkets and Mediamarkt and Saturn. Why should I grumble about something that the locals seem to be entirely happy with?

And I certainly disagree with the notion that having to use cash (or a Maestro card) is somehow more bureaucratic than using a credit card.