The UK store only offers credit card as payment option. Not in all EU countries owning a credit card is common (I don't). So please offer a kind of payment that is common in the EU (for me: Germany) (say, direct debit (in German: Lastschrift) or at least SEPA credit transfer). Paypal, for example, offers direct debit.
Credit cards are expensive to accept and it's possible for charges to be reversed. I admit it's a bit odd to accept one type of credit card and not another, but there are plenty of places in Europe that don't accept credit cards at all. Most places do accept payment with a normal PIN bank card.
Yes, but if you have a VISA card you can still withdraw the money and pay in cash right? That's an alternative that doesn't involve switching over to another ecosystem.
Also, the EU regulations cap the fees and set up identical rules for everyone (unlike Apple where its own services are left through without a second thought even though they don't necessarily operate to the code).
Aaaand... they don't accept my credit card. I swear to god, I see this over and over again: services becoming available in my country (in Europe), but refusing credit cards that are pretty popular in Europe (like Maestro and Visa Electron).
In Belgium since last summer you have to accept at least 1 form of digital payment now. Some places try to bypass it by only accepting some obscure creditcards.
Credit cards are not widely accepted in Germany. Germans generally use cash or EC/Maesto debit cards, and you can't get an EC card if you're not an EU resident with an EU bank account (which can be hard for Americans, and, to a lesser extent, any foreigner, I'm sure).
I used to have a Maestro-branded debit card (in the US) when I was younger. I have no idea if it's the same system and/or if they're compatible. I checked my wallet and my current debit card has no Maestro branding.
I've more than once found myself halfway through a meal before realizing that I might not have a way to pay for it.
In Germany paying by credit card isnt very common. Many people pay with debit cards but still a lot of stores/restaurants and even McDonalds etc dont accept any cards at all. Something like Square would never take off here, but i wish it would.
Media Markt and Saturn are two businesses that I'd expect would take credit cards but they don't. Many restaurants (where you can spend more than €10 if you are more than one person, even here in Berlin) only accept cash. Most of the cheap Supermarkets don't take credit cards but will take EC (debit) cards, which I don't think Number26 offers - judging by going through their website. Nevertheless less, I applied for an invitation.
I don't know anything about the banking system in the US, but having moved to Germany from Britain four years ago, I thought the German system is archaic. When I moved, many online retailers wouldn't take credit cards or PayPal but you would have to transfer money to them from your account. Most everyone I know carry around large amounts of cash because if you are stuck without it, you will have to look for a cash machine that won't charge you. You can get cards that allow you to withdraw money without fees, I have one, but those are still rare.
Alipay actually has expanded across the world - you can register an account with a normal EU credit card or bank account, and even pay with AliPay at many stores in Europe (even in cash-loving Germany DM is accepting it)
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