If you want to pay by card at the supermarket checkout or petrol station, you often have to switch to cash. Payments with EC, debit and credit cards have often not been possible since Tuesday morning due to a nationwide disruption.
Many supermarkets and drugstores such as Netto, Rewe, Kaufland, Rossmann and dm are affected. There are also problems at gas stations. The consumer retail chain reports on Facebook: “Attention, an important note for you! Due to a Germany-wide disruption, no card payment is currently possible in our stores.” ATMs are not affected by the problem.
The cause is apparently a network disruption: card readers are currently unable to forward the payment data. It is possible that the network operation between the terminals and banks is not working properly.
It is still unclear, however, when the disruption can be rectified. Many supermarkets and gas stations are now putting up signs warning of the problem. For the time being, it is therefore advisable to have enough cash with you when shopping and filling up.
Reports are piling up on the Alle disturbances.de portal and there are also complaints on Twitter. “If you’re on the highway and can’t pay with an EC card and don’t happen to have cash with you, it gets really interesting,” writes one user. Another user is annoyed when buying plants: “The day doesn’t get any better. You make up your mind to drive to the plant market, stand at the checkout with two cars and then … no card payment possible,” he tweeted.
