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Stripe launches German beta

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Re: Stripe launches German beta

#101

Post by raverbashing »

skrause wrote: post #99
raverbashing wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

" it's because we simply have had better alternatives for ages. Instead of credit cards people use Electronic cash" Better? It's a debit card. Chip and Pin? Several other countries have it. It may have smaller fees, still, some merchands only take it from a certain value.

What's the problem with debit cards? I like to have the money for all purchases withdrawn from my account as soon as possible, it gives me a nice overview of how much I actually have.

Did I say there's something wrong? I like Debit Cards as well.

Re: Stripe launches German beta

#102

Post by raverbashing »

PavlovsCat wrote: post #52
qznc wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I always wondered why the US is so opposed to direct debit? It is so much easier and safer than credit cards or sending cheques by mail. The problem is that the rest of the world standardizes on credit cards. You cannot book a hotel or a conference without it. This is probably the only reason, why germans adopt credit cards: International travel.

You cannot book a hotel without a credit card? That's just incorrect.

Technically, you can. In practice, it's a different story.

The reservation won't be guaranteed, that is, you have to be there before a certain hour for your guarantee to work. After that, if a customer walked in and asked for a room, sorry.

Now try renting a car in the US without a credit card.

Re: Stripe launches German beta

#103

Post by lutusp »

skrause wrote: post #99
raverbashing wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

" it's because we simply have had better alternatives for ages. Instead of credit cards people use Electronic cash" Better? It's a debit card. Chip and Pin? Several other countries have it. It may have smaller fees, still, some merchands only take it from a certain value.

What's the problem with debit cards? I like to have the money for all purchases withdrawn from my account as soon as possible, it gives me a nice overview of how much I actually have.

The advantage of using a credit card is that you get a 30-day free loan, paid for by people who can't keep up with their credit card payments.

If you feel guilty about being on the winning side of today's predatory, exploitative credit card system, by all means use a debit card instead.

And to those who constantly run a balance on their credit cards and never seem to get them paid off, you can always prove your intelligence by cutting the cards into little pieces and flushing them down the toilet. More here:

http://arachnoid.com/wrong/#Economics

Re: Stripe launches German beta

#104

Post by skrause »

levosmetalo wrote: post #49
microtonal wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe, but it's certainly not hard to get a credit card in Germany. I moved from The Netherlands to Germany on August 1 and I got a credit card with my bank account at no extra cost. A really big difference here however is that for daily groceries people tend to pay in cash and for lower amounts they'll refuse use of a debit card, while in The Netherlands practically everyone pays with a debit card all the time. It w…

It has to do with privacy. Germans are quite fond of keeping up personal information personal, and they just don't want that bank can keep track of their purchases. That's the main reason why people here prefer cash as a method of payment. Of course, when paying or order something online, you need to provide your shipping address anyways, so credit cards brings at least a benefit of possible dispute if anything goes…

The other reasons is that cash always works. I once found out during checkout in the supermarket that my card was blocked by my bank (probably because I once used an ATM which was hacked). It's not fun to stand around blocking the whole checkout process because you can't pay. Since that day I'm always keeping enough cash in my wallet to be able to pay without any cards.

Re: Stripe launches German beta

#105

Post by skrause »

lutusp wrote: post #103
skrause wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's the problem with debit cards? I like to have the money for all purchases withdrawn from my account as soon as possible, it gives me a nice overview of how much I actually have.

The advantage of using a credit card is that you get a 30-day free loan, paid for by people who can't keep up with their credit card payments. If you feel guilty about being on the winning side of today's predatory, exploitative credit card system, by all means use a debit card instead. And to those who constantly run a balance on their credit cards and never seem to get them paid off, you can always prove your intel…

In times of basically zero interest a 30-day free loan doesn't sound like a very convincing argument since I have to keep the money in an easily accessible account anyway to pay the bill at the end of the month.

Re: Stripe launches German beta

#106

Post by StavrosK »

the_mitsuhiko wrote: post #69
StavrosK wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I tried to use them, they required me to mail in a bunch of paperwork. Stripe doesn't.

How does Stripe get away without the paperwork?

That's what I'm wondering too. They require zero paperwork, though, and Paymill did tell me that the paperwork they sent me was mandatory for all money-processing companies.

Re: Stripe launches German beta

#107

Post by Irishsteve »

skrause wrote: post #100
Irishsteve wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ireland is in the EU and uses the euro. UK is also in the EU but uses GBP.

Isn't that exactly what Kudos said?

Ah yes a little confusion has taken over on my part. Ireland is in the EU and the eurozone.

Re: Stripe launches German beta

#108

Post by lutusp »

skrause wrote: post #105
lutusp wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The advantage of using a credit card is that you get a 30-day free loan, paid for by people who can't keep up with their credit card payments. If you feel guilty about being on the winning side of today's predatory, exploitative credit card system, by all means use a debit card instead. And to those who constantly run a balance on their credit cards and never seem to get them paid off, you can always prove your intel…

In times of basically zero interest a 30-day free loan doesn't sound like a very convincing argument since I have to keep the money in an easily accessible account anyway to pay the bill at the end of the month.

> In times of basically zero interest a 30-day free loan doesn't sound like a very convincing argument ...

Look at it this way -- for 30 days, you have access to funds that the poor person doesn't. Interest or not, you have more financial latitude.

Also, people who automatically and fully pay off their cards every month tend also to be the sort of people who have most of their money in investments that yield reasonable interest returns (like equities), not zero-interest bank accounts. So for them, the saved money is kept in a worthwhile investment until the moment it's needed.

I personally think the difference between the financial condition of the rich and poor, and the choices each make, is terrible and unjust. But after I've empathized with the poor, I know which group I want to belong to.

Re: Stripe launches German beta

#109

Post by nXqd »

Congrats to Stripe team. They have done a really good job, I find since they get it work in UK, they are expanding in a very fast pace for now (y) Hope it will come to Northen EU soon :)
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