Why your bank may not help you if you pay by ec-card and PIN

Laptop with card reader - ©Can Stock Photo Inc. / MultiartOne of the most popular ways of paying for things  in shops in Germany is by ec-card – a standardised debit card that is issued by most banks and accepted by most shops. The card, which has a both a magnetic strip and a chip on it, generally comes with a PIN and you enter the PIN when paying to confirm the transaction, although some older card readers still require you to sign a slip of paper instead.

The money is debited from your bank account in a similar way to a direct debit (“Lastschrift”), but the similarity stops here. Because whereas a direct debit can be reversed within 6 weeks, I recently found out that such protection is not offered when paying by PIN. [Read more…]

Leb’ wohl, Bio-Ethanol

Ford Focus FlexifuelIt is now four years since I started driving a car powered by bio-ethanol.  Those four years ended yesterday when I returned the car to the dealer with only a few days left to run on the lease.

The car that I have replaced it with no longer runs on bio-ethanol (E85), although it does use the new E10 fuel.

So how have those four years been and why did I switch back?

Well, whilst on the one hand it was nice to try something new [Read more…]

E10 in Germany – is your car compatible?

Ford Focus FlexifuelThere has been a lot of discussion recently in Germany about the introduction of the new E10 petrol.

  • Is it really good for the environment?
  • Does it really cut CO2 emissions?
  • Will it cause monotonous landscapes and food shortages?

However I am sure that the question on most motorists’ minds is “will it damage my car?” [Read more…]

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