Germany / Money rules

Germany money rules

Eight things worth remembering while you are there, each linking to the fuller explanation.

Open it, then press and hold to keep it in your photos. Works with no signal.

1. 1Carry cash. Germany is not as card-first as it looksThe richest country in Europe and the bakery still wants coins. Supermarkets, hotels and chains take cards, but bars, small restaurants and market stalls often do not. Carry small notes, they dislike large ones.Where cards work in Germany
2. 2Say the total. Do not leave it on the tableThis is the habit that catches Americans out. When the server tells you what you owe, you name the figure you want to pay, tip included, and hand over the money. Cash left behind on the table is not how it is done here.How to tip in Germany
3. 3Trinkgeld is modest, and you round rather than calculateSomewhere around 5 to 10 percent covers a restaurant, and it is arrived at by rounding up to a tidy figure rather than working out a percentage. At a bar or a cafe, leaving the coins is plenty.What Trinkgeld is worth
4. 4Choose euros, not dollars, at every screenTerminals and cash machines both offer the switch. Saying yes is dynamic currency conversion, a rate roughly 3 to 8 percent worse than the one your own bank would have given you for nothing.Paying by card in Germany
5. 5There is no car toll, whatever anyone tries to sell youAustria, Switzerland and Slovenia all charge one, so drivers arrive expecting to buy a windscreen vignette here too. Germany has none for cars, so anyone selling you one near the border is selling you nothing.Tolls and the vignette myth
6. 6The green sticker is the real driving trapMost cities of any size are low-emission zones you may only enter showing an Umweltplakette on the glass, Berlin and Munich among them. Check the windscreen when you collect the car, and bring an International Driving Permit.The Umweltzone and the permit
7. 7FreeNow is the app, and Uber sends a real taxiInstall FreeNow first, it has the widest reach. Uber and Bolt work in the big cities, but German rules mean they call a licensed taxi rather than the cheap private car you know from home.Taxis and apps in Germany
8. 8From the airport, the train is usually the answerFrankfurt, Munich and Berlin all have the station inside or underneath the terminal, and the S-Bahn or regional train into the city costs a few euros. In traffic it also beats a taxi on time, not just on price.Getting in from the airport

These are the rules that do not really change, which is why they are worth carrying. Exact fees, rates and prices do move, so check the Germany guide for anything current before you rely on a number.

truetripcosts.com/germany/rules