I have not used cash for two years in the UK. Have used Euros the foreigners seem to be behind us.
Not round these parts they aren't.
Amsterdam is largely cashless now. But what makes it worse tho is that it's local cards only. Because everyone here gets a Maestro or vpay card from their bank, and those cards work everywhere when we travel, the assumption is that the reverse is true, when you explain to a Dutch person how UK debit cards work, how they are functionally (to the retailer) the same as a credit card etc... And they just look at you like you're crazy.
Maestro has locked the market here because the processing fees are so cheap. Just €0.02 per transaction for a company doing 500 transactions a month.
But it comes with no buyer protection. And doesn't work online. For online they get round this due to a system called iDeal, which only works within the BeNeLux. But it's just a front end for the local equivalent of a BACS transfer. It has zero buyer protection built in. Last year i was explaining this to a friend's family member. They said this system was fine and they didn't like the idea that there were extra processing costs for the retailer just for buyer protection.
2 months ago said person comes to me for advice. They ordered something from some website, and paid by iDeal and it never arrived. She spoke to her bank and they said they couldn't help. The police couldn't do much either.
My reply rhymes with i bold you crow...
The lack of consumer protection can be a bit or a pain. Many don't realise this until they need it, then it's too late.
I like contactless. It's just so damn easy. But I do wish there was more protection for the average person. And that I could use my credit card in more places.
But then it's also important to remember. A cashless society is a surveillance society.
J