[colincsl]

I'm living in Germany for the summer and am surprised at how little people use cards here compared to the in the states. I love being able to use a debit/credit card so that everything I buy is logged. That means I can see everything (automatically tagged) using Mint. It also decreases the hassel of carrying as much cash around and going to the ATM as often.

On a tangent, it seems like people here have more of a negative view on credit cards - as if they assume you only use one if you can't actually pay. As long as you pay off your bill each month there is no real downside for the customer.

[ivancdg]

Here in France, people use debit/credit cards to buy EVERYTHING.

Some merchants discourage this by insisting on a 15 euro minimum charge. But by and large cards are used more often than cash. In restaurants it is common to split the payment of the meal and have each person contribute via a card.

It's been that way for years, although the frequency of card use is not as overwhelming as in the US.

At the supermarket, if I buy a bottle of water (0,18) I pay with a credit card. The majority of people do the same thing.

Caveat: many people, especially free-lancers, are paid in cash to avoid paying taxes on part of their income. Those people pay cash for everything. The give-away is the use of big bills (50, 100 euro bills) for small purchases.

[ErikHuisman]

Here in the Netherlands people are encouraged to use debit cards even for small amounts. Sometimes even with a small discount. The largest supermarket chain has way more "pin only" cashiers than pin and cash. It's cheaper and saver to process.

[jurre]

Yeah, but on the other hand it's hard to find a place where you can pay by credit card, even the large super market chains don't accept them. Although almost no one here uses them because are debit card system works very well.

[themckman]

I see a lot of talk in this discussion about debit cards. I currently have only a debit card through my bank with my checking account, however, always run it as a visa and NEVER run it as a debit card. A lot of times, for small purchases, I don't have to sign, so it's quicker then running it as debit since I'd have to enter my pin. I don't know why I never run it as debit. Something about entering my pin in line at a store with people around?

[jurre]

Here you always have to use your pin with credit cards too afaik!

[textminer]

Spent a summer in Paris. Still chastened by a Monoprix cashier not being able to take my card for whatever reason, and a woman in line behind me telling me it's "not like America."

Also enjoyed the spectacle of tobacconists not knowing to swipe my less-secure magnetic strip, looking for my smart card chip.

[mikenon]

In the US charging a minimum for card transactions is usually a violation of your contract with Visa/Mastercard, and possibly a violation of the law in 10 states [1]. Are there similar contracts or laws in France?

[1] http://usa.visa.com/personal/using_visa/checkout_fees/

[twoodfin]

That's about checkout fees, not minimum charge amounts. Minimum charge amounts used to be forbidden by basically every merchant agreement, but thanks to Dodd-Frank and a lot of retailer lobbying, such contact terms are now illegal. Card issuers must allow a restriction on charge amounts (no more than $10 IIRC) if the retailer so desires.

[mikenon]

You're right. I meant to include Visa's complaint form, https://usa.visa.com/checkoutfees/contact.jsp which mentions the right for US retailers to set minimums up to $10.

It is worth noting minimums can not be set for debit card transactions.

[randallsquared]

Lots of small vendors have a minimum anyway, and Visa does nothing about it as far as I can see.

[dagw]

Here in Sweden you're not allowed to charge any sort of additional surcharge, but you are allowed to simply refuse accepting payment with Visa/Mastercard for purchases under a certain amount.

[amalag]

I wonder whose lobbying dollars we have to thank for this law.

[kitsune_]

Hmmm... I have been to France probably over ten times, I've never noticed this.