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submitted 5 months ago by not_IO@lemmy.blahaj.zone to c/europe@feddit.org

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[–] Teppichbrand@feddit.org 144 points 5 months ago (1 child)

Got my new licence plate online a couple weeks ago, here in Germany. Two options to pay: PayPal or MasterCard. This is ridiculous.

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[–] Zorsith@lemmy.blahaj.zone 81 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Why tf is a government entity using paypal??

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[–] Alaknár@piefed.social 50 points 5 months ago (1 child)

Because people use PayPal and the government entity is trying to be helpful.

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[–] baguettefish@discuss.tchncs.de 25 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (2 children)

but what people in Germany really use is cash or a girocard (card attached to your regular checking account).

but yes, european reliance on america is horrible, usually in addition to the girocard functionality on your card, which is usable only in germany, there's also some mastercard or visa functionality in the card, which allows you to use the card at the very least in the SEPA area (single euro payments area, 41 countries are members, visa vpay or mastercard maestro) and in cases where you get the full mastercard or visa on top of your girocard you can of course pay worldwide with a bunch of asterisks.

that means cross-country payments with your card are locked behind america, which is why wero (europe's new digital payment system for use in the SEPA) makes so much sense.

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[–] Teppichbrand@feddit.org 14 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 child)

I wrote them an email asking about Wero and they replied that they'll launch it soon. So let's stay hopeful.

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[–] PrinzKasper@feddit.org 3 points 5 months ago

I mean I'm surprised they're not offering SEPA tbh

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[–] Tywele@piefed.social 3 points 5 months ago (1 child)

Girocard is used less and less because many banks don’t issue girocards free of charge anymore. You only get a debit card for free and have to pay extra to get a girocard.

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[–] uniquethrowagay@feddit.org 3 points 5 months ago (1 child)

I feel dumb, what's the difference?

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[–] baguettefish@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 5 months ago

they're pushing visa and mastercard over germany's own payment system

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[–] PotatoesFall@discuss.tchncs.de 26 points 5 months ago* (1 child)

Because everybody here uses paypal for online payments. Because banks and governments have failed to create a viable alternative. WERO is coming tho. One day. About 20 years after we needed it. soon. still waiting.

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[–] 0x0@infosec.pub 1 point 5 months ago (1 child)

Sweden uses the domestic Swish, works much better than paypal. There are most definitely viable alternatives and have been for quite some time now.

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[–] PotatoesFall@discuss.tchncs.de 1 point 5 months ago

In Sweden yeah. And in the Netherlands they have iDeal. In Germany the only PayPal alternative for online payments usually are credit card or bank transfer / SEPA mandate. Not everybody has a credit card and direct bank transfer is clunky

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