[hexfish]

10-15 years ago (when I started using paypal) most Europeans didn't have a credit card and most US-based services (and things like Ebay and Dealextreme) didn't accept anything but credit cards and paypal. And this sometimes is still the case.

[Fradow]

Credit card is a rarity in Europe, because what we call a "credit card" is actually a debit card. Credit card are available at a premium, and while they offer some other advantages, few people use those. Visiting the US is actually one of the compelling reasons to get one.

In France (and I'm going to guess similar rules exist in other EU countries), businesses are required to accept at least 2 different payment options. They choose which 2, for example Apple Store accepts cards or ... cash. Buying a Mac with cash is a funny albeit slightly stressful experience.

[sebazzz]

To clarify, what I as a Dutch person would define:

- Debit card: payment is immediately subtracted from the bank account. "Normal". No charge backs. Accepted almost everywhere. No or nearly no charge per transaction (for the user). Return debit possible (when returning an item)

- Credit card: payments either summed as a loan or monthly charged from the bank account. Charge backs possible. Costs additional money each year, and some transactions may also cost 10 or 15 cents. Not accepted everywhere, mostly in diners or super markets - not in most retail stores. Most people don't have a credit card and/or don't use it regularly.

[FartyMcFarter]

That's not true. Debit cards are more common, but credit cards are also very common in Europe:

https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/rankings/people_with_credit...

[seszett]

I see that 50% of people in Belgium have credit cards and I suspect it's because bank cards until very recently used to be almost only usable in Belgium, and not for online purchase (except at some Belgian stores). So you would need a credit card for a "normal" modern online life.

Not sure if it's still true but it also used to be the case in Canada while I lived there a decade ago or so.

Bank cards today seem to be double more and more as Mastercard/VISA debit cards and I think the amount of people bearing credit cards might decrease in the future. At least that's what has been happening with a few people around me.

[BrandoElFollito]

Almost nobody in Europe uses credit cards. We use debit cards, various types (immediate, deferred, ...).

It was also the case 10-15 years ago. The usage has became much higher, but it was already all right by then.

Except Germany, for cultural reasons.

[FartyMcFarter]

Plenty of people have credit cards in Europe. In 11 countries, the majority of people do, in fact:

https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/rankings/people_with_credit...

[BrandoElFollito]

France is listed at 40% and there are no issuers of credit cards for the general population in France across the main banks. I do not know where they took the data from, but this is far from being the reality. Idem for Poland and Germany.

[Denvercoder9]

That statistic is about possession though, the parent comment is talking about usage. I'm in the one-third of my country that has a credit card, but I use it maybe five times a year, while I use my debit card daily.

[freetanga]

A same-bank-as-your-cash-account credit card set up for full payment at the end of the month, so there is no financing.

Technically a CC, feels like a DC. Thats my experience in EU a I worked in Banking in many countries .

[utucuro]

My reason for getting a credit card as soon as possible when I moved to Germany, was being able to switch the country of residence of some of my services to Germany, because they only accepted a local credit card as proof of residence here. Google was the main culprit in this regard. Mind you, the credit card itself is a serious joke - it's designed to be useless as far as I'm concerned. You cannot change the billing date, the app doesn't even show you the cutoff date. You cannot change the pin at all - if you request a new pin, they send you a new card.

The only good way I've found to use the card is through Paypal, ironically. At least this way I can see, down to the minute, what I spent and where, which the bank is unable or unwilling to show me.

[BrandoElFollito]

Which credit card did you get in Germany? (I am seriously interested in that question)

[utucuro]

Deutsche Bank - just about the only real use it has for me is to build a credit history here. If you consider using this bank in Germany and you're not a big business, avoid them like the plague.

[BrandoElFollito]

There is no credit on the cards you get in the EU, except if you ask for some. By default there is no.

A credit card is, well, a credit with rates etc. You may pay a part and the rest runs as a credit. You have a specific contact for that. Also a credit card can be issues without a backing bank account. Our cards always (in practical sense) are backed by an account.

This is not how the cards work in the EU. You have delayed debit but no credit (formally - in practice you spend the money of the bank obviously, but you have to pay in full after 30-45 days).

American Express is a system that is used by companies (for various reasons) and this IS a credit card, but people use it for business related reasons and its delivery is triggered by the company.

[martin8412]

I live in Spain and I absolutely have a real credit card. The interest rate is awful(18%), but as long as I make a minimum payment each month, it's up to me when I pay it off.

[BrandoElFollito]

Ah! Which card is it? (which issuer). Is it attached to a bank account?

Is it common in Spain to use CC, as opposed to Debit Cards (usually delayed payment ones)?

[Ekaros]

I have had a card that could work for online payments for nearly 20 years... They really were not very rare in many places of Europe.