Why Germans Pay Cash for Almost Everything

The side that nearly everyone forgets to mention: cash is anonymous and the situation in Germany is no better than in Greece.

I've worked in both gastronomy and construction jobs and the amount of "black money" and especially "partially illegal workers" (you're hired on so-called "450€ jobs", officially limited to x hours a month (x * hourly rate <= 450€), and employer saves tax and social security; but in fact you work fulltime and get paid in cash) there is huge.

The only difference between DE and IT/GR is that corruption of government officials is not really widespread.

Payment systems online and offline are fundamentally different in my view.

Online, there are differences in payment methods. The relative anonymity of a system like Bitcoin; the speed of PayPal or a pre-filled checkout like Amazon; etc.

In person there is zero personal benefit in me using anything other than cash. The only reason for me to use anything else is if the merchant forces me (e.g. metro smart card - use it or don't use the metro).

I simply don't care about the seconds that it takes to pay and that contactless or a magic brain chip could be instant - I don't actually want everything to be perfectly efficient.

The same applies all over the place really. For example, there's a distinct difference between walking to work, cycling to work, and driving/taking public transport. Each one is a significant step in time usage.

But give me the choice of having a 5 minute walk and a 4 minute walk? I don't care. If my life ever became so busy that it mattered, I would know that I am doing something wrong. Regimenting your life in that way is a source of stress.

It all just seems like bikeshedding to me.

My experience: impossible to find a Restaurant in Mitte (Berlin) that accepted Credit Cards.