Payment methods in Germany

Germans still use cash for a lot of transactions, otherwise a EU/Maestro card is accepted nearly everywhere. But of course other credit cards are not unusual. Otherwise, paying months bills and the like are done over the bank.

One can set a up a monthly automatic transfer (Dauerauftrag) of a certain amount or give an allowance (Einzugsermächitung) for certain businesses to book from your account which is common say for telephone and internet since it will vary from month to month and one doesn’t want to forget to pay and have service cut off. 

For one off bill payments one uses bank transfers (Überwiesungen) . What doesn’t really exist is what is called a checking account in the States. And now days nearly all banks are not just offering but pushing their online services since it saves them personnel. This is the most convenient way to do transfers or check on one’s balance.

I think I have seen people paying some things with just their smartphone in supermarkets but I don’t use this and am not informed about the technology.

No foreign currencies are usually accepted but then the Euro is used in 19 European countries. The only exception I have seen are some shops that are on border towns with Switzerland and they would accept Swiss Francs but give a terrible exchange rate so they are hardly doing one a favor.

Just to add to the above, there is still a wide use of cash in Germany. I have found this to be most inconveniencing as I tend to use cards a lot. So when I offer card as a means of payment in a place where traditionally cash is the means of payment, the reaction is never too great.

Cash is king here.  You can have debit and credit for the bigger places but have cash on hand.  In Canada I rarely kept cash and here it is opposite.