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Are these the same SMBs that ... accept only cash? :) Or do they really exclude CCs?

They exclude CCs. They have a card reader but they either have a sign saying, or the vendor will simply say, “keine Kreditkarte”.

If you use contactless payments, this is a non-issue, they can't detect it. Although they wish they could.

So a lot will have in their contract with their processor that they actually can accept Visa/Mastercard, so the sign is there to put you off.

But actually a lot don't, and when you try to pay, even contactless, with a non-Girocard, it won't work.

Visa and Mastercard don't magically let you on their network because you have a card machine.