Hacker News Reader

Comment by Drakim | Hacker News Reader

Norway here, it's super popular. The only place in my entire life that I was not using a credit card regularly at was the local flea market, but last time I went there they even had one of those portable credit card things. Otherwise, I use it to pay for food, taxi, bars, just everything.

Even if I need to send some money to a friend to pay for my share of the pizza, we use an app that lets us send money between credit cards.

I haven't carried coins on me for more than a year. I do have one backup bill hidden away in my wallet just in case things go sour.

View on HN

Unless Norway is wildly different from Sweden then most use a debit card.

Many people carry a credit card too, perhaps as a free service from their bank, or a company card - but so long as one has both it's normally best to use the debit one. If you always pay the bill in time there's very little difference, but I feel a big mental threshold to "buy now pay later".

That's the thing, debit cards are so common in Scandinavia so many people call them "credit cards" ("kreditkort") even though they're really not.

Likely because most of them come with the option of making payments via either the VISA or Mastercard network if the national system is not an option (traveling, some bars and restaurants, online purchases).

Aren't you using a debit card, not a credit card? Those are very popular in NL too. There are even some shops that don't accept cash anymore (something I think that should be made illegal, but that's a different story), although on the other hand there are shops that only accept cash.

>something I think that should be made illegal, but that's a different story

Why does everything need to be made illegal? If you aren't satisfied with the service a shop provides, don't shop there.

Legal tender should always be accepted. Imagine if you were unable to buy food because you were denied credit.

This is why in the US we have debit cards that behave like credit cards in every way except the credit line (and don't cut you in on the transaction fee). Very popular with teenagers and people who are afraid of credit (possibly for good reason).

Cash is legal tender for all debts. If you owe someone money without a prior agreement on form of payment, they must accept cash payments. They're under no obligation to make a transaction in the first place if you don't agree on payment method.

It's a form of arrested development I think - wanting the state to take care of their every trivial complaint.

Are those actual credit cards or are they debit cards? If you pay for something, when does it bill your actual account?

They are debit cards.

Most bank cards issued in Norway that i have seen are debit first via the national system, with the option of using either a VISA or Mastercard as a second option.

And while i have only had to deal with VISA, those billed directly to the account (and seems to be a popular way for paying online).

Just because they have the VISA or Mastercard logo on them do not mean they are credit cards.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com