[microcolonel]

> Like downloading music or films.

I mean, it's understandable that you don't want to be mailing banknotes to Google Play to get your copy of Despacito, but you can definitely buy credit with Google Play in cash (at least in Canada and the U.S.).

Amazon, Apple, and a handful of others are much the same.

[apexalpha]

Outside of the Western world it is common that when you order something online you can go to a bank or other place that has a reverse-atm (sort of) where you can pay for the order with the code you got in the email / webpage by inserting cash into the machine.

This is often found in countries that don't have proper online payment infrastructures.

[FabHK]

Yes. In Indonesia, for example, less than 3% of the population have credit cards, yet online shopping is extremely popular, with many payment options (reverse ATM, as you describe, or paying at one of the ubiquitous Indomaret or Circle K convenience stores, and so on).

[rudiv]

Steam actaully offers 'cash on delivery' for games through their Indian payment partner. The payment provider will send someone to your house who will collect the cash payment and log it in their dashboard, which will trigger it being activated for download in your library.

[wheninnorway]

You can buy Google Play credits, iTunes cards, Netflix cards in convenience stores in Norway. With cash.

[askorwegiansdo]

The only problem is that those top-up cards, as they are known, might be hard-locked to the EU region. Those gift cards tend to be region specific. I don't mean to spam but maybe European cards don't work in Cincinnati so to speak. Don't spend more than you can afford to immediately lose abroad. These Americans need a dictionary for everything, and that's why we love them. Imagine if the British imperial loss over in USA, was a British intelligence job. Owning you for decades you poor Americans.

Edit: typo Fixed

[askorwegiansdo]

We wouldn't want to restage the tea party or baton Rogue fight over some ten dollar cards.