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Why are Credit Cards less widely used in Germany? 

Thanks

Bryan

Dear PB, 

As with any thing, there are several possible reasons as to why
Germans use credit cards less frequently.

First, as many tourist who come to Germany witness, outside tourist
places and large department stores, not many businesses accept credit
card. Why have a credit card when your local grocery would not accept
it?

This is, indeed, both a reason and a cause, the chicken and the egg,
in itself: it could be, that if merchants thought that there's a large
market the requests to pay by credit card, they would have accepted
it. After all, merchants in the tourism branch ("touristic"
restaurants, hotels, etc.) do accept credit cards, because they know
that their potential customers expect them to.

Second, the legal foundation in Germany provides credit cards
companies with less opportunities to promote themselves as with other
countries: "restricting come-ons like frequent-flier miles for card
use and barriers to direct marketing of cards and to sharing
credit-history information" [...] "anti-money-laundering laws require
credit-card applicants to appear in person to verify their identity"
[...] " privacy laws that limit sharing of data on whether someone is
a good credit risk. The result is that banks market cards mostly to
their own depositors." (SOURCE: "Credit card usage goes up in Germany
following euro introduction" , ATM Marketplace,
<http://www.atmmarketplace.com/news_story_11685.htm>).

A third reason might be cultural - a cultural liniency not to use
credit cards, and a general conservative attitude when it comes to
adopting new ways of life.

I hope this answered your question. Please contact me if you need any
clarifications on this answer before you rate it.

Great, PG

As always!

Very many thanks

Bryan