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Getting Credit Cards in Germany

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  • 15-10-2007 2:55pm
    #1
    tak
    Closed Accounts Posts: 394 ✭✭


    In Germany is it hard for an ordinary person (just about making ends meet, with mortgage, household bills, pensions, etc) to get a credit card ?

    I'm hearing that it is, that most things are paid for by bank draft and so on.
    Is this really so ?
    How do people book flights, trains and so on if credit cards are hard to get ?


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    #2
    BuffyBot
    Registered Users Posts: 24,924 ✭✭✭✭BuffyBot


    Moved to Abroad, where you might get some locally relevant info.


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    #3
    Imposter
    Registered Users Posts: 4,666 ✭✭✭Imposter


    Speaking from Austria but I'd be pretty sure it's similar:
    A lot of the sites will give you an option to make a bank transfer. You can still get a visa card or a mastercard but it doesn't really work like it does in Ireland. It's not really a credit card as usually the money comes straight out of your account. The banks (here at least) usually allow for a rather large overdraft, if you have an ok history, so such short term borrowings are actually a lot cheaper on you.


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    #4
    tak
    Closed Accounts Posts: 394 ✭✭tak


    What you describe sounds like a debit card rather than a credit card.
    Can people not simply order a credit card direct from Master Card or Visa or some other consumer business (e.g. supermarket, petrol station chain, etc) and fire ahead regardless of banks ?
    What is the banks' reason/excuse for this ?
    Won't the lack of access to credit cards inhibit thei customers getting cheap stuff over the internet?


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    #5
    jester77
    Registered Users Posts: 11,264 ✭✭✭✭jester77


    Don't think it's that hard to get a credit card, a lot of bank accounts when you open them come with one provided your wage is going into their account. I had no problems getting one but they are not as generous with their credit limits as the Irish banks which is no bad thing! They are not widely used in Germany anyway, very few places take them due to the fees associated with it, most Germans prefer to pay with their EC card which is a debit card and has smaller fees for the retailers. Payments with the EC card come straight from your current account, Germans don't like being in debt! Most transactions online are done via Überweisung (bank transfer), nearly all the online retailers provide for this method of payment and store your details making it easy for future purchases. The EC card is also your ATM card and you get this automatically when you open an account.


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    #6
    tak
    Closed Accounts Posts: 394 ✭✭tak


    Okay. I get the picture, Jester.
    I believe that Amazon, etc also allow debit cards for online shopping.
    The German consumer is not too badly off so !:)


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    #7
    dobsdave
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,814 ✭✭✭dobsdave


    Credit cards are very easy to get,once you have a bank account.
    As Jester says though, no freakin place will take them!
    Petrol stations,ATM's and maybe very large department store(i.e. Karstadt) only.
    Found this out to my cost, with a full trolley of groceries,lashed them up on the conveyor belt,
    everything scanned in, "you dont take credit cards?-the nearest ATM is how long a drive away?":(.
    That was in a major supermarket!

    As an aside: regarding the ATM cards, if you withdraw money from a different banks machine, there's a 4.50euro charge!!


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