You can almost always also pay with card, but it’s often only Girocard, not Visa or Mastercard. The fees of Girocards/Giropay are much lower, because it’s run by the banks themselves, i.e. the companies most likely already have accounts at those banks, so they can subsidise the transaction fees with the banking fees the companies already have to pay anyway. Larger stores often accept credit cards, however.
I also find card payments easier to track. My bank also provides a budgeting application integrated into their online banking, with automatic categorisation which is very useful. It shows how much you spend where and what your end of month balance will probably be. You can also set an alarm to warn you when you go over budget. Basically, they provide you with the same payment history analysis tools most banks probably have running in the background already.
They only use darn cash in Germany. Feels like going back to ancient times.
You can almost always also pay with card, but it’s often only Girocard, not Visa or Mastercard. The fees of Girocards/Giropay are much lower, because it’s run by the banks themselves, i.e. the companies most likely already have accounts at those banks, so they can subsidise the transaction fees with the banking fees the companies already have to pay anyway. Larger stores often accept credit cards, however.
i prefer cash, gives you anonimity and an easier overwiev of your spending
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I also find card payments easier to track. My bank also provides a budgeting application integrated into their online banking, with automatic categorisation which is very useful. It shows how much you spend where and what your end of month balance will probably be. You can also set an alarm to warn you when you go over budget. Basically, they provide you with the same payment history analysis tools most banks probably have running in the background already.