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Finally some good news, right? Well, it has been officially confirmed by the Apple boss himself, now we just have to wait for the details. Especially here in Germany, where the financial world seems to need its own special treatment and things are a bit different than everywhere else, there are still a few questions left unanswered:
– Which banks?
At the launch and shortly thereafter, it is very likely that the direct banks (online banks) will be on board, such as N26, Fidor, comDirekt, DKB, etc., as these banks in particular are much more likely to rely on e-payments for cost reasons. Commerzbank, probably the only branch bank, will also be on board fairly quickly.
But there is still a big question mark with the traditional banks, Sparkasse and VR. We will see. The Sparkasse banks are at least not participating in GooglePay, but are relying on their own solutions (the NFC chip is released for everyone and everything on Android)
– Which payment systems?
The two classics Visa and Mastercard are currently supported. American Express and Maestro are also supported. In order for Apple Pay to be used in as many places as possible in Germany, GiroCard contactless support definitely needs to be built in.
- Where?
The question is easy to answer:
At all terminals that work online,
At all terminals that accept contactless payments,
At all terminals that accept Visa, Mastercard, Amex or Maestro (the GiroCard is not currently accepted)
- From when?
Still in 2018. Probably October or November, after the keynote, but before the Christmas season. With foreign banks that support Apple Pay (classic Boon), it has been possible to pay at German cash registers using Apple Pay for some time, provided the above requirements are met.
My experiences with Apple Pay:
Like many others, I created a virtual Boon Mastercard in a fairly simple way and since then I have almost exclusively traveled with my Apple Watch, iPhone and an emergency cash capsule on my key in case something goes wrong. Customer cards such as PayBack can also be transferred to the Apple Watch via third-party apps, but they have to be scanned individually. But that's not a problem so far.
So far, an estimated 95% of all payments have worked:
– REWE: Worked in every branch. It wasn't possible once because the internet at REWE wasn't working.
– LIDL, ALDI, Netto: Always worked.
– Penny: does not accept credit cards, therefore no Apple Pay.
– Aral: no problem
– Shell: Works. At one station the contactless function was deactivated, so it was rejected.
– HEM: Not possible at one of our stations.
– Expert Technomarkt: Not possible with ours, terminal does not have NFC.
– V-Markt / V-Baumarkt: Not possible, no credit cards.
– McDonalds / BurgerKing / KFC: No problems. However, one BurgerKing still had the €5 minimum for card payments.
– Subway: At our place, yes, at another truck stop, no.
Reactions of the cashiers:
Some were completely confused, others were delighted, once two employees almost shouted at the entire store because I was able to pay with my watch. Others, however, took it surprisingly calmly, as if it were completely normal here in Germany.
Conclusion:
I'm looking forward to it. Apple Pay and Google Pay will definitely drive card payments in Germany forward. Acceptance is already good today. Nevertheless, you should always have emergency cash with you, otherwise it can quickly become difficult, especially after filling up with petrol etc.
A guest article written by Yan Vučko
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