this post was submitted on 12 Mar 2025
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This post is a reminder that Visa and Mastercard are two american companies and that every time you pay for something with your credit card you are most likely paying taxes to trump and his goons.

This post is also intended to be a provocation to all the crypto haters and the cashless payment fanatics.

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[–] zpteixeira@lemm.ee 3 points 9 hours ago

The real problem here is that the "alternative" is a lot country specific alternatives that have no leverage to command worldwide adoption.

This could only be addressed ultimately by EU federalization. Let's see how much time until people and governments take to realize this.

[–] BastingChemina@slrpnk.net 1 points 10 hours ago

In France there is the CB network.

A lot of cards are dual network CB/Visa or CB/MasterCard and the fees are much lower in the CB network so most POS are using it as well.

[–] ArchmageAzor@lemmy.world 1 points 10 hours ago

Does the same go for debit cards?

[–] banghida@lemm.ee 17 points 1 day ago

Digital Euro when?

[–] chmod755@feddit.org 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I often paid with my cards (or my watch), but switched to cash until there is a legit european alternative. Most cryptocurrencies are pump and dump schemes

[–] Denixen@feddit.nu 9 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (3 children)

In Sweden we have Swish, which allows you to pay for stuff online without using any debit or credit card. I use it all the time, I cannot remember last time I paid online with card, unless it was from a foreign online shop/service.

However, it often isn't available in grocery and retail stores. But it is often available in rural areas or small shops who don't want to pay the fee for cards.

Also, Sweden is developing an e-krona, an electronic version of the Swedish currency. It should hopefully replace cards in all shops in the future.

Until then, using cash in grocery and retail stores is always possible. The problem is most swedes haven't seen physical money in so long I am not certain they still know how to use it... 🤔

[–] Liljekonvalj@feddit.org 1 points 3 hours ago

For Willys or Hemköp you can download the app and scan. Scan directly in the Hemköp app. Use scan&go on the Willys app

[–] lud@lemm.ee 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

You actually can pay in quite a few retail shops using swish nowadays.

Also loads of stores don't accept cash at all. Most big stores like grocery stores accept cash but not always all tills

[–] Denixen@feddit.nu 1 points 10 hours ago

Yeah, it is definitely getting more common. And cashless stores are also getting more common, which isn't necessarily a desirable development :/

[–] biofaust@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

MobilePay in Finland and Denmark. I am not so sure the underlying payment infrastructure is US-free though.

[–] Denixen@feddit.nu 2 points 10 hours ago

This is a good point concerning Swish too, I have no idea.

[–] bennieandthez@lemmygrad.ml 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

This post is also intended to be a provocation to all the crypto haters and the cashless payment fanatics.

If your intentionis boycotting the US, pushing crypto ain't it 😂 americans are the most invested in cryptocurrencies and the current administration more than so.

[–] slaneesh_is_right@lemmy.org 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I really like the idea of crypto. But i can't fucking stand people who like crypto. I used to lure around crypto messaging boards around the time bitcoin blew up and before it crashed. Every other post was like: buy crypto, and use it, apes together strong. That kind of shit. And the next post: haha this loser bought a pizza for 20k dollars worth of bicoin.

It's all around just prople pretending to hold btc and tell people to hold btc, just to sell everything as soon as it's profitable

[–] bennieandthez@lemmygrad.ml 1 points 1 day ago

Yea, holders of bitcoin have a vested interest in pushing it to other people so they can sell.

Bitcoin as an investment is ponzi scheme through and through, it just happens that it can also be used to make transactions.

[–] GrammarPolice@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

So what should we use😂?

This is getting absurd

[–] przemek@lemm.ee 3 points 1 day ago

Depends on what’s available where you live. In Poland we have BLIK! I think a few other countries are starting to use it too. The way it works is that in your banking app you get a 6 digit code, and enter it in the terminal. Less convenient than tap-to-pay but writing that made me realize how spoiled I am, lol. It’s really convenient for online purchases though, no need to spend all that time writing card info and no risk of that info getting into the wrong hands.

Some things are harder to replace than others, and no one expects you to change everything anyway. I don’t know why it’s “too absurd”. If anything, our dependence on that makes them all the more important to use/develop alternatives for.

[–] gon@lemm.ee 51 points 2 days ago (16 children)

Yeah! It's best to use the national network, if it exists in your country. Also, daily reminder that the EU is working towards the digital Euro.

This post is also intended to be a provocation to all the crypto haters and the cashless payment fanatics.

I don't really get this tbh...

[–] Alxe@lemmy.world 21 points 1 day ago

The digital euro looks so promising, even if it's a small thing. Ditching Visa and Mastercard would help reduce intermediates in the payment chain, even if the replacement is the bank itself.

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[–] astigma@lemmy.world 38 points 2 days ago (14 children)

This post is also intended to be a provocation to all the crypto haters

When crypto is backed by a regulatory body and isn't just speculative gambling, I might take it more seriously.

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[–] Blackout@fedia.io 26 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Corporations in America don't pay taxes. They kill us slowly and erode our democracy and sponsor facism but they don't pay taxes.

[–] hildegarde@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 1 day ago

They don't pay income tax, but they do pay tax. They pay payroll taxes when paying employees, and those employees have to pay income taxes on those wages.

If you buy american, some of that money will go to the feds in taxes, and the US has a major corporate tax evasion problem. Both are true.

[–] 9point6@lemmy.world 22 points 2 days ago (2 children)

They're not the only options!

There's also..... American Express

How do we not have an international European card processor?

[–] index@sh.itjust.works 7 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Because usa government and companies bought the current politicians

[–] dynamoMaus@feddit.org 7 points 1 day ago

While it is partly true - look at how big lobbyorganisations of said companies are in Strasburg - I do not like how General this is. "All politicians are bought" is just straight up wrong.

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[–] NotLemming@lemm.ee 12 points 1 day ago (1 children)

So is cash the only non-US option? Even my current account uses visa debit.

[–] mearce@programming.dev 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Visa at least probably doesn't collect a per transaction surcharge on these transactions right? I mean, they probably do get your data and probably ultimately still cost you money in a round about way.

[–] NotLemming@lemm.ee 2 points 1 day ago

I have no idea. I've wondered about buying those prepaid MasterCards for things where a card is needed. It's kind of like you need to think like someone doing fraud just to opt out of a financial norms that you don't agree with. People are already weirded out by someone paying cash here.

[–] lennee@lemm.ee 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] gabelstapler@feddit.org 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Hast du dir mal das Logo mit dem zwei Kreisen näher angeschaut?

[–] lennee@lemm.ee 2 points 1 day ago

Giro payment system läuft getrennt von Visa und Mastercard. Viele Girokarten sind aber eine Kombination aus Giro und Visa oder Masterkarte und da kommt manchmal das Logo her.

[–] RambaZamba@feddit.org 6 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

There is already a solution inside the EU, the shops just have to support it now. "Over the course of 2025, banks will no longer be allowed to charge additional fees for instant transfers in euros. Banks in all 20 euro countries must also offer the real-time service as standard."

[–] lazycog@feddit.uk 8 points 2 days ago

Reminder: Arguing and discussion is okay, but keep it civil and do not attack the person you are arguing with.

[–] vodkasolution@feddit.it 5 points 2 days ago

In (only) Italy you can use Bancomat

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