From: %steve%@malloc.co.uk (Steve Firth)
Newsgroups: uk.finance
Subject: Re: Card use in Germany
Date: Sat, 16 Apr 2005 02:05:20 +0100
        \N!rmpbc(BiyXn8GRV.z6\0~g);pz0J#a0P_(LaB.sV

Chris  wrote:

> I shall be taking my first holiday in Germany next month, and wondered hoe
> easy it is to use UK debit (Visa/Maestro) cards, as well as credit cards. I
> know that credit cards have not reached the penetration there that we havem
> but was surprised to hear a colleague say he couldn't pay by credit card in
> a large electronics store (www.conrad.de - but you can on-line), and they
> didn't recognise his UK debit cards.

I've never had problems getting German ATMs to accept my cards (Amex,
Visa, Switch/Maestro). Nor TBH have I had a problem in France, Belgium
Luxembourg, Switzerland or Italy.

And my cards have been accepted in German stores for as long as I can
remember.

I tend to vist Wiesbaden, Heidelberg and Freiburg im Breisgau fairly
often. Places like Karsch-Haus, Hertie, Tchibo all accept Switch without
flinching, as do all the restaurants I use.

-- 
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little 
 temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."

 -- Benjamin Franklin, 1759