In Germany They Looked Stunned Each Time I Used Android Pay
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,746
In Germany They Looked Stunned Each Time I Used Android Pay
I was just in Germany, and used Android Pay wherever contactless payments were possible (it avoids the need to sign a receipt with the US chip and signature cards.) I guess the technology must be new there, each time I used it there was a somewhat stunned look from the clerk/waiter. I asked a few times and they had never seen anyone pay with a phone before.
Does anyone know if Android/Apple pay is new there, or are Germans just slow adopters?
Does anyone know if Android/Apple pay is new there, or are Germans just slow adopters?
#3
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: K+K
Programs: *G
Posts: 4,871
Contactless is not new, but it's commonly only used with debit cards.
Mobile payment is not new, as SEPA is commonly used for person to person transfers.
Smartphone-contactless payment....yes it is ultra rare. In fact , I've never seen it used in the wild
Mobile payment is not new, as SEPA is commonly used for person to person transfers.
Smartphone-contactless payment....yes it is ultra rare. In fact , I've never seen it used in the wild
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,746
It's a good option for someone coming from the US as by and large we do not have contactless cards or Chip and PIN cards, so the transaction is much faster and smoother than chip and signature.
#5
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https://mycard.usbank.com/credit/myc...e_reserve.html
#6
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I was just in Germany, and used Android Pay wherever contactless payments were possible (it avoids the need to sign a receipt with the US chip and signature cards.) I guess the technology must be new there, each time I used it there was a somewhat stunned look from the clerk/waiter. I asked a few times and they had never seen anyone pay with a phone before.
Does anyone know if Android/Apple pay is new there, or are Germans just slow adopters?
Does anyone know if Android/Apple pay is new there, or are Germans just slow adopters?
#8
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 18
I am using Seqr (similar to google pay, with nfc too) here in Italy since last August. You should see the faces of the clerks when I'm going to pay. Sometimes I have to guide them through the easy procedure but on one occasion I had to leave my groceries at the supermarket cause a cashier said "I have not been trained". I was very upset but since then no problem. I love this system.
#9
Ambassador: Emirates Airlines
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Manchester, UK
Posts: 18,618
That's just it, contactless had been available in Europe for years, so Apple Pay and Android Pay don't really offer anything. People using phones to pay are generally regarded as freaks (or geeks).
#10
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Frensham, Lincolnshire
Programs: RFC
Posts: 5,093
It's not new, but it is unusual to see in use.... anywhere on the planet, really. The people I've chatted with about it simply don't trust it or see much/any advantage over the existing contactless chip cards. I tend to agree with them.
#11
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 1,107
If you make a lot of mobile wallet transactions, you might be interested in this credit card:
https://mycard.usbank.com/credit/myc...e_reserve.html
https://mycard.usbank.com/credit/myc...e_reserve.html
3x points on "mobile wallet" purchases. Interesting, if that's your thing.
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,746
My understanding is that contactless cards usually have a limit on the amount per transaction. Android Pay seems to have no limit, or has a higher limit, because it is more secure. If you lose a contactless card, the finder can easily use it. If you lose your phone, Android Pay cannot be used by the finder of the phone because you need to know the phone PIN.
#13
Join Date: May 2006
Location: GVA
Programs: BA Gold, LH FTL, KL/AF Ivory
Posts: 1,878
My contactless credit card has a limit on transactions not requiring a PIN entry (40 CHF). Above 40 CHF I have to enter a PIN. Not sure what the limit is when I travel abroad, as I've never hit the limit yet, I just load the card into the reader for higher transactions.
#14
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,746
My contactless credit card has a limit on transactions not requiring a PIN entry (40 CHF). Above 40 CHF I have to enter a PIN. Not sure what the limit is when I travel abroad, as I've never hit the limit yet, I just load the card into the reader for higher transactions.
#15
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,808
The Germans are still very much a CASH ONLY society. I admire them for it actually...cash is anonymous. In Germany it's not unusual to find many businesses that ONLY accept cash. I advise people going there to use cash as much as possible.