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When in Rome, do as the Romans do

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snalin:
Since practically nobody other than old people and junkies use anything else than debit cards in Norway (we don't get any benefits from using credit cards, which you USians apparently do (so strange)), the tip jar is becoming less and less common. I mean, it's still there, but most people don't have anything to put in. You just tip when you pay with your card, by entering what you're going to pay in the terminal before you enter your pin.

Still, I think most people don't do any maths, but just round up to the nearest 100 NOK (<17 USD, <13 EUR), as that's what you used to to back when they paid cash - the notes are 100s, 200s and 500s, so tipping also involved the practicality of not having to bother with too many coins.


This got me thinking - I know that payment culture is very different in different countries. As I said, pretty much everyone pays by debit card here (it doubles as legal ID (I could vote with only that, although it would take a bit longer)), but I know this is not the case in the US - from what I've picked up, people generally use cash or credit cards and have separate IDs. What's the situation where everyone else is from?

Using credit cards is often seen as irresponsible here - you take up an intermediate debt instead of actually paying, which means that you're not limited by the amount of money you actually have. Similarly, nobody would ever admit to taking up a loan for anything other than a house, a car or student loans. I would feel really weird if I went grocery shopping and paid with a credit card.

Welu:
In Norn' Ireland, not too sure about the Republic or Great Britain, we have separate ID and debit/credit cards.

When I first tried to get a debit card, when I was seventeen, I was told I wasn't allowed because I was under eighteen. However I could have a credit card. I'm fairly sure the bank just saw a young person and didn't expect me to have the sense to only want to spend money that I actually had. Although in theory as long as my card was linked to a current account with money in it, I could have effectively used it as a debit card. I still said no to be safe.


--- Quote from: Carl-E on 13 Sep 2013, 06:26 ---I don't think I've seen a full service shoe store in years...

--- End quote ---

The only ones I know of are sports stores, where shoes are their main thing but there's also a lot of other stock on the floor. There's usually one or two walls of example shoes and you need to ask someone to bring you one in the relevant size. Although getting someone's attention can be a pain in a culture where coughing quietly is rude because how dare you draw any attention to yourself.

Loki:
Germans generally don't use credit cards except where (American Internet...) companies require it. You pay with cash for mostly anything. For bigger purchases (say, >100 Euro) you use your debit card for the convenience of not having so much cash on your person (although you can use cash as well). Obviously, some shops don't accept big notes on small purchases, and with some, you can only pay with debit card if your purchase exceeds a certain amount (usually 5 or 10 Euro). I think the reason for that is that they pay transaction costs.

You pay by debit card either by entering a 4 digit PIN or by signing the receipt (it seems to be somewhat random what you will be asked to do).

Usually only shops have debit card readers (but you cannot really rely on them having any). Bars and restaurants rarely do (depending on size of course), kiosks and food takeouts almost certainly don't. You can also use your debit card as ID at cigarette vending machines.

For the really big purchases, you can authorize the creditor to withdraw money from your bank account, or you can pay via bank transfer yourself.

Basically, you use cash for everyday purchases, debit card for the slightly bigger purchases and bank transfers for the really big stuff.

Regarding ID: you must have an "official ID" with you at all times (although nobody really checks if you do, but you'd be in trouble if you have to present one for some reason and don't have it with you). This can be, for example, your regular ID, your driving license, or an ID like the police have. Student IDs don't count as such, but will usually be accepted by bouncers and ticket inspectors as proof of age and identity (if they have a picture on them, of course).

Akima:

--- Quote from: pwhodges on 12 Sep 2013, 03:09 ---I only know one squattie in the UK, which an acquaintance of mine installed for herself on principle (there's a normal bowl next to it in the same room).
--- End quote ---
There are "dual mode" toilets available here, which are designed to sit above the floor and connect to standard "throne toilet" plumbing, but I don't know if you can get them in the UK. Another alternative is to use a "squat stool", like this for example.


--- Quote from: Carl-E on 13 Sep 2013, 06:26 ---I don't think I've seen a full service shoe store in years...
--- End quote ---
In Australia, it is still normal for shoe-shops to have assistants who measure your feet, bring you the shoes etc. The only places where you buy shoes self-service are Target, K-Mart etc., and hardware stores for rubber boots, work-boots etc.

Australians don't pay for things in one dominant way. Cash payment is still common (and often the quickest), or you can use a debit-card (often called an "eftposs-card" here from Electronic Funds-Transfer Point-Of-Sale) or a credit-card. Many people have a single card that can be used as either, and you select which function you want to use at the payment terminal, or on older systems, the check-out person will ask: "cheque or credit?" and select it on their terminal before swiping your card. If you pay by eftpos you enter your PIN, if by credit you will get the option to validate the transaction either with a PIN, or by signing the docket which older people sometimes prefer. The electronic signature pads on supermarket "bag your own" check-outs are notoriously unreliable, and I haven't seen anyone use one for ages.

There is no social stigma associated with paying by credit-card here, and the banks of course positively encourage it with all sorts of discount schemes, fee-rebates, frequent-flyer points etc. Retailers are not always so keen on the cut that the banks take, and (since 2003 when the law was changed to prevent credit-card companies from writing contracts prohibiting the practice) some shops add a surcharge to the bill if you pay by credit-card. Unsurprisingly, the surcharge is always well above the fee that the credit-card companies actually charge. It is normal for retailers to point to the fees charged by Diners Club in justification (though the surcharges comfortably exceed even those), when the mass-market Mastercard and Visa have much lower fees. As always, let the buyer beware. I regard credit-cards as being like power-saws; very useful but potentially dangerous; you have to take care to keep your fingers away from the blades.

No bank-issued card is acceptable for ID purposes in Australia, even where it carries a photo, which most do not. Your driver's licence, or an equivalent "undrivers license" photo-card with the same security features, issued by the state-government motor-registry is the standard thing.

When I first had to refuel a car in the USA, the "pay first, then pump" system confused me thoroughly. Here, you normally pump first, then pay at the counter. Some servos have POS-terminals built into the pump, where you "pre-authorise" the maximum amount of money you expect to spend. If you pump fuel to a lower value, you only pay the lower amount, but the bank charges the total pre-authorised amount to your account immediately, and then pays you back the difference between what you bought and what you pre-authorised. The system has a not-so-good reputation for hassles and delays in the repayments. Personally I never use Pay@Pump, mainly because the terminals cannot process supermarket "loyalty cards" so I'd miss out on the discounted fuel price "earned" by my grocery shopping. The terminals can't process "fleet cards" either, making them useless for a lot of professional drivers, tradesmen etc.

Kugai:
Cash is still the usual general form of payment in stores and restaraunts down here, though you can use Debit Cards or Credit Cards.  Cash can, and is, be used for purchases up to around $2000, but cash payments like that are less common - it's more likely to be for lesser amounts in stores and restaraunts.  Debit Cards can be used to pay for things in shops too, including takaways (just used it myself to pay for a $2.80 scoop of Fries).

Credit Cards here are generally the preserve of those who can afford them.  Banks here charge a high rate of interest (anything from 15 -19% depending on the bank and the deal you get when you apply for your card).

Interestingly, Cheques are still used down here, but their use is becoming less and less prevalant, and for large purchases (say, a car or some such big ticket item) it's usually handled either by a Bank Cheque or, more and more common, a direct monetary transfer between vendor and seller.)

*Edit*  Thank you Akima, I almost forgot about EFTPOS, which we also use down here    My own card is an ATM/EFTPOS/Debit Card */Edit*

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