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Paying bills

One major adjustment to the German way of life will be the difference in bill paying. Germany is a cash based society and writing checks or charging most of your goods will not be your way of life anymore. Most large grocery stores such as MiniMal accept your Eurocard but many small grocery stores and specialty shops (bakeries and butchers) only accept cash. For large purchases or monthly billing, you will pay your bills in one of two ways. You may have monthly billing set up as an automatic payment called Dauerauftrag. However, you must cancel these auto-payments in writing before you return to the U.S. so you will have to be diligent in keeping track of them (often you have to give 90 days notice!). It is perfectly normal to give out your account number to merchants. This allows them to set up accounts whereby they take money from your account on a monthly or other routine basis. This is the way you pay your rent, your phone bill, your cable bill, etc. It is very safe and it works well. You may also pay your bills by using the Überweisung (money transfer) using the pre-printed form that is sent with your bill. You may also fill one out at your bank if one was not sent. The bank teller will usually be very helpful in filling out the form correctly for you with the proper account names and numbers written in the proper German way (please remember that the German ``1'' looks like an American ``7'', and the German ``7'' needs to be crossed like a ``t''!) The teller gives you a receipt upon completion of the transaction, and the bank then transfers the money from your account to the service provider. The easiest way is to do internet banking, but some banks actually charge fees for internet transactions. The HypoVereinsbank, on the other hand, pays you for each internet or call center transaction because it saves them money.


next up previous contents
Next: Shipping and customs duties Up: Banking and money matters Previous: Banking vocabulary
Barbara Heller
2006-01-09