We've just had friends from the UK over for a week and noted, that all of their debit cards were part of the VISA system. However, in almost 99% of all cases German points of sale only accept Maestro cards. So before traveling to Germany check if you have a Maestro debit card or if you could get one from your bank.
Posted by
Bend, OR, United States
1167 posts
This just copied from the Visa Germany web site: "Easy:
With Visa you have it always fits. In Germany accept nearly 500,000 large and small dealers Visa payments."
Posted by
OP
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
2779 posts
The VISA credit card is accepted everywhere. BUT many, many stores and restaurants do not accept any credit cards. They only accept debit cards. They call them "ec cards" which is an outdated word for it. But what they mean: Maestro cards only.
Posted by
San Antonio TX, United States
2393 posts
Will they accept a Visa debit card? Or a Mastercard debit card?
Posted by
OP
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
2779 posts
The Mastercard debit card is a Maestro card. You can find the Maestro logo (somewhat related to the Mastercard logo) on the back side of your Mastercard. Again, the VISA debit card is usually not accepted in Germany.
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9110 posts
The Mastercard debit card is a Maestro card. You can find the Maestro logo (somewhat related to the Mastercard logo) on the back side of your Mastercard. Not quite. Maestro debit cards are only issued in Europe. North American Mastercard Debit cards aren't part of Maestro....just the Mastercard credit card networks. If the merchant accepts Visa/MasterCard credit cards then they will also accept US Visa/MasterCard debit cards. But there are a lot of merchants in Germany which don't accept any kind of credit card.....just Masetro debit cards, which are only issued in Europe.
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10621 posts
What about at the ATMs, Andreas? I think that's where most NA travelers use debit cards.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9371 posts
Bets is right, most people only use debit cards to get money from ATMs, not for purchases. I would never try to use a debit card for a purchase abroad. So basically what Andreas is saying is that you will be unable to use a plastic card of any kind in most places for PURCHASES. For ATMs, your regular debit card is still fine.
Posted by
Honolulu/Seattle, HI/WA, USA
2787 posts
Use your debit card for getting money out of ATMs and always try to pay cash for small purchases or in eating places. I go to Europe every summer and have never had a problem using my local credit union debit card in ATMs everywhere in Europe and I have been to most every country.
Posted by
Stuttgart, Germany
3050 posts
People seem to get so confused on this issue, partially because people seem to use the words "debit" or "credit" card to refer to different things. If you see a restaurant or store that has a visa logo, you can use a debit card with a visa logo (just like the US). However if you don't see a visa logo, and only see the EC or Maestro logo, it means you'll need cash (or one of those special cards but it's not worth it for visitors to get one IMO) It's really easier in Germany to just carry cash with you for almost everything though. The only time I use my visa debit card is for fancy dinners, train tickets, hotel rooms, that sort of thing.