Apple Pay in Germany
 

My teenage child is going to Germany with a school group. I'd prefer him not to walk around with too much cash. He does have Apple Pay on his phone. Can he get away with using that for most his meals?

As long as he eats in places that accepts it

Many places in Germany are still heavily cash based. But more are becoming card only. Problem is you don't always know until you walk in and ask.

A lot depends on where they are traveling to. The bigger the city, the less problems using cards / NFC payments.

Most places will have a sign outside. I guess their main problem will be if they themselves are not choosing the restaurant / cafe / etc.etc, when it's a group decision or decided by their teachers / leaders.

I do not know the reason why he should not have too much cash on him and what your definition of "too much" is but I recommend that he should have around 100€ in cash with him. In my opiniion this is not "too much" and should last at least a whole week if used as a backup. A lot of places accept credit/debit cards or Apple Pay / Google Pay but no all so having cash available is recommended.

German-speaking countries/régions are still very cash based, and even though I live in the suburbs of Frankfurt/Main, a lot of places and restos will only take cash.

Fast food chains will accept card though (MC/Visa, forget about Amex).

Thanks. That's good to know. He has an ATM card and I had 50 euro to give to him. He'll be in Berlin.

50€ won't get you very far. That's two meals (solo).

Yeah, it's all I had on me. Well, he has an ATM card and can take cash out as needed.

“As needed” is likely going to be expensive in bank fees if it’s lots of small withdrawals over a single one for a couple hundred €.

€50 for what? Are meals, museum tickets, transportation etc. covered by the group or is everything individual pay? How long is the trip?

I assume that’s for safety (pick pockets) or simply risk of losing it? What’s the backup plan if the teen loses or damages the phone? I guess there is still the ATM card, but I would consider giving them an AU Visa or Mastercard, preferably from a different bank than the one that Apple Pay is using. And then teach them to not keep all eggs (cards, money) in one basket.

notquiteaff - they're on their own for lunch and snacks each day (one week trip), the rest is all paid for. Yeah, he's got back ups (even if he loses everything, he's got his teacher and we could forward funds to him) and he knows not to keep everything together. Since I only had a few Euros with me right now, my question was primarily so I could estimate how much he would need to take out from an ATM when he gets there.

We get all ATM fees reimbursed.

I don't think teenagers are going to places which cost €25 for a meal. More likely to go to McDonalds or get a kebab etc

When I was a teenager I probably carried the equivalent of €1000 in cash on our international school trips. That had to last the whole trip as we had no bank cards.

Doner Kebab was € 9 last week in Stuttgart. Drinks cost extra. Not € 25, but getting there.
The cheaper the place, the less likely to take cards. Those buisnesses like to be "cash only" for a whole lot of (freshly laundered) reasons.

I don't eat kebab, but in Frankfurt/Main it's averaging over 10€ !

It depends where you eat. Outlets in food Courts in malls (like the Mall of Berlin) accept credit cards and so do some smaller restaurants. Even Germany is not that focused on cash anymore. Contrary, if you visit a food stall on a market or prefer the Döner, Currywurst from the smaller shops, you need cash. It depends, where he will be. If you buy something from the groceries stores e.g. Rewe, Edeka, HIT (like packed sandwiches or beverages) you can pay with card

McDonald's, Burger King, Subways, Starbuclks usually accepts credit card (and apple pay)

Right up to the point where you have to pay for parking :rolleyes:

I'm always astonished how many of the street parking machines take only coins in 2025, and how it's still not possible to pay upon exit at a car park.

Some take also cards. Also many cities accept Apps like ParkNow. I would say in 80 tü 90% no need for cash.

At carparks you often can also pay via app or via plate. Beware people max pay upon exit. Great soutce of chaos for Germans.

Berlin is easily navigated with card payments. My sons (we live in Munich) manage nearly exclusively with apple pay linked to their own debit card. The only places they need cash is for the Döner (which costs 6.20€) at a place they love.

Funny anecdote: my colleagues son (16) went to London last year and we organized a debit card for him at the last moment via Revolut so he could pay for food during the school trip as everything in London has become cash free. In the end the class had to eat at McDonalds each and every time because some classmates only had cash with them and McD was one of the few outlets that still accepts cash :D

Update: Kid went on his trip and barely used cash. Never needed an ATM spending a week in Berlin. Thanks for all your input.