What about my "credit card" which is really a Visa debit card? It works like a Visa card anywhere in the world, yet the funds are pulled directly from my checking account and I don't get a monthly statement; just my regular bank account statement. I also use direct debit to pay monthly bills (including my mortgage and car loans, as well as insurance bills, phone bill, electric, etc.) directly from my bank account.
I don't think there is anything unique about the German system. In the US we just add the "Visa" logo on a debit card to facilitate its acceptance with more merchants. Christian ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bob W" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, March 09, 2004 3:40 PM Subject: Re: OT: Germans and credit cards (was Re: What gear is on your "lust list" ? > 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
