https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Germany in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed We asked readers of The Local Germany about their thoughts on paying by cash or card. https://www.thelocal.de/20200918/they-thought-it-was-witchcraft-the-verdict-on-paying-with-card-in-germany Fri, 18 Sep 2020 17:26:49 +0200 they-thought-it-was-witchcraft-the-verdict-on-paying-with-card-in-germany Card payments will surpass cash transactions for the first time in Germany in 2020 as the pandemic changes shoppers' behaviour, a study said Thursday. https://www.thelocal.de/20200917/card-to-exceed-cash-payments-in-first-for-germany Thu, 17 Sep 2020 17:46:48 +0200 card-to-exceed-cash-payments-in-first-for-germany Berlin’s long-delayed BER airport is set to go bankrupt by the end of October 2020 unless it receives a cash injection of €300 million, according to a report. https://www.thelocal.de/20200907/berlin-airport-bankrupt-by-october-without-300-million-cash-injection Mon, 07 Sep 2020 18:43:54 +0200 berlin-airport-bankrupt-by-october-without-300-million-cash-injection Money talks, they say, but for some, money also smells. https://www.thelocal.de/20200812/meet-the-german-airport-dog-sniffing-out-huge-bundles-of-cash Wed, 12 Aug 2020 14:58:02 +0200 meet-the-german-airport-dog-sniffing-out-huge-bundles-of-cash Germany may be getting more digital, with a growing number of establishments accepting cards. But the country still is crazy for cash, a survey published Monday from the Bundesbank shows. https://www.thelocal.de/20200727/average-german-hoards-1364-in-cash Mon, 27 Jul 2020 17:04:19 +0200 average-german-hoards-1364-in-cash Worries about the spread of coronavirus in Germany saw many businesses switch to being ‘card only’. Could this mark a change for cash-loving Germany? Or is Bargeld here to stay? https://www.thelocal.de/20200629/will-the-coronavirus-pandemic-speed-up-the-end-of-cash-in-germany Mon, 29 Jun 2020 14:51:53 +0200 will-the-coronavirus-pandemic-speed-up-the-end-of-cash-in-germany A 63-year-old man in Germany had a very Merry Christmas indeed after an honest finder returned the backpack he had forgotten under a tree -- filled with presents and €16,000 in cash. https://www.thelocal.de/20191227/honest-german-returns-bag-with-16000 Fri, 27 Dec 2019 04:52:21 +0100 honest-german-returns-bag-with-16000 It's not unusual for Germans to carry a lot of cash. But for one man in North Rhine-Westphalia, taking out banknotes turned into a nightmare. https://www.thelocal.de/20191127/german-pensioner-loses-20000-in-cash-after-leaving-it-on-car-roof Wed, 27 Nov 2019 11:31:27 +0100 german-pensioner-loses-20000-in-cash-after-leaving-it-on-car-roof A sniffer dog named Luke has tracked down huge bundles of cash from passengers at Düsseldorf Airport in the last six months. https://www.thelocal.de/20190513/customs-dog-sniffs-out-12-million-in-cash-at-dsseldorf-airport Mon, 13 May 2019 11:01:15 +0200 customs-dog-sniffs-out-12-million-in-cash-at-dsseldorf-airport Grounded in history, German’s scepticism for card payments has meant cash has long been king in Deutschland. But a gradual increase in card payments – along with growing trust in the medium – has seen them eclipse cash payments in Germany for the first time. https://www.thelocal.de/20190507/card-payments-outstrip-cash-for-first-time-in-germany Tue, 07 May 2019 12:12:37 +0200 card-payments-outstrip-cash-for-first-time-in-germany As the ECB takes the final step in phasing out the 500-euro note, few are expected to mourn a bill favoured by criminals but rarely seen in daily life. Except perhaps in cash-loving Germany. https://www.thelocal.de/20190127/mixed-emotions-in-germany-as-500-euro-note-bows-out Sun, 27 Jan 2019 10:53:30 +0100 mixed-emotions-in-germany-as-500-euro-note-bows-out Germany is still considered to be a cash country. However, the tide could be changing. Apple has now followed in Google’s footsteps and launched its smartphone payment service. https://www.thelocal.de/20181211/apple-pay-launches-in-germany Tue, 11 Dec 2018 13:28:13 +0100 apple-pay-launches-in-germany A man tried to take a flight from Düsseldorf Airport in western Germany carrying almost €870,000 in bank notes that were stashed between books. https://www.thelocal.de/20181203/man-tries-to-leave Mon, 03 Dec 2018 13:36:24 +0100 man-tries-to-leave With high-street bank branches vanishing from regions across Germany such as northern Bavaria, banks have been forced to rethink their business models. https://www.thelocal.de/20180221/in-rural-germany-mobile-banking-means-a-bank-on-a-truck Wed, 21 Feb 2018 10:15:37 +0100 in-rural-germany-mobile-banking-means-a-bank-on-a-truck While cashless payments are widespread and growing rapidly in much of Europe as well as the rest of the world, Germany still lags far behind. https://www.thelocal.de/20180102/will-the-german-love-affair-with-cash-ever-end Tue, 02 Jan 2018 15:46:13 +0100 will-the-german-love-affair-with-cash-ever-end A Cologne drinks vendor modified a bottle-recycling machine to swindle tens of thousands of euros from the German recycling system, a court learned on Tuesday. https://www.thelocal.de/20161117/man-wrangles-over-44000-from-pfand-machine-using-only-one-bottle Thu, 17 Nov 2016 16:52:55 +0100 man-wrangles-over-44000-from-pfand-machine-using-only-one-bottle A group of criminals failed to make off with any money in Berlin early on Tuesday morning, after blowing up a machine that only contains paper statements. https://www.thelocal.de/20161108/bank-robbery-fail-as-criminals-blow-up-wrong-machine Tue, 08 Nov 2016 15:33:47 +0100 bank-robbery-fail-as-criminals-blow-up-wrong-machine A new study by YouGov provides some interesting insights into how Germans treat their cash - and what they are prepared to do to get their hands on it. https://www.thelocal.de/20160912/germans-would-give-up-sex-over-driving-licence-for-cash-1-million-euros Mon, 12 Sep 2016 19:09:49 +0200 germans-would-give-up-sex-over-driving-licence-for-cash-1-million-euros A refugee from Syria found a huge stash of money in a secondhand wardrobe he bought. But keeping it for himself would have been a betrayal of his religion, he said. https://www.thelocal.de/20160629/hero-refugee-hands-in-150000-found-in-wardrobe Wed, 29 Jun 2016 13:07:59 +0200 hero-refugee-hands-in-150000-found-in-wardrobe Germany is considered an El Dorado for criminals who want to launder their money, a study for the Finance Ministry has found. https://www.thelocal.de/20160421/over-100-billion-laundered-in-germany-every-year-report Thu, 21 Apr 2016 13:24:14 +0200 over-100-billion-laundered-in-germany-every-year-report