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In Germany They Looked Stunned Each Time I Used Android Pay

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Old Apr 6, 2018, 3:50 pm
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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?
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Old Apr 6, 2018, 3:55 pm
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Cultural, perhaps? If I remember correctly: Germany is a(n extremely) cash-heavy society, more so than most East Asian city states I've been to.
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Old Apr 6, 2018, 5:12 pm
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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
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Old Apr 6, 2018, 5:31 pm
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Originally Posted by deniah
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
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.
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Old Apr 6, 2018, 5:43 pm
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Originally Posted by BigFlyer
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.
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
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Old Apr 6, 2018, 6:14 pm
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Originally Posted by BigFlyer
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?
I had the opposite reaction here in the States tapping my Amex contactless credit card. Waiter was astounded it worked (he kept referring to it as a "WiFi card"), while being familiar with Apple Pay.
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Old Apr 6, 2018, 7:01 pm
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Apple Pay is not yet available for german customers. And apparently it will also take quite some time, given Apple hasn't even announced it yet.
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Old Apr 7, 2018, 12:20 am
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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.
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Old Apr 7, 2018, 4:13 am
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Originally Posted by BigFlyer
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.
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).
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Old Apr 7, 2018, 4:19 am
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Originally Posted by BigFlyer
Does anyone know if Android/Apple pay is new there, or are Germans just slow adopters?
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.
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Old Apr 7, 2018, 10:26 am
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Originally Posted by guv1976
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

3x points on "mobile wallet" purchases. Interesting, if that's your thing.
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Old Apr 7, 2018, 10:34 am
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Originally Posted by DYKWIA
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).
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.
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Old Apr 7, 2018, 10:45 am
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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.
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Old Apr 7, 2018, 10:52 am
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Originally Posted by catandmouse
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.
When you say you have to enter a PIN above 40 CHF - does that mean you do the contactless wave followed by PIN entry WITHOUT inserting the card into the machine? Or do you have to insert the card into the machine for transactions above 40 CHF?
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Old Apr 7, 2018, 2:35 pm
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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.
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