Hi, yes, but in the UK we don't use direct debit for one-off payments such as toys online (which is what we were selling), or paying a restaurant bill. The Germans seem to use their direct debit in much the same way that we use debit cards like Switch.
It's unfortunate that we translate the German phrase, which I can't remember as direct debit, because it's misleading to UK English speakers. Here we use DD for paying regular bills - I pay all mine that way. The German system is a different thing. -- Cheers, Bob Tuesday, March 9, 2004, 8:17:34 PM, John wrote: > UK direct debit works the same way. In order to get people to trust > direct debit, the banks had to give an unconditional guarantee that > anybody whose account is direct-debited can recall the money. I presume > that there must be some sort of time limit, but I've no idea what it is. > The system works extremely well. I pay all my regular bills that way, and > have done for years. Unlike a standing order, it works for variable > amounts. There is no simpler (or cheaper) system. > It's the US that is out of step here! > John
